Lab-proof pond
Hi Lacy,
I have a pond in my back yard. It is rather large, but I made it myself with some help from a couple of strong men. It would be proof against a dog and even if I had a dog that jumped into mine, he wouldn't hurt the fish (maybe a plant or two....).
I is not a prefab pond, nor one with a liner. It is a concrete pond, with vertical sides to eliminate the entry of sea-birds, like herons and egrets who love to wade into ponds to eat up all your fish! It was hard work to make, since it contains formed rebar and a 7' waterfall made up of formed chicken wire/screen mesh/wire lath/ etc. held together with tie-wire and tied to rebar poles sunken into the ground.
I had mortar mix blown onto the waterfall, and concrete blown into the main pond and plant shelf area. I then waterproofed the entire thing with a gray tinted sealer (the color of concrete). I installed an underwater pump up to two biological underwater filters, that runs the water to the top of the waterfall. It's been running beautifully for 8 years now.
Hope this gives you an idea.
Also - pick up some pond books from your local Home depot. That's where I started....
Mary Jo