A PET-FRIENDLY PRESENTATION Bublitz only sees the upsides of presenting her landscaping business as pet-friendly. “It sets you apart,” she says. “You can work with so many good-hearted people because so many either own rescue dogs or are crazy about their pedigreed pooches. They are fun, happy people who have their priorities straight. They look at their yards as also belonging to their dogs and are open to solutions that involve compromise. Another great thing about landscaping for dogs is that your designs will be more organic and natural in shape as opposed to the typical symmetric and geometric style.” When Bublitz meets with clients, she focuses on the dog’s habits first. “They’re all habitual, so you can identify solutions to such things as their eliminations (aka, urinating and defecating) and habitual movements. Some are escape artists. Others are diggers. Some are active, constantly running around and chasing squirrels. There’s design variations to accommodate all types.” Carol Lindsay, owner and landscape designer of Landscape Design in a Day, believes any dog-friendly landscape designer needs to convey that they are well-rounded. “You want to go in as a landscaper who sees the whole picture, and dog-friendly just happens to be an integral part of it, certainly,” she says. “You also have to let customers know that they will have to compromise. You want to present cold, hard facts about what it takes to accommodate their dogs.” When going in for a first meeting with clients to check out their landscapes, Bublitz requests they not clean or pick up anything from their yard so she can study the pet’s elimination behaviors before designing any new landscapes. “Instead of removing the urination area, you need to accentuate it,” she says. “If the dog lifts his leg on a shrub killing it, as a designer I would opt to leave it there but place a really beautiful statuary bird bath or boulder next to it.” When the dog identifies a favorite spot to eliminate waste, Bublitz will tear out the sod there and replace it with safe, decorative rock and possibly a major hardscape accent feature. Headquartered in Denver, Bublitz advocates for Dog Tuff Turf, a specially developed variety of a drought- and dog-spot-resistant African grass developed by a collaboration between Colorado State University and Denver Botanic Gardens. Lindsay says that in some lawn areas where dogs eliminate, clients must know that grass just will not grow. “In cases like this, I tell my clients to get real and accommodate synthetic.” continued on page 34
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