Pet Friendly

It was written in USA Today that the San Diego International Airport has installed a “Pet Relief’ station – the nation’s first airport pooch potty.

The 75-square foot space includes fake grass, a fire hydrant, deodorizes, a hand – washing station and complimentary baggies.

No matter how many deodorizes they’ll have, it won’t be enough. After a while the animal scent will overpower the pine scented deodorizer, especially if all pet owners don’t pick up after their dog. “Doggie Stations, with free bags and a waste receptacle, line the walking paths in my neighborhood and yet not everyone takes advantage.  Instead I see owners allowing their dog to stop at someone’s mailbox and leave a present the way a mailman delivers a package.

Will there be a separate pooch potty for male and female dogs? I fear the line for the ladies pooch potty will be like the line at the ladies room in the theater – long and slow. Will two female pooches use the potty together or will one hold the curtain (if it’s located in the middle of the airport) granting the other privacy? Even animals can be shy. If there’s no privacy curtain or separate sex pooch potties then things may get interesting. A boy dog and girl dog who are attracted to each other and sharing the same space may forget where they are and create quite a show for travelers. That’s a video sure to go viral.

This summer I was in a New York airport and had to use the restroom. The nicest thing I can say about it is, “The place was a cesspool.” I felt like burning my outfit when done. Had my phone fallen in the toilet I would have left it there. If a million dollars floated at the bottom of the bowl, I would have left it there. In the future if I travel through the same airport and see a “Pet Relief” station I might push aside the dog on it and use it myself. It has to be cleaner than the Ladies room.