Susan Bell has created a menagerie of rabbits, squirrels, cats and other animals made from horse manure for use in the garden. As the "Dung Bunnies" decompose, they add nutrients to the soil.

Most gardeners work hard to keep furry creatures out of their yard.

But they might change their mind once they see Susan Bell's menagerie of rabbits, squirrels, cats and other animals, sold under the name "Dung Bunnies."

Yes, dung — horse manure, to be precise. The result is not only whimsical but useful: As the manure decomposes, it adds nutrients to the soil.

In addition to your basic garden-variety animals, Bell, a Greenwood Village, Colo., oil painter, recently introduced a new animal — dung donkeys, which she thinks will be a big hit when the Democrats come to Denver in August for their national convention.

Bell also has created a face of President Bush, while another sculpture looks like the bride and groom figures atop a wedding cake. The latter, she says, is the perfect gift for the newly divorced.

She got the idea for her dung garden art a few years ago when she heard about a controversial religious sculpture made with elephant dung. She owns horses, and thought that dung sculptures would be a good way to get rid of the manure and express herself artistically. The hard part was perfecting the ingredients to include just the right soil nutrients.

The animal sculptures aren't stinky because she composts the dung for several years, then mixes it with water and other ingredients, and puts it in molds.

Maybe the results aren't as classic as a Rodin sculpture, but Bell did have a showing of her dung art at the Arvada Center for the Arts. And they'll definitely liven up your garden in more ways than one as they break down.

Prices range from $7 to $30. To order, go to dungbunnies.com.