Artificial Grass W/kids & Dog

I have artificial grass for the same reasons you mentioned. One summer my kids were playing on a slip and slide on the grass and it was very hot on their feet. Also, it's not like rolling around on regular grass. I have boys and they like to wrestle so I send them to a grassy area in our neighborhood instead. Other than that it's fine. My husband was the one who wanted it. We got it because it was our best option.

I don't have it, because of price. I'd get it in my back yard in a heartbeat. I have a good friend that has had it for 6 yrs. She had a huge dog and a small dog plus 2 kids. That grass still looks great. I can also tell you football fields w/ artificial turf are hotter. not burn your feet hot, but, there is a temperature change. AND, they put off these little black balls of rubber. I have not noticed the heat ot rubber balls in my friends back yard, so maybe it is different when you do 100 yards?

I don't know much about it, but have heard from several people that it can get very hot. Maybe not having sunlight will solve that problem, but I would make sure you find out about the heat before installing.

K.
http://oc.citymommy.com

We installed Easy Turf in our backyard 3 1/2 years ago. We have two large dogs (70-80 pounds each), plus a 2 year old. The gras has held up great! We are very happy with it. Just remember to get a plastic rake (preferably a carpet rake) to get the excess dirt and all of the dog hair off of the grass every once in a while (one of our dogs sheds a lot). When we have really heavy rains, we have a few weeds grow along hte edges, but never in the middle of the grass-the weeds are very superficial and get be pulled out without damaging the grass/base or just spray with a weed killer.

BTW-we picked Easy Turf because the local shelters have it in their play areas and we figure it it holds up to all of those dogs, it will hold up with our dogs too!

I played soccer in high school and our field was artificial, It gets really hot in the summer, if you fall on it you get something like a rug burn, I would really feel bad for your dog and depending on how old your kids are but personally I would not choose that. One good thing though is that you don't have to water it or cut it. My personal opinion though, good luck to you and I hope you find the answers you are looking for.

We have neighbors with the grass.lt looks pretty, but is very hard.
Find a sample for your little ones to play on first. They lay something
like asphalt first and then put on the grass. Also it get warm.
Please post what you decide. It is interesting.