So I figured out our poison ivy problem
My Goat - Gertie:

For the record that actually is the side of my house and all the plant on the rightside including a lot of the stuff on top is poison ivy. Here's a closeup:

I know you wish you had your own evil plant - if you'd like some there's another patch in the backyard too!
Re: Problem Solved PIP
Thank you, Erin.
I've had the "evil weeds from hell" that my ex roto-tilled to the surface when we had a garden in the backyard 10 years ago. I'm still spraying & trying to get rid of the prickly suckers. While your problem is a big one, at least it's not mixed in with the grass, so spraying anything kills everything around it.
Did you get a home guarantee? Think you can hit up the prior owners (who obviously thought this was a plant??) for some remediation?
I didn't even think about contacting the prior homeowners. We did get a 1 year warranty but I don't know if that's something that would be covered. I'm going to check with my realtor about it see what she thinks.
I sprayed a TON of round up yesterday - I figure I can replant anything that doesn't make it but I want this crap gone! This weekend I'll be out in my hazmat gear ripping the deadened remains out. Fun Fun Fun!
Is it actually poison ivy? the leaves in the close-up pic looks like it, but . . . if it's vine-y, it is. If it's shrubby, i.e, has woody twigs/branches, it is more likely mahonia. Which you don't want that close to the house anyway.
Just use the roundup, it'll be the most thorough solution. I like the goat though.
I was 99% sure it was poison ivy at first glance and when searching for solutions and looking at pictures the leaves/plant structure look identical to what's growing. I have no doubt that its poison ivy.