By Summer Baltzer, planitdiy.com
A Place for the Puppies to Go: Potty-Pad
About four months ago, my parents adopted an adorable brother and sister puppy pair from the local shelter. After months of painstaking potty training, Max and Ruby are finally trained to go outside on the front yard grass. Unfortunately, the grass is very unhappy about this. Also, I think my parents are tired of hanging out on the front lawn in their bathrobes at 5 in the morning when the puppies wake up, and they’d love for the dogs to take themselves out. However, with only access to concrete in the backyard, the puppies are resistant and the cleanup has become… well, let’s just say yucky! Here is where necessity has become the mother of invention. Enter a solution that makes the puppies, my parents, and the front yard grass happy: the homemade potty-pad!
Yes, there is only concrete in the backyard, but my parents would not be deterred by this. Rather than bust up the concrete, and at great expense I might add, they decided to plant right on top of it. One of the things I love most about this approach is that you could use this on an apartment balcony or a small deck. Just make sure you have a 6-inch base for the grass to take root. Plus, you don’t really even need to have puppies as an excuse to pull this off! This could be great idea for anyone looking to add a little patch of green to their concrete paradise.
For the project, you’re going to need a few items. It’s easiest if you first figure out how large you want your grass patch to be and then place an order for the materials with your local hardware store. They’ll deliver the materials right to your backyard!
Here’s what you’ll want to get: Cinder blocks (enough to create a perimeter for your grass area), cinder block tops (the same amount as your blocks), weed inhibitor (enough to cover the area, plus extra for the depth of the grass bed), nutrient-rich soil for sod and enough sod to cover your area. Get a little extra sod just in case you need to cut away some dry spots.
View complete instructions here
