due to my husband passing away I have to downsize. I was so excited to find a 55+ community that I can afford plus near a nice park (not dog park) to walk my beloved senior dog. Now I find out they use the landscapers spring and fall to fertilize and apply weed products. They said its pet friendly and I can elect not to have it done in my small yard space altho of course I will be surrounded by people who do have it done. My question is, do any of you live in a similar circumstance? Friends tell me not to be concerned, so many place now do this I am not going to be able to avoid it. I am so disappointed, moving is a big stress and I was excited about this place I try to do everything naturally for me and my dog so have never used anything yard sprays etc. TIA for any encouragement or advice

Good evening Ann,

Neighbors on both sides of our house have used such a service and whatever stuff normally sprayed over the years, and I have not noticed any adverse effects on the dogs. Of course my mutts have not wandered around those lawns to any degree.

It is more of a hope than reality but reputable companies who spray lawns probably wouldn't be in business if there were pronounced adverse effects on pets. As I noted, more of a hope it is the case than anything I can attest to,

In truth, our pets come into contact with all kinds of stuff every day. I'm not sure it is possible to protect our pets from all dangers. And wherever we go we confront the chance of running into something that is a potential problem.

No answer to your question, really. Were I you, I think I'd listen to your friends. You probably won't find a location free from concerns.

Yes, what Mike says resonates with me too.

I'd opt to keep the sprays off my own area, though, as you mentioned ... my concern would be having my dog walk on the wet sprayed lawn and then, as they do, lick-wash his feet.

Cancer is so common in dogs now ...

As Mike says, we can't completely avoid deleterious chemicals. But maybe we can keep them off our immediate surroundings to some extent.


JMO!

I'm big into gardening and my house and yard is full of all sorts of shrubs, trees, flowers, etc.

Many are wild flowers for the birds, bees and butterflies.

We've turned loose 5 Monarch butterflies, raised from eggs or catapillars so far this year and use absolutely nothing to control weeds or "bugs".

When I piddle around in the yard every day, my dog(s) always follow me around and lay next to me.....or in the shade as close to me as they can get. (Smarter then me)

Some 40 yrs ago I took a couple of yrs of horticulture classes at the JC here. The Hort teacher in the Lawn classes said golf courses are one of the nastiest places on the planet.

They aren't beautiful and perfect by accident.

There are two thing he said NEVER do on a golf course.

Don't sit or lay down on the grass and don't kiss your balls for good luck.

Seems some golfers do that.

Weird folks huh!

We can't avoid a lot of stuff out there but I can avoid it in my yard and lawn!

It took me a second ... then I realized you meant GOLF balls.

Yes, I have read about the horrors of what's used on golf courses, too. (Stuff you probably don't want on your skin or on your dog's pads.)

I just knew some wouldn't catch that right away!

I have had a number of lawn care folks stop and ask me if I wanted their services.

I ask what they use and they ALL say "we use natural products".

My answer to that is "So is cyanide and many other products used for many differen't things around the house and yard".

They usually see that as my check mate!

We use a lot of farm chemicals here. And I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that 2,4, D ("weed b gone) and glyphosate (roundup) are carcinogens. No doubt.

But, with a lawn, after a few mows most of it is gone. If you stayed on the cement walkways for a week or so post treatment, I think you'd be safe. The fertilizer is a non issue....just the herbicide. Wiping down paws before coming indoors would likely remove most residue.

These chemicals are absolutely everywhere in the environment these days...in the park, in your food.
I would not let the chemical treatment of lawn stop you from moving to a great place.

thnx to you all for being so kind and helpful, just having to move is an immense stress for me so this made it so difficult. I do feel better about it now that I received the data below from the company (altho its till not something I would choose to do and I will be making sure my dog is safe plus they will not actually be allowed to spray my immediate property:
As applied to your lawn, the materials we use are highly dilute and the low rates of
application present negligible risk. You probably didn't know this, but the ingredients in products we use are the very same ones you can purchase yourself at the hardware store. TruGreen-ChemLawn technicians, however, are trained and certified in the proper handling and use of these products, eliminating any concern you may have about the safe application, storage, and disposal of these products.
The word safe is interpreted by many to mean completely without risk and, as a
practical matter, that's impossible to prove about almost anything. However, we
believe, as applied in very dilute solutions, the materials we use represent a negligible risk.The markers that we place on lawns are not warning signs. They are notification that we have used lawncare products to service the lawn. We began this practice a longtime ago because we found that the signs are appreciated for a number of reasons.Our customers like the notice that we have made their scheduled application and theirneighbors appreciate knowing that an application was made. While some statesrequire notification, it has been and will continue to be TruGreen-ChemLawn policy to provide this service everywhere we operate.
Periodic testing and long-term study of our employees who use pesticides on a daily basis has shown no significant health effect.The materials are applied as very dilute solutions and are applied at rates that leave low levels of residues on the grass, which we believe present negligible risk. However, we recommend keeping families and pets off the lawn until the dusts have settled and, in
the case of a wet application, the grass has dried. This may take an hour or two. In
addition, our notification policy provides you the opportunity to allow additional time before using the lawn if you wish to take additional precautions.We have been in business for many years and have a very large customer base of pets, as a
practical matter, that's impossible to prove about almost anything. However, we
believe, as applied in very dilute solutions, the materials we use represent a negligible risk.The markers that we place on lawns are not warning signs. They are notification that we have used lawncare products to service the lawn. We began this practice a long time ago because we found that the signs are appreciated for a number of reasons.Our customers like the notice that we have made their scheduled application and their neighbors appreciate knowing that an application was made. While some states require notification, it has been and will continue to be TruGreen-ChemLawn policy to provide this service everywhere we operate.
Periodic testing and long-term study of our employees who use pesticides on a dailybasis has shown no significant health effect.The materials are applied as very dilute solutions and are applied at rates that leave low levels of residues on the grass, which we believe present negligible risk. However, we recommend keeping families and pets off the lawn until the dusts have settled and, in the case of a wet application, the grass has dried. This may take an hour or two. In addition, our notification policy provides you the opportunity to allow additional time
before using the lawn if you wish to take additional precautions.We have been in business for many years and have a very large customer base of pet
owners. The scientific data and our experience gives us confidence that our
applications will not make pets sick. We have prepared a brochure, "A Reference for Veterinarians" that we can send to your veterinarian for detailed information about the most commonly used lawn care materials.All pesticides used by TruGreen-ChemLawn are registered by the U.S. EPA and appropriate state agencies for use around homes, schools, and parks. This means that
the EPA has determined that the pesticide will perform its intended function without unreasonable adverse effects on the environment, which includes people and pets. EPA registration requires a substantial amount of test data and the agency may ask for additional data should new issues arise in the ongoing process of registration.Pesticides are a controllable expense and reducing their use is simply good business.We have vehicles with a delivery system that allows selective or targeted application of pesticides while fertilizing a lawn. A third or more of our applications consist only of plant nutrients.For any further information, please contact your local TruGreen-ChemLawn branch or view our web site at

http://www.trugreen.com.

I know how stressful a move is, especially on your own and with your beloved as a senior it just makes it more of an ordeal.

It sounds like you're feeling more assured of the situation with the place now. I hope you can relax and enjoy your new home.