Question
I have about 25 square feet of grass in my front yard .. dogs seem to like the
grass .. however, I am told that if I removed the old grass and plant rosemary
in its place .. I may have better luck .. my questions are:
1.  will rosemary help alleviate the brown spots left by the animals
2.  hcan I plant the rosemary without removing the old grass
3.  if I have to remove the grass, what is the best way of doing that ..

thank you for your time ..

Answer
First, check to see if Rosemarinus officinalis grows in your area: a Sunset zone 4-24, and usually a warmer USDA zone 8 to 10.  There are 51 cultivated varieties, with different forms, flower colors, fragrances, and cold-hardiness...with about 8 varieties that can handle the HARD freezes of the Atlantic, northeast, and the Midwest.

1. Brown spots - yes, probably will, but a very course substitute for lawn.  Every time something walks across it, you'll think someone in the neighborhood is cooking Lasagna!

2. Plant it without removing the old grass?  I would NOT recommend that, as the more weedy lawn will quickly make the area look unattractive, with shoots coming though the slower-growing rosemary branches.

3. Remove the lawn/grass mechanically to ensure complete eradication, or use a commercial herbicide (follow the directions on the bottle), then mechanically remove the dead lawn.  There are lawn-stripping devices (a sod-cutter) you can rent from a rental yard.

Here is a variety that does well in Southern California:
http://www.monrovia.com/PlantInf.nsf/67f84a5ebda3df3a88256f9d006b9c7c/c9b3b3f8bd...

Maybe other lawn substitutes to consider:
spokane-county.wsu.edu/.../Fact Sheets/C194 Lawn Substitutes 05.pdf

With Woolly Thyme as my strongly recommended alternative.

~Marc