Over the many years that I have been designing residential properties in the Austin, Texas area, I have often encountered yards (mostly back yards) completely destroyed by the family pet.

In many cases the owners did not seem to care about the condition of the yard; they were happy as long as long as ‘Mr. Scruffy’ had a place to run around in and a place to ‘do his business’.

Other clients were upset that the yard was starting to look worn-out, and not catering to their other desires for the yard: a play area for kids, a place to have a small vegetable garden, a pleasant adult zone with outdoor entertainment spaces, and in general just a pretty aspect appropriate to their housing investment.  

I think with judicious planning ‘Muffy’ and the family can happily share outdoor space.

If I were a dog (some folks might claim I have a canine temperament!) and I was allowed to spend a lot of time in the back yard here is what I would desire: shade to slumber in on hot days; sun to bask in on cooler days; a cozy shelter with a padded floor; a good size swath of short lawn to do ‘my business on’; open space to run around in and retrieve thrown objects by my compliant human companion; a variety of chew-toys; areas to dig in ; a shallow pool to bathe /  lounge in; if my masters followed their territorial instincts and put up a fence, I would desire a fence type that I could peer through , to observe the world beyond, and most importantly: a constant source of drinking water and large bowl of snacks (being replenished on an hourly schedule). Also, I would want a doogie door installed in the back door so I could come and go from indoors to outdoors whenever I wanted.

If I (as a human this time) was chosen by a dog to cohabitate with, here is what I would add to ‘Bandit’s’ landscape list:  a separate ‘dog-run’ that has a good view of the main back yard (and is designed using attractive barrier material…I think I would forego the chain-link aesthetic for this purpose); a designated outdoor feeding zone that I would not trip over whenever I went to water my Hibiscus; a dog shelter that provided respite for ‘Czar’ from the rain and cold, that was designed to be an interesting eye-catching bit of ‘barkitecture’; a perimeter run at the base of the fence, that allows ‘Buck’ to traipse back and forth chasing chatty squirrels while missing my favorite bedding plants (I might do this ‘alley’ in finely shredded bark mulch); a textured floor material surrounding my patios / landings to aid in wiping  ‘Zack’s’ muddy feet before he ruins the new white carpet in the den; and lastly one of those ultrasonic ‘bark-stoppers’ pointed over the fence at my next-door neighbor’s bored-to-death Doberman, ‘Braveheart’ to teach him proper noise etiquette . I wonder if there are readily available plants that dogs are attracted to (to sniff or eat for their trace mineral content or pleasure providing scent)?

Many households have canine pets that are allowed to use the backyard. With a little planning ‘Midnight’ and ‘Peanut’s’ needs can be taken into account, while not conflicting with their masters’ landscape requirements. Of course the ideal time for landscape design for dog-friendly yards is while the lot / home is being envisioned.

Often we humans move into a house with an existing lawn, patio, etc. It is my belief that most yards can be retrofitted to accommodate the needs of all species, except maybe rhinos and elephants.