2. Spring seeding--even in Chicago--isn't the best idea as it's going to have to be coddled over the summer due to thinner roots and being far less established. I'd recommend waiting until August when summer fades and seeding at that point, which also gives the puppy time to grow older and hopefully be far less likely to dig.

1. "1. What is the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to get it back to looking good? Right now my plan is to buy a bag of Deluxe grass seed from Grainco (34% Perennial Rye, 33% Kentucky Bluegrass, 33% Creeping Red Fescue). This is what it was originally seeded with years ago."

That's not the quickest, or cheapest, but it's the most consistent with what you have, and I'd go with that. Any other route will leave you inconsistent with your current look. Or, why I'm particularly down on a spring seeding; the bluegrass, particularly, won't have time to establish, but that's the part of the grass that does the self-repair work.

3. If you go with the fall seeding, apply it, but realize it may still have an impact, so apply it a bit on the light side.

4. Bonus--to help the grass repair itself, feed it well on Memorial Day. It will naturally repair itself over spring as well since bluegrass is a component of your lawn. Personally, I don't think it looks too bad.

Thanks for the response. As I mentioned in my original post we are selling the house and don't plan on being here by fall. I need to repair it ASAP to increase curb appeal for potential buyers.

Wait til the danger of frost is over. Then call a local privately owned nursery and ask them for a sod sellers phone number. Every privately owned nursery knows them, or you can check out your yellow pages. Order sod, and water it at least 2 times a day unless it rains and until it starts to root in. It might take a couple weeks since it is cold, try to hold off on ordering the sod til the end of April. Once you lay it down, it will look very good instantly. Don't forget to water it really good til it roots in. Try to life it up, when it's rooted, you will feel resistance.

I missed that, sorry.

I wouldn't bother with sod--too expensive.

Toss down some fescue seed when the forsythia in your area blossoms, or the same seed you used the first time (fescue is cheaper; the same seed will match your existing lawn and stand out less--probably giving you much better "curb appeal" in the sense that the buyer won't notice). Water it daily through sprout.

Keep it watered through the summer, twice a week, because summers are brutal on first-year lawns and you don't want it dying while you show the house. If it rains, you can skip it.

Feed your lawn on Memorial Day as normal, but no earlier to avoid setting off worse weed problems.

Just skip the crabgrass coverage this year, although if you want to use Starter Fertilizer with Mesotrione (a weed suppressant usable with grass seed) when you seed, it'll work for about 30 days. It's not perfect, but it's something. In this ONE case, I'll say it'll do. :-)

Thanks so much! Exactly what I was looking for!