Dear Circles: For gardening buffs who own dogs, a recent wealth of information crossed my desk this month. Between these resources, from a new book hitting the market to major dog magazine articles (which I’ll detail shortly) I’m sure you will be well on your way to creating anything you desire from a minimal maintenance yard to a more formal garden of exquisite design.

As for your question about lawn burn, it has to do with the nitrogen content in dog urine. Nitrogen when used as fertilizer for grass does wonders. When dumped on your lawn, either in feces or urine, your grass may get an overload, which kills it.

However, there seems to be a controversy as to why this happens and what part of the urine is to blame. Dr. Steve Thompson, DVM of Perdue University at the website http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/turf/dog_lawn_problems.html describes in great detail the lawn burn cycle. He quotes, as a resource, an article written by Dr. A.W. Allard, a Colorado veterinarian, who looked at such factors as types of grass, from Kentucky bluegrass to fescue, and what causes burn more, urine volume or urine concentration. He noted that even with a small amount (less volume) of concentrated urine sprinkled on the hardiest grass, a burn appeared. Also, the origin of “female dog spot disease” is discussed at the website.

New Book

However, in Cheryl Smith’s new book Dog Friendly Gardens, Garden Friendly Dogs (Dogwise, $19.95) she gives a new perspective to many common dog and garden problems, including why female dogs may be wrongly blamed for those lawn burn circles.

The Dogwise website describes her book as “The first book ever written that tells you exactly how to combine your love of dogs with your love of gardening. You’ll learn how to design your garden with your dog in mind and how to train your dog with your garden in mind.”

Some of the chapters include: Keeping a Dog and a Garden, Good Gardening Behavior, Hardscapes, Ponds and Odds and Ends and Avoiding Pets and Poisonings.

Browse this book at http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DEG725

Magazine Articles

Dog-friendly garden articles featured on the covers of both AKC Family Dog (Spring 2004) and Dog Fancy (May 2004) encourage owners to make the best of two passions that don’t always complement each other.

Jane Brackman’s article “Growing Dogs in Your Garden” in AKC Family Dog gives fabulous advice about creating garden paths, planting strategies and how to give your dog what he needs in the yard and still be a dog. She recommends, “Design your garden to reflect different personalities. Little dogs need little spaces for making mischief.”

This quarterly magazine, published by the American Kennel Club, can be found at http://www.akc.org/pubs/familydog/.

Dog Fancy’s article “You Can Have a Dog and a Garden Too!” by Jean M. Fogle, provides excellent examples of fencing options, digging solutions and doggie gardening do’s and don’ts. One of Fogle’s don’ts includes, “Don’t plant new plants when your dog is around. Digging the hole will likely encourage him to join in.”

This issue of the magazine is on the newsstand now or you can see it at www.dogfancy.com.

Lisa’s Pick of the Litter

Many people like to populate their gardens with garden or lawn shadows or weathervanes atop a small garden gazebo. A company called Silhouettes Unlimited out of Norwalk, Connecticut specializes in dog breed shadows and specialty items.

Some of the more popular breeds include: Akita, Basset Hound, Beagle, Bernese Mountain Dog, Bichon Frise, Boxer, Bulldog, Dachshund, Labrador retriever, Poodle, Pug and Scottish Terrier, to name just a few of the more than 50 breeds represented. The silhouettes are made from 14-22 gauge steel and coated in a rust-resistant black hammered textured finish.

The company also sell Hang-A-Muls, (smaller silhouettes to hang off a ceiling fan or against a window), plant holders and a variety of objects. For more information, contact them at SilhouettesUNLTD@cs.com or call at 203-857-4998.  

Lisa Peterson, a breeder and exhibitor of Norwegian Elkhounds, is a Delegate to the American Kennel Club. Ask Lisa questions at ask@lisa-peterson.com or Dogma Publishing, P.O. Box 307, Newtown, CT 06470.