The thousands of dog owners and their
pooches on parade at last month's "Strut Your Mutt" event in Sugarhouse Park
demonstrated one thing: Utahns love their pets. If you're one of these pet
lovers, read on to learn about architectural features that can make your home
friendlier for your dog or cat—and more convenient for you.
A
dog shower has tiled walls that reach about 3 feet in
height; a detachable, handheld showerhead; and an open,
ground-level entry. See
this project.
Renovation Design Group |
For
example, if you dislike having muddy paw prints in your home and you aren't
crazy about sharing a tub with your hairy canine, why not install a dog shower?
Yes, they do exist.
A dog shower has tiled walls that reach about 3 feet in height; a detachable,
handheld showerhead; and an open, ground-level entry so your dog can walk right
in. You can use the shower to give your dog a full scrub-down or just to clean
off muddy paws. After we designed a dog shower for one of our clients, she
attests that her large bull mastiff now actually enjoys bathing!
Dog showers can also be useful in other ways. You can use them to spray house
plants, clean dirty boots and other outdoor items, and clean drip-dry wet
clothing. If you have smaller dogs and pets, a large utility sink installed at
counter-level can serve all of the same purposes.
A utility room — such as a laundry room or mudroom — with direct access to
the outside is a good place for a dog shower and other pet-friendly
architectural features. If cats are your thing, you could install in this room a
cabinet with a swinging cat door to hide the sight and odor of a litter box. A
bin attached inside a cabinet that tilts open provides an easy and cleaner way
for you to store and scoop out dry cat or dog food. Whether enclosed inside a
cabinet or not, you may also want to have plenty of hooks in this room to hang
leashes, collars, brushes, and so forth.
If you want to contain your pets in your home but not completely isolate them
— when you have company, for example — you could install a half-height door on
your utility room for a dog or an interior screen door for your cat. And
speaking of keeping your pets inside your home, ceramic tile, vinyl-composition
tile, stained concrete, and hard rubber coating make durable, easy-to-clean
flooring for pets. Avoid cheap vinyl, which can be torn by claws and sharp
toenails.
Our motto is to improve people's lives through architecture. We're proud to
say that that motto also applies to our four-legged friends.
Architects
Ann Robinson, AIA, and Annie Vernon, AIA, welcome your design
questions at Ask@RenovationDesignGroup.com.
Robinson and Vernon are founding principals of Renovation
Design Group, a local architectural firm specializing in residential
remodeling design.
To register for "Designing a Remodel with Character &
Class," call 533-5331 or click
here for details.
© 2005 Deseret News Publishing
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