Grass or turf

Winding down to the end of winter in Alabama can leave a yard very messy. Our particular yard had several low lying areas and the base was completely made of Alabama clay. Our dogs love the yard, the run circles, smell bugs, dig in the dirt, ya know just being dogs. However the yard was no longer able to sustain a pretty appearance with the amount of traffic that was on it. After the rain dried up a bit my husband and I decided it was time to research artificial turf. 
Prepare to be shocked. The price of turf was much more than we were expecting.  Approximately 18-20$ a square foot! The next step was to determine how much area did we need. With having such a big family we decided we needed the entire grass area, this came out to approximately 5000 square feet. Yep that's about 60k! Cough cough

Well we ended up deciding it was necessary to maintain cleanliness and sanity of the house to have this yard available for the pack. 
We contacted several companies and received quotes and ideas. We decided to use trucraft turf. Austin was very knowledgeable and affordable. Once we picked a company, the funds were paid the construction began. Dodging some wet days it took about 8 days or so to be completed. 
There are many steps including grading the ground, adding dirt to low spots and getting the drainage correct. Then comes tons and tons of rock, several layers, to create the base. Once it's down and compacted and dry, the turf is then rolled out. It is then secured by long nails. 
To say the least it's so awesome and amazing. It could be raining, the dogs don't care they run around, wrestle, play may come in wet but no mud! It's fantastic. It's green year round, added a whole other component to our house. It's peaceful, mostly bug free, and just beautiful. Yes you have to still pick up dog poop, then scrub any remaining stuff off, but with a hose it drains through the layers of rock underneath. 
A few tips we have learned! Dogs don't know it's not real. Their natural tendency is to dig and chew, whether or not the ground is there or not. Must watch your dogs and correct behaviors they are already inclined to perform. We were just letting them out and not watching them. The nails are not secured into anything solid so they can be pulled out with enough tenacity. So beware. Our dogs took about 2 months to be trusted and we still have some stubborn ones that just simply can't help themselves but look for nails or seams. So we just sit with them out there. 
Hands down the best thing we could have done not only to add value to the house but also to add some comforts for both us and the dogs.