So, I’ve been meaning to share my little adventure with TruGreen and, more importantly, how it all panned out with my dog, Buster. You know how it is, you want a nice lawn, right? Mine was looking a bit sad, patches everywhere, weeds having a party. And then you see those TruGreen ads, lush green carpets of grass. Tempting, I tell ya.
My First Thoughts and Getting Started
I figured, okay, let’s give these pros a shot. I called them up, asked the usual questions. The big one for me was, “Is this stuff safe for my dog?” Buster’s my shadow, especially in the yard. He’s rolling, sniffing, sometimes even munching on a blade of grass (don’t ask). They were pretty reassuring on the phone, said it’s safe once it dries, usually a few hours. Sounded reasonable enough at the time. So, I signed up.
The Treatment Day and Initial Jitters
The technician came, did his thing, sprayed the lawn. Little flags popped up everywhere, like a tiny, chemical-laced battlefield. I did what they said, kept Buster inside for most of the day. He wasn’t thrilled, staring out the window, probably wondering why his kingdom was off-limits. Later, when they said it was okay, I let him out.
And that’s when the worrying really started for me. He was out there, doing his usual dog stuff – sniffing intensely where they’d sprayed, licking his paws after walking around. I started thinking, “Dry doesn’t mean gone, does it?” The residue is still there. What if he ingests some? What if it irritates his skin?
Digging a Little Deeper (Maybe a Bit Late)
This is where I probably should have done my homework before signing up. I started looking around online, not just TruGreen’s site, but what other folks, especially pet owners, were saying. And yeah, I stumbled across some discussions and articles that made me pretty uneasy. Words like “toxic” and “chemicals” kept popping up in relation to pets. Some people were saying, point blank, that a lot of these lawn treatments just aren’t great for animals, especially dogs who are always on the grass.
- Concern about direct ingestion from grass.
- Worry about chemicals on paws, then licked off.
- Skin irritation possibilities.
Now, Buster didn’t immediately keel over or anything dramatic, thank goodness. He seemed okay. But it got me thinking about long-term exposure. Little bits here and there, does that add up? I’m not a scientist, but it just felt… off. My peace of mind was definitely taking a hit.
My Decision and What I Do Now
So, here’s the deal: After that first treatment, and my subsequent rabbit-hole of internet research and general fretting, I decided TruGreen wasn’t for us. The lawn looked a bit better, sure, but the constant low-level anxiety about Buster just wasn’t worth it for me.
I cancelled the service. It was a bit of a pain, but I stuck to my guns. Since then, I’ve been trying more natural approaches. It’s more work, definitely. I’m out there pulling weeds by hand sometimes, looking into pet-safer fertilizers. The lawn isn’t “golf course perfect,” but it’s green enough, and more importantly, I don’t have that nagging worry every time Buster goes out to play. He can roll around, sniff to his heart’s content, and I’m not mentally calculating his chemical exposure.
Ultimately, for me, his safety and my peace of mind trumped having the most pristine lawn on the block. Just my two cents, based on what I went through. Always good to really think about what goes on the spaces our furry pals live on.
