I've had it with the MUD!!
 

Ok I have have reseeded, put pebble gravel down in some areas, put straw down, but my back yard is a virtual mud pitt! With the warmer winter, and tons of rain we've had, my backyard is nothing but mud, and my house is a DISASTER! There are muddy footprints everywhere! I just don't know what to do anymore!

I've put straw down, and that helped for awhile, but then the mud came back. Added more straw, but now it is so thick that even on dry days, the ground/mud underneath isn't drying. Every day, I have to wipe paws, and legs, and bellies, to get rid of the mud! And all of my furniture and carpets are ruined!!

So...I'm considering getting artificial turf, or pet grass, for the back yard. Has anyone done this? And if so, has it helped...was it worth it? It looks like it will cost about $1500 to do my backyard. But I am seriously considering it, because I just can't take the mud anymore!!!!

Any thought? Any other suggestions??

I think, if I"m remembering correctly from your pictures, that your yard has a slope to it and holds water? Maybe you need a drain and some piping?

I can only say I feel your pain :( We used to have a large yard and the yards on either side of us were elevated, plus the soil was damp clay. My Grandpa (who acts like a historian) also insists there are underground streams and springs that feed into the main stream. Our yard was usually either standing water or like a saturated sponge. One day I photographed ducks floating in my yard! Some days I was honestly thisclose to having some sort of break down! Especially with two young dogs (2 year old and brand new puppy GSD) and a large dog that liked to try to dig under the fence. And to make matters worse, the house we rented had beige and *white* carpet! Before we moved I just gave up. I got used blankets and would keep them on the floor and then block off the other areas, so I had sort of a quarantine area for the dogs.

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Yes, there is one area that dips and holds water. When it rains hard, we get a lake in the backyard! We do have a drain, but with 3 yards draining into our yard, it takes time for it to drain off. Standing water is usually gone pretty fast, but the mud stays behind! :(

3 yards draining into yours?! I would make them put drains in! You'll still have the standing water and wet dogs if that isn't fixed, and if the rain is hard enough, it will wash dirt onto your turf.

Thats a good idea! I might have to buy some blankets and put them in front of the doors...so the primary mud goes on them! Then keep them blocked off from the rest of the house until their feet dry off!

I so badly want to buy new living room furniture, as mine is destroyed, but my hubby won't let me, because he says it will just get ruined from the dogs and the mud! :(

Believe it or not, when there is standing water, it isn't as bad! When they walk through that it cleans off their feet! Its when it recedes that the mud becomes the issue!

I'd love to tell them to put drains in....but I've tried with my neighbors and they could care less about my property! They are not the best neighbors!! Well, one is...and they are actually going to put drains in. So 2 to go! :)

Yeah we could not do much with the yard itself, since we were renting. The landlords were not obligated to do anything and the yard was HUGE so even if we were willing to spend some money, we couldn't afford to fix major drainage issues for an acre. In the end I just got second hand blankets and let the dogs be muddy and wet. You could ask a place like Goodwill for ones they can't sell. My mom volunteers at a place like that, so I had her pull aside ones with holes or stains.

If it was really bad and I couldn't deal with it, we would leash the dogs and take them out to pee in the front yard.

You can guess my number one criteria when we bought our house...

All I can say is I feel your pain. That's why we put up kenneling so we can block the dogs from the backyard when it is like this. Michael just put out more straw today but in a week, that would be shoved to the side and we'll be right back where we started.

Good grief. I think you've just taken a picture of the inside of my house here. lol

The weather here is WOEFUL right now. (Then again, this is Ireland. The weather is always woeful.) But it's particularly bad at the moment.

I feel that I'm spending more time just cleaning the dogs as they come in and out than on anything else. It's a good thing we have a downstairs shower. I just put them in there and hose down their underbellys and feet because I can't cope with the mess. But I'm so sick of doing it 5 times a day.

I HATE IRISH WEATHER. :cry: