How to create a pet-friendly landscape in your home

If digging is an issue with your dogs, try a layer of chicken wire covered with gravel or rocks and then apply a layer of mulch over areas that are attractive to them. They won’t like the feel under their paws. Photo: 123rf.com

Picture a Golden Retriever on a leash walking down the street. As soon as that big puppy spies a freshly cut lawn, it turns to mush. The dog flops on its back and rolls and squirms and practically turns inside-out in the grass. You’d think that little patch of green was a long-lost relative.

I didn’t have to imagine that scene, it recently played out on my street and it was a joy to behold. But after about five minutes of unabashed pleasure on the part of said dog, the owner at the other end of the leash was clearly getting impatient to move on. She tugged and cajoled, but the dog was blissfully in a world of its own. It took several more minutes of dog-to-turf contact before the Retriever was ready to walk.