There’s a struggle over here. The struggle to want a dog like Lulu. And the struggle to be a gardener and have a pristine lawn. You see the two don’t really mix and I didn’t find this out until we had Lulu for a full year, one thing I don’t like about having a dog.
This was our side lawn (aka. her area) back in April after a long winter which is when I learned the one thing I that drives me crazy as a gardener who also has a pet.
Don’t Like About Having a Dog
Today it looks a little bit better due to the decent amount of rain we’ve had and frequent dousing with the sprinkler. But still, there are bare patches, yellow patches and anything but perfect lawn here. Sigh.
I read everything I could about urine burnouts, spots, patches, whatever you call them. I don’t think making my pet eat some supplement for the rest of her life is a good or reasonable fix.
I’m not going to have my pet go in the house on a pee pad. And I’m not going to be that neighbor who walks their animal and has it go in another person’s yard. Just NO!
Related blog posts:
• Meet Lulu
• The Time My Dog Ate Bread Dough
• Tips for Writing Pet Sitter Instructions
• How to Prepare Your Dog for a Race
How to Fix Dog Urine Burn
I’ve realized this is just part of having man’s best friend. An imperfect lawn. I will say the extra watering has helped although I now have mushrooms in the same area.
I have read the #1 proven remedy is to pour water directly over the spot where the pet goes immediately after they go. Well #aintnobodygottimeforthat.
Pet Messes in the Yard
In Summary
So I continue to run the sprinkler, rake the dead patches, reseed and transplant patches of new grass from other areas of the lawn. I’ve accepted this is my lawn with having man’s best friend.
I continue to battle this situation. My remedy has been to patch seed and reseed the burnt out areas one to two times per year. Even using a tough turf grass the grass continues to die but I have determined this is the reality of having Fido and being an avid gardener.
I will say that since I took this photo we have seem improvement with the side yard using these tactics. In addition it helps to mow high, fertilize and keep the grass robust and healthy. The yellow spots are much smaller these days using these methods.
How do balance pet ownership and lawn pride?
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