OK, I asked about this last year, but there didn't seem to be any
consensus.

I have a mostly shaded back yard that my 85 pound golden retriever
occasionally romps around in, which has slowly been wearing away the
St. Augestine that was there. I would like a more durable grass to
plant there, with the following desired attributes (in order):

Durability
Thrives in Shade
Drought-Resistant

I've been looking at various Zoysia grasses. I tried some seeding some
Bermuda derivatives last year (Rebel III, IIRC), but it just didn't
hold up. Also, is there any place you can buy Zoysia sod now? Most of
the places I called said they weren't getting any in until April.
(There are online sellers, but I'm not sure if I want to pay the
shipping charge, and I would like to go with sod rather than plugs if
at all possible.)

Any advice?

Lawrence Person