Outdoor Living and Your Dog

• Tweet

• Tweet

With Spring finally on the horizon, are you looking forward to getting outside and spending some time in your own back yard?  In thinking about creating the ideal setting for you and your family, have you also considered whether your yard is a place that both you and your pet can enjoy?

Petscaping for Dogs!

by Mary Haight
Dancing Dog Blog

Spring is almost here. No…really. (I know I’m repeating myself, but maybe if I keep saying it, it will stop feeling like I’m stuck in “Groundhog Day.”) With all the snow blanketing a large swath of the US, what better time to sit down and plan what’s going to make your yard the family’s favorite place this season? What kind of pet-scaping suits your dog and your family’s outdoor style?

Starting early can save money, giving you the time needed to plan a scheduled do-it-yourself assault on all the things you don’t like about your garden: The dog’s digging that makes your yard look like a manic woodchuck with memory loss kept digging up new back doors for his den; the flower beds you’ve been meaning to raise up and out of Monty’s parading area–how many times can delphinium be trodden on before they don’t spring back (it’s a trick question)? Maybe you could fence off an area where that digging behavior could be contained and indulged with gusto and no reprimands? Everybody’s happy! (See, this is fun:)

As long as we have a little time, what about that grass? Do you have a lot of  “beaten path” wear from paws, urine stains, and bare patches?  What grass seeds are you planting this year?  We used rye and bluegrass at the house  which is hardy and works in this climate.  A herd of deer would  camp out in the yard each year, giving birth to their young.  Still, the grass did well (don’t ask about the rhododendron…or the trees lining the driveway).  Check out the pet-safe fertilizers while you’re at the home and garden shop.

Read the rest of Mary’s article.

---