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Every year I mean to have a magnificent vegetable garden. I have a perfect, sunny spot in my large yard with good soil and drainage, and I pick through the seed catalogs and gardening Web sites all winter long, dreaming of luscious heirloom tomatoes and more.

Universal Press Syndicate Having a dog doesn't mean you can't have a lovely yard -- as long as you plan your landscaping with your pets in mind.

My dreams come true in late summer, when all those lovely veggies are ready for picking -- at the local farmer's market. Another year and no garden.

This year is going to be different. With food prices climbing and food recalls coming at a constant rate, I decided that this really would be the year for a home garden, with lots of healthy vegetables (for me and the pets both!) and beautiful flowers.

But can a pet lover really have fresh vegetables, bright flowers and lovely landscaping sharing the yard with dogs?

When putting in my garden, I turned to Cheryl S. Smith, a dog trainer, gardener and author of several award-winning books, including the landmark landscaping guide "Dog Friendly Gardens, Garden Friendly Dogs" (Dogwise, $20).

Her tips:

Exercise your dog regularly. A tired dog is less likely to be destructive. Don't leave him to exercise himself unattended in any part of the yard you want left alone. Keep your dog in the house when you can't supervise him. If that's not possible, provide him with his own safe enclosure away from the choicest parts of your property when he has to be alone. (Make sure he's not barking while you're gone!)

Work with your dog's habits. Observe how your dog uses your yard, and plan accordingly. For instance, many dogs consider it their duty to run the fence line, leaving a well-worn trail where many people hope to put flowers. Go with his natural instincts: Place your beds and plantings away from the fence line, and let him do his guard-dog patrolling behind those plants.

Redirect digging. Some breeds were developed to dig, and expecting them not to indulge in it is unfair. You can find most of these digging dogs in the terrier group -- the word terrier comes from terra, for "earth." Put in a dig zone, and praise your dog for using it. Limit access to dirt elsewhere.

Put special plants in safer places. Raised beds and hanging planters are the place to put your most precious plants. In areas where your dog will roam, put the plants that can take being stepped on in front. Ask your garden center for suggestions.

Because most of my fragile plants -- not to mention those I certainly do not want to be leg-lifted on -- are in the vegetable garden and raised beds won't discourage my large retrievers, I have fenced off the area with edible plants completely from the rest of the yard. That protects my fruits and vegetables. For the rest of the yard, I'm choosing decorative landscaping tough enough to survive an occasional trampling from my dogs. Because most of my fragile plants -- not to mention those I certainly do not want to be leg-lifted on -- are in the vegetable garden and raised beds won't discourage my large retrievers, I have fenced off the area with edible plants completely from the rest of the yard. That protects my fruits and vegetables. For the rest of the yard, I'm choosing decorative landscaping tough enough to survive an occasional trampling from my dogs.

Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of top-selling pet-care books, and a consultant to the Veterinary Information Network. Her Web log and column archives can be found at www.spadafori.com.