A small grey and brown Cattle Dog oversees her territory in the Pollinator Garden which apparently may require some bulb thinning at the end of the show this year.

Still pretty brown but some bulbs and ephemerals and peonies coming up in the untidied Rain Garden bed and an Archway raised bed with just a few strawberry survivors.

Trellises galore waiting to fill up in the Berry Garden bed and a relocated birdbath so hopefully doggo stops knocking it over on my toes chasing bunnies.

More current views of the state of the backyard beds with #GardenDogs #WeAreAllZoey looking at the bulb-dense Pollinator Garden bed, ephemerals starting to poke up in still brown Rain Garden bed, trellises galore in the Berry Garden bed. (2/2)

#gardening #bloomscrolling #FlowerReport 🌱

A small grey and brown Cattle Dog lies on a mud mat in front of an open slider door with a screen with both paws blocking the track to close the door. She looks at the camera proudly ignoring directions given to move.

When your independent-minded #GardenDogs disagrees with closing the slider when rain picked up because she isn’t done surveying her kingdom. Physically blocking the track with her feet plus “the look”. I’m shook. #ACDLife 🙃

#gardening #WeAreAllZoey #RainDelay #FreeSkyWater #WeWantToPlayOutside 🌱

A small grey and brown Cattle Dog sits folded in an origami of despair on a small rug next to the bed and nightstand while I do Continuing Education hours for Master Gardener online.

Big “This Zoom meeting about Butterfly Gardening is not about me” energy. 🐶🦋👩🏼‍🌾

#gardening #GardenDogs #WeAreAllZoey #butterflies #pollinators #invertebrates 🌱

A small grey and brown Cattle Dog with a fluffy raccoon tail walks ahead on a concrete sidewalk in a blue jacket with “Zoey” embroidered on it hot pink and a blue lead.

A peek through the chainlink fence at a thick clump of tiny yellow Daffs.

Closeup of a thick clump of tiny yellow Daffs.

A small grey and brown Cattle Dog stands in a blue jacket with “Zoey” embroidered on it hot pink showing the scale of the tiny Daffs.

Brisk morning walkies with #GardenDogs #WeAreAllZoey. Cattle Dogs need to stay busy or they’ll drive you bonkers since we have no cows in our #UrbsInHorto #Chicago garden. We spotted some beautiful mini Daffodils in a neighbor’s yard!

#gardening #bloomscrolling #FlowerReport #FlowersOnFriday 🌱

A smalll grey and brown Cattle Dog lies with her entire head and neck draped down over the side of a double thick fuzzy bed—fuzzy contortionist!

I also feel like I am melting after an afternoon of pruning major shrubs and thorny roses to the point that my neon yellow handled pruners were more red from my torn up fingers. Heat pad and bandaids, STAT! 🪚🩸🩹

#gardening #GardenDogs #WeAreAllZoey #ouchie 🌱

Sound on to enjoy #GardenDogs #WeAreAllZoey bringing big Dingo energy to a ballet of stomping on my tulips & a symphony of whine because Charlie the Yard Bunny is relaxing unfazed in neighbor yard in between noshing on new grass.

#gardening #Ecosystem #Wildlife #UrbsInHorto #Chicago 🌱

When you try to have nice things, but your Heeler is in daily dingo mode. 🫠🐶🦝

#WeAreAllZoey #GardenDogs #DogsOfBlueSky #ACDLife

An adorable floppy dark brown velvet-eared grey and brown Cattle Dog sleeps cozily in a fluffy squishy bed with a cute pink tongue blep.

Stormy night, rainy day. The largest hail & tornadoes skipped us but lots of lightning so it was good for the seeds I direct sowed yesterday. My joints are on fire so #GardenDogs #WeAreAllZoey & I are going back to bed early.

#gardening #fatigue #WeatherRollercoaster #DogsOfBluesky #ACDLife 🌱

An adorable floppy-eared grey and brown Cattle Dog at the end of a leash and harness looks over the bright beautiful purple Crocus and fresh green foliage starting to peek up against the brown leaf litter out front.

Four-legged #bloomscrolling fan.

#gardening #WeAreAllZoey #GardenDogs #FlowerReport #Chicago #UrbsInHorto #DogsOfBluesky #SmallJoys 🌱🐶

A close up of a blurry jauntily lifted white and black tail coming off the rear end of a small grey and brown Cattle Dog walking the paths.

So far trail cam has captured lots of #GardenDogs #WeAreAllZoey butt while she prowls the paths for Charlie the Yard Bunny & lots of closeups of partner’s Muck Boots as he chases after her. Hopefully spring will bring more interesting things. 🤣

#gardening #UrbsInHorto #Chicago #wildlife #nature 🌱

A small grey and brown Cattle Dog lies on top of a twisted wool rug with her paws dug into the weave and the rug pad showing. She looks up (barely) with eyes boring into my soul at my audacity to question her choices.

Heelers love rug surfing & have no shame. Asked her 3 times what she did & she refused to look at me but lifted her head slightly each time. Then, BOOM!, angry teenager FU side-eye. Independent little diva! 🤣🐶🫠

#WeAreAllZoey #GardenDogs #DogsOfBluesky #ACDLife

A small grey and brown Cattle Dog lies flat on her back with her head curled to one side, her tail curled to the same side, and one emphatic rockstar paw stuck straight up in the air.

Big Friday energy! 🐶🥳

#WeAreAllZoey #GardenDogs #DogsOfBluesky #ACDLife

A small grey and brown Cattle Dog in a red white and blue star harness sits at the end of her leash staring daggers at a chunky brown bunny watching back through the chain link fence from the endless grass on the other side.

Charlie the Yard Bunny is no dummy. He explored yard all day so we took #GardenDogs #WeAreAllZoey out to potty on harness so she couldn’t chase him through my shrubs. But he was already safely watching from neighbor’s tasty grass—a fence face-off! #gardening #wildlife #UrbsInHorto #Chicago 🌱

Shades of cream and brown form a large platter of Turkey Tails on some rotting down wood while green seedlings pop up around them.

A #ThickTrunkTuesday worthy tree that has been dead for ages but left mostly standing at the back of the properties, filling the space between two garages, breaking down into huge clumps of layered white and foam-like orange fungi.

Finished #GardenDogs #WeAreAllZoey walkies through alley. Got to see some epic #fungi, first Turkey Tails that have persisted all winter in our Alley #Pollinators Patch plus new plant growth, then various epic bulges on old snag the raptors love so much. #gardening #nature #UrbsInHorto #Chicago 🌱

A grey and brown Cattle Dog curled into a small oval red bolster bed with her legs tucked in and her head and neck hanging over the edge. And, yes, she has at least at least five other appropriately sized beds.

In celebration of Paczki Day, please enjoy this photo of my fully grown Heeler who refuses to relinquish her puppy bed even though she looks like filling splooting out of an overstuffed doughnut & probably needs a cervical collar for neck support. #WeAreAllZoey #GardenDogs #DogsOfBluesky #ACDLife 🐶

Yet another photo of a ball of fuzzy bunny with perfect dead stem camo fur and big black eyes staring out from what will surely be my most fertilized garden area of 2026.

Thermometer? Not when you have Charlie the Yard Bunny! Seeing fluffball peeking from cozy overwintered Baptisia stem fortress a sure sign of 40F+ temps & melting snow. I imagine we’re both laughing at #GardenDogs #WeAreAllZoey prowling opposite fence line. #wildlife #nature #UrbsInHorto #Chicago 🌱🐶🤣

A blurry photo of a very sweet patient man in a puffy jacket and garden boots carrying a 35# sack of disobedient dingo towards the house while lights that could power a spaceship glow blindingly from the train yard across the alley.

Put up trail cam to test possible location but quickly realized all this vantage captures is offensive #UrbsInHorto #Chicago light pollution from across alley & blurry pic of Mr. CMG carrying #GardenDogs #WeAreAllZoey inside (she feels she outranks him & wasn’t done sniffing 🙃). #gardening 🌱 🐶

Showing off snowy winter garden last few weeks plus #WeAreAllZoey running paths doing Heeler things like selective listening & bitey snow because she is mad bunny Charlie & birds aren’t around to play with. Better news is that it is finally melting! #GardenDogs #gardening #ACDLife #DogsOfBluesky 🌱

A small grey and brown Cattle Dog with stripey boots and a half-done bright orange coat, harness and leash sits on her high bed looking like a tortured octopus.

When you stomp on your button multiple times to ask for winter walkies then immediately act like you’ve *never* seen your coat or boots before (despite wearing them at least 2-3x a day) and your limbs are made of silly putty. 🤣

#WeAreAllZoey #GardenDogs #DramaQueen #ACDlife #DogsOfBluesky 🐶

Two stacks of rubberbanded seed packets and two corresponding sets of wooden labels waiting for winter sowing in jugs.

A floppy-eared grey and brown Cattle Dog stares disappointedly from the edge of her bolster bed waiting for something she actually cares about to happen.

Spent day with my favorite senior citizen & my favorite neurotic #GardenDogs #WeAreAllZoey watching soccer & organizing 2 more batches of winter sowing #seeds. We’re at 67 species now & these will take us to 109 total—I’m pretty sure that is *really* it this time. Then I can indoor sow. #gardening 🌱

A small grey and brown Cattle Dog stares intensely from the space next to my knee between the chair and the hassock.

Explaining to #GardenDogs #WeAreAllZoey that it feels like -22F out so her walk request has been declined. She begs to differ… with real #Chicago mob boss “offer you can’t refuse” energy. 😆

#DogsOfBluesky #ACDLife

A small grey and brown Cattle dog has snuck around the backside of the Christmas tree I haven’t gotten around to taking down yet to lie vibrating with anticipation as she tries to stare me into complying with her agenda.

“Why are you cleaning saved seeds for sowing instead of walking MEEEEE?” Typical #WeAreAllZoey mind meld vibes!

#gardening #GardenDogs #ACDLife #DogsOfBluesky 🌱

A small grey and brown Cattle Dog sits calculatingly just off my sight line between me and the television, staring into the very core of my soul, plotting how to herd and cajole me into granting her wishes like the servant/genie I am to her.

Just another average #ACDLife day as a Cattle Dog lover. Watching morning game show with my Mom over breakfast but #WeAreAllZoey has other plans so she’s watching me (super casually!), plotting her opportunity to start pounding her “walk” or “listen to me” buttons. 🤪🐶🫣

#GardenDogs #DogsOfBluesky

A small grey and brown Cattle Dog balls up to assume the dimensions of the gap solid and striped throw pillow lining the back of the couch. 10/10, extremely velvety pillow.

Nobody here but us throw pillows. 😬

#WeAreAllZoey #GardenDogs #DogsOfBluesky #ACDLife

Three tiny yellow-tinged birds each working over a separate tall thick seedhead from a different stem of the same plants.

Good morning from Goldfinches enjoying #NativePlants seedheads of Agastache foeniculum (captured by Mr. CMG and his behaving-herself-for-once lovely assistant #GardenDogs #WeAreAllZoey).

#gardening #birds #ecosystem #UrbsInHorto #Chicago 🌱

A Christmas tree lit and decorated with delicate ornaments and circled at the bottom with a personalized tree skirt I’ve had for at least 15 years now with a small grey and brown Cattle Dog asleep on the skirt way under the shadow of the tree with just a chonky butt and floof tail sticking out.

Now that presents are opened, our cat-in-a-dogsuit Cattle Dog #WeAreAllZoey has taken up space under tree as a nap cave. I heard ornaments shaking & found her clawing at Santa’s face trying to make a comfier pillow. She has 6 real dog beds & couch privileges.🤪🫠

#GardenDogs #DogsOfBluesky #ACDLife 🐶

A small grey and brown Cattle Dog with big cartoon wet eyes and floppy velvet ears wears a bright red collar with white lettering that says “Nice” and bright green lettering that says “Naughty”. A Christmas tree glows in multicolor in the background.

New Christmas fit: both are accurate. 🙃

#WeAreAllZoey #GardenDogs #ACDLife #DogsOfBluesky

Seriously, outdoor cats are the worst. Neighbors let it out so it can poop in our yard, dispatch #wildlife for fun, & annoy #GardenDogs #WeAreAllZoey. When I scuttled it, 5 little #birds & Charlie the yard bunny came zooming out to from their happy little stem shelter it was stalking. #gardening 🌱

A small grey and brown Cattle Dog slowly melts over the side of a couch covered with a protective blanket in a white-on-gray linear floral pattern while basking in Mr. CMG’s attention.

My dog is experimenting with Dali-esque surrealism.

#WeAreAllZoey #GardenDogs #DogsOfBluesky 🐶

A back view of a small great and brown and white Cattle Dog with a heart shaped black fur spot marked by bright white at its top.

From this angle, #WeAreAllZoey has a black spot behind her trademark Cattle Dog white Bentley mark that looks like a heart is so adorbs. We also call it her ‘“power button” when we are trying to get her to turn down the dingo energy. #GardenDogs #DogsOfBluesky #ACDLife