Pet friendly pesticides/ repellants

[jdbyogi]

We are having a major fly problem right now in my yard (that I share with a neighbor). It's all concrete and gravel around the plants in the planter beds, and we have 3 dogs using the space to pee/ poo. We pick up the poop asap, and I rinse the rest of patio with water every other day, and with dawn dish soap every few days. But the flies are out of control. The local lawn and garden place had a spray but the dogs could not be outside until the spray had completely dried, and it concerned me that there would be residue. We've used a few fly traps that were higher up, but that doesn't seem to get rid of them.

Is there something else that will help and will be safe for the dogs?

[amavelle]

I don't know if Diatomaceous earth would kill flies or not. It might we worth researching to see, since it kills bugs in a physical rather than chemical way.