Honestly a 400 square foot patio is a pretty small job. One extra day of work for a dog being a dog doesn't seem like the end of the world. It's just concrete, not a foundation for a skyscraper. The dog was probably just having fun and didn't know any better. Stuff like this happens on job sites all the time.

Wait, you were watering lavender every other day? That's wild, mine would have turned to mush in a week. I'm shocked they even made it to last summer looking just sad.

That's a solid move for a cabin setup. Deep cycle batteries are built for that exact kind of slow, steady drain from lights and radios. A regular car battery just gets wrecked by it, it wants a big fast jolt to start an engine. Makes total sense why yours gave up after a few months. The marine type is the right tool for the job, glad it's working out for you.