Some animals can make a real mess out of your pond.

If raccoons, blue herons, and other animals are feeding on your fish, the best way to repel them is to get a motion-triggered water spray and carefully aim it at the places where the animals or birds like to fish. This is a new invention for keeping them out of your pond.

Other ways to keep out deer and raccoons is a very high fence. A low-voltage electric fence can be a powerful deterrent to some animals including some local pets. There are also repellents that smell or taste bad.

Netting placed over the surface of the pond or fishing wire strung across will dissuade herons from fishing there. Another solution, but an odd one, is make a

moat of black plastic around the garden. Animals don't like to walk on material. If you want to further test it you can sprinkle some hydrated lime powder, the kind used on athletic fields, on the plastic moat.

Animals especially raccoons don't like to get the powder on their feet. Fences are good prevention for domestic dogs and cats and a fence and locked gates are a good deterrent to keep neighborhood children out of the pond.

Dogs!

Dogs are a problem when they cannot resist playing in the water. Dogs bred for water, are worse, often using the pond as a personal water hole. Training them to stay out or installing a fence may be necessary. Also motion activated sprinklers do not help since does will sometimes like to play in them.

Cats!

Mice And Voles!

Voles and mice are generally not a problem for plants until winter, when they use them for food or cover. Also mice cary alot of disease which can become very harmful and sometimes fatal to humans and pets. To reduce the problem cut back grasses and clean up around the pond. Mice can also chew through the pond liner to make nests in the dry comfort underneath. The best control would be trapping. That way you can monitor who is being caught and either relocate them or destroy.