let's all be safe out there in the garden

Now that spring has finally arrived in the Northwest, I've been doing a ton of gardening. And it dawned on me that, as the "authority" on dogs and gardens, I really should say something hear about keeping it safe for your dog when working in the yard.
The biggest immediate hazard is snail and slug baits. The metaldehyde-based products unfortunately kill dozens of dogs every year. And there's no need for it any more, because there is a safe product called Sluggo that works perfectly well. Believe me, we grow our slugs BIG here in the Northwest, and Sluggo takes care of them efficiently and without any hazard to your dog, or to birds or other wildlife. So please don't use the old-style snail/slug baits.
Every year, lawns suck up tons of fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides. None of these are particularly friendly to the environment or to your dog. There is a growing movement afoot to change the way people think about their lawns, using organic practices rather than all the chemicals. I don't get the whole "perfect lawn" thing - clover is just fine with me, and my sheep LOVE dandelions. Please take it easy on the environment, lower your dog's risk of bladder cancer (studies have linked lawn chemicals and this cancer), and go green while keeping your lawn green.
And for weeding, especially those tap-root type weeds (like the aforementioned dandelions), there is a great tool called, funnily enough, the Weed Hound, that pulls them up quite well. It's a long-handled device, so you don't even have to bend over -- just step on the appropriate part of the tool, pull the weed out of the ground, and press the plunger to release it into a bucket, your compost pile, or whatever.
Enjoy your garden, enjoy your dog, enjoy the environment.