Are there any alternatives to zoysia grass?  I have some bare spots in my backyard, mostly from grubs, and a few from the dogs.  I can't put down soil & seed, as the dogs will dig it up.  I can't put down Scott's Patchmaster (which I use in the front), because the dogs will dig it up and possibly eat it.

Zoysia plugs are a compelling option, but Nebraska is a questionable area for it in terms of climate.  My lawn also borders my neighbor's yard, and I don't want to take over her lawn with zoysia.

Sod is an option, I guess, but it's a bit expensive and time consuming.

Are there any other species of creeping grasses that work like zoysia?

Bump.

I went with with bare dirt and sandspurs. Coming along right nicely.

Bermuda is a warm season grass like Zoysia.  Should also be much more durable than Zoysia as it grows very aggressively.

If it was me, and I was living in NE, I would just reseed the entire yard with Tall Fescue.  Would work better with the climate.

Ky 31 fescue is my favorite.  next is centipede grass fo rmy area.  never plant bermuda..it is invasive....i WISH I could grow zoisia here.

I like Centipede. I have that godawful Bahaia grass here in FL and I'm slowly replacing it with Centipede. It is easy to establish from seed if it's watered twice a day for a month, and plugs are great too, if you have time to wait. Centipede also doesn't like much fertilizer, which is a plus. Forget Bermuda. I've got a ton of it that I'll be killing off this year with a generic version of Poast. The Bermuda takes too much care to look nice and spreads everywhere.