[Arid_gardener] Agave Recommendations

[Kelly Conroy]

My honey and I are redesigning our back yard and want to integrate a
gravelled area that is filled with aligned agaves in 3 rows of 4 agaves.
That said, I have the following questions:

1) Are agaves toxic to dogs?
2) What is the best type of agave to utilize that stays relatively small
(less than 24").  Because of the dogs, we'd prefer a type that is less
thorny but not totally rounded on the edges.  While I prefer the bluish
agave's, I realize they may only grow to the larger sizes of 36 - 60".
:(
3) What can we expect to pay for each agave?
4) Do agaves need to be on a drip? Or will they survive the droughts and
survive on rain water alone?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

~ Kelly