Our backyard needed help. A steep rise that transitioned our lawn to a woodsy area had turned into a pit of mud. Multiple attempts to mulch proved futile. Our son and his two German Shepherd cohorts in crime made sure each new bale of pine straw made its way into a pile at the bottom of the hill rather than evenly blanketing the dirt underneath. After all, dirt and mud are a lot more fun to play in than a nicely coiffed incline.

Perhaps a better parent could have figured out how to keep her child from driving his dump truck up and down the hill, or could have kept him and his canine buddies from digging for treasure or from chasing each other at Lightening McQueen speed, but this parent grew weary of the constant nagging. Plus, after Aaron’s summer-long immobilization in a body cast, seeing him run is a delight. Delighted or not, though, we still needed to address the ever-expanding mud pit.

We decided to seek professional help. The idea was to bring in more dirt to decrease the hill’s incline, clear out some underbrush and place sod rather than trying to keep the area mulched. Sounds simple, right?

Bright and early men with wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes, a chainsaw and a mini bucket loader descended on our backyard. Within two days they tamed the slippery slope, placed four-and-a-half pallets of sod, and poured a second concrete patio. We were thrilled.

That was before it dawned on me that the sod needs to take root and until it does, the dogs have to stay out of the backyard. No more letting them play outside until they’ve exhausted each other. Their rambunctious running would quickly destroy the new grass. Now it’s up to us to exhaust them, which is exhausting us. No more opening the door and letting them go outside to do their business alone. Nope, now I’m taking them into the woods on leashes for multiple potty breaks during the day. Life has truly gone to the dogs.

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