Category: Lake Conroe Area News

Pure Mutts Animal Sanctuary owner Priyanka Johri is typically the one helping others so she feels lost now that she needs help. 
Johri has run the nonprofit Pure Mutts since 2007 on 2 acres in an unincorporated area of South Montgomery County near College Park. 
Following the worst of Hurricane Beryl’s winds Monday, she stepped out of her home on the property and was shocked to find many fallen trees and toppled fences where she runs Pure Mutts. 
LAST FOR POWER: Kashmere Gardens residents worry they’re ‘last on the agenda’ for Beryl power restoration
‘Mother nature won the war’
“I was not expecting this much damage,” she said. “It’s 2 acres of disaster. Instead of paradise, it feels like 2 acres of war zone where mother nature won the war.”
She has started a GoFundMe page to help with the sanctuary’s recovery. By Thursday mid-day $3,400 of her $25,000 goal had been raised. 
Johri has 32 dogs on the property but has housed anywhere from 24 to 45 dogs. None of the dogs were injured in the storm, but they are currently contained to her house or in a fenced-in area on her property because of fallen fences. 
In her 20-plus years of fostering dogs, Johri developed a special passion for giving older dogs, dogs with medical or special needs or terminally ill dogs a forever home. 
Nothing like Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike in September 2008 hit Galveston Island as a Category 2 storm and traveled northward through Montgomery County. 
At the time, the storm helped launch Pure Mutts because so many dogs needed her help.
“We had a few trees down (during Ike) but it was nothing like this,” she said. “I was expecting it to be like Ike.” 
There is a main house with a fenced-in yard, an area with several cabins that is fenced in and several storage buildings. The main home is for elderly and terminally ill dogs. The cabins are for younger dogs with shorter-term medical issues with the hope they can be adopted. 
When it was safe to emerge from her home Monday, she turned out of her front door and saw a pine tree crashed through the storage building. Then she walked around the other side of the home and saw the damage to the area for younger dogs. 
“It was heartbreaking and scary and overwhelming,” she said.
Some friends came to help with chainsaws and clear some of the debris Tuesday. 
BERYL IN PHOTOS: Photos: Houston slowly starts recovery post-Beryl
‘I just don’t know where to start’
“I’m grateful nothing fell  on the house and all the dogs are safe and no one was hurt, but I just don’t know where to start,” she said. 
Entergy had a crew on Bill Smith Road to do an assessment earlier this week. Because she’s near the end of the road they told her it could be weeks before her power was back. 
She also looked into having some of the fallen trees removed. 
“I am told that estimated costs can be any where from $50,000 to $70,000. I can’t wrap my head around that,” she said. “But I need to start somewhere. I want to get the trees removed and at least fences secured so dogs have room to roam like they are used to.”
Johri also runs an assisted living facility for elderly clients in the area. 
“She has given so much to her residents both dogs and seniors,” said Kim Kimberly whose son, Jayson, runs the Leave It For the Pooch nonprofit in Montgomery County.  

There is nothing like having deer around the house or in your neighborhood. This is a love/hate debate just about everywhere. The fact is, that deer love to graze our landscapes throughout the year. We sometime even have to dodge them with our vehicles. The fact is, there is not much we can do to avoid them, however, there are a few options that might help reduce or tolerate the “four-legged plant pruners.” 
Understanding deer is one of the first helpful steps.  Deer will eat most anything during the spring.  Why? It is because plants are tender and have the highest nutrition in their leaves.  As we move into the summer, heat and drought will drive them into your landscapes.  The plants are green and typically healthy. They typically rely on their sense of smell to decide which plants are safe and palatable. However, they sometimes will just sample plants for the heck of it.  Also, consider that during the fall, they start shedding their velvet from their horns and use trees and shrubs for assistance. It is at this point when physical damage to trees & shrubs occurs from the horns rubbing against the plants. 
The only way to keep deer out of the landscape is to install an 8’ or larger fence around the perimeter.  I am pretty sure most homeowner subdivisions do not allow this. Since such a fence is typically not feasible; instead, we turn to planting deer resistant plants.   However, a hungry deer will eat almost anything.  I bet that can be true for some of us too.  Selecting deer resistant plants is a realistic option that can reduce plant damage or loss. Just remember that “resistance” is a sliding scale.  Some plants will never get touched and yet some will.  So, any plants considered “deer resistant” can still be fair game.  It just depends on how hungry the deer are, or if they have not sampled the plant before or if it is something new.When you have young or newly planted trees, they should be protected by a wire cage or other material.  Just remember that deer will stand on their hind legs to get to leaves or branches if they really want it.  So, a protective cage will allow the tree(s) to grow until the leaves and smaller branches are beyond the deer’s reach.
There are deterrents that are sold to help minimize plant damage. There are motion sensor water sprinklers that when triggered will provide a nice passing bath or startle them.  However, it tends flush to another area of the yard.  There are also sprayable liquids that can be used. Typically, these products are scent related.  Other natural solutions include human hair or shredded bars of soap.  The problem with the hair and soap tactics is that deer within a subdivision already and continuously encounter our scents and eventually will not respond.  Eventually the scent barrier will be breached.  It may be wise to alternate products regularly to throw them off and buy some time.
I hope a few of these hints, tips, tricks and information help you understand deer better.  Sometimes we just have to live with what we have.  
This is a short and not complete list of some of the more successful deer resistant plants in our area: 
Shrubs
• Boxleaf Euonymus (Euonymus japonica ‘Microphylla’)• Cenizo or Texas Sage (Leucophyllum spp.)• Elaeagnus or Silverberry (Elaeagnus pungens)• Esperanza (Tecoma stans)• Firebush (Hamelia patens)• Viburnum (Viburnum spp.)• Yaupon Holly (regular and dwarf) (Ilex vomitoria)• Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana)• Firebush (Hamelia patens)
Ground Covers 
• Prostrate Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis Prostratus)• Thyme (Thymus spp)• Wedelia (Wedelia trilobata)• Frog Fruit (Phyla incisa) • Pigeonberry (Rivina humilis 
Perennials• Ageratum (Eupatorium coelestinum)
• Amaryllis (Hippeastrum x Johnsonii)• Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha)• Hummingbird Bush (Anisacanthus wrightii)• Indigo Spires Salvia (Salvia ‘Indigo Spires’)• Silver King Artemisia (Artemisia ludoviciana)• Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii )• Bearded Iris (Iris spp)• Blue Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) • Hummingbird Bush (Anisacanthus wrightii)
HerbsGarlic Chives, Lavender, Thyme, Mexican Mint Marigold, Mexican Oregano, Rosemary. 
Ornamental Grasses• Inland sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)• Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sinensis)• Gulf Muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris)• Lindheimer’s Muhly (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri)• Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana)• Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum)
For a more complete list of deer resistant plants for our area, visit this website:https://aggie-hort.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/deerbest.html
Don’t forget to send your garden questions to Plant Answers at 9020 Airport Rd., Conroe TX 77303 or e-mail me at mpotter@ag.tamu.edu.