Politics & Government

South Orange Says Farewell to Boot

A working dog, the border collie was a familiar sight around town

The border collie who spent the last 12 years chasing geese away from the South Orange Duck Pond has died, leaving the job to her predecessor, Cloud.  When Boot started working for the Village, 300 to 400 geese called the duck pond home. With her help, only 35 are left.

Although there is still a problem with goose dropping and the Village is continues to work on it, it is nothing like it was back before Boot came on board, said South Orange Health Officer John Festa.

"You can imagine what it was like 15 years ago," Festa said. "Public Works employees were out there three times a day washing the droppings back into the pond. We tried everything."

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They sprayed the grass with a substance that geese aren't supposed to like, they floated Mylar balloons around the pond and put streamers across the water, but nothing worked, he said.

It wasn't until the Village acquired Boot that the numbers of geese at the pond began to dwindle, he said.

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Boot worked every day with Animal Control Officer Dick Ash and became a part of Ash's family and part of the Village family as well, Festa said.

So much so that a Village website announcement titled "In Loving Memory of Boot – Goose Chaser & Best Friend," described her this way: "Boot will always be remembered by both Village employees and residents as a dependable and capable dog with a heart that overflowed with love for her work and the people around her."

When Boot was finished with her work, she would often play with the students from South Orange Middle School, who used the area around the duck pond for physical education classes and outdoor breaks, Festa said.

"She loved the kids," he said.

Boot worked Monday through Friday, starting at 6:30 or 7 a.m. and "going back every few hours, varying the schedule so the geese didn't know when to expect her," he said.

The Village decided to buy Boot in 1998 after learning that geese are scared of border collies, because their silhouette is similar to the Arctic fox, a predator of the Canadian goose. Officials bought Cloud last year after Boot suffered the first of two strokes that slowed down her work.

Cloud now also lives and works with Officer Ash, who is on vacation and could not be reached for comment.

"Cloud is a welcome member of the family and she does a great job carrying on Boot's work," Festa said.


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