By Jamie Gold, Forbes

We love our pets and it shows. According to new research from Rover, a Seattle-based pet sitting and dog walking company, 60 percent of U.S. households have dogs, and spending on all pets totaled $72.1 billion in 2018, an 8.1 percent increase in just two years.

What are pet owners – often called pet “parents” by animal devotees – spending on? Services are certainly a part of it, but so are premium foods and products – and places in their homes to accommodate them.

Builders and manufacturers are paying close attention. At the 2019 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show, cabinet company Wellborn had a large booth display geared toward pet features. “Furbaby areas are a must!” declares Angela Wellborn O’Neill, the Ashland, Ala.-based company’s marketing director. Other manufacturers have also offered pet-related products through the years, but the Wellborn booth was the most prominent display in recent years.

Multi-functional laundry rooms are common spaces for pet amenities like gear storage and dog showers, in part because of the plumbing features already installed and their generally low maintenance finishes. Wellborn’s line includes built-in dog bowls, a grooming island with power outlets and wastebaskets for furballs, drawer dividers for pet brushes and other supplies, and pull-out shelves and bins for kibble and pet towels. There’s also a built-in doghouse.

This is a trend seen in both mid-level and luxury projects. There was even a luxurious master canine suite at the posh Kips Bay Decorators Show House in New York City this year. Designer Sheila Bridges muses, “Dogs are generally easy to please and actually bark at me far less than my human clients do, so it was really fun!” Pet features are not yet a standard request in her practice, she observes but predicts that “more people will put showers in their homes for their pets. If you have enough space and are a dog owner, it makes sense to have a shower or wash area dedicated to them.  Have you ever tried to wash a big dog that has been skunked in your own bathtub?  It’s a nightmare.”

The New York-based design pro also shares that it was easy finding designer-friendly pet-centric products: “Kohler provided a beautiful handheld shower and drain and hooks in a brass finish which matched the rest of the décor in the room.  Most of the other accessories I was able to find online.” She sees a growing trend in pet-centric features and spaces. “Most pet owners consider their pets as important members of their family. Animals enrich our lives in so many ways that it seems worth considering if you have the budget or space for it.”

National homebuilder Taylor Morrison has also taken note of homeowners as doting pet parents trend. “We know pets hold a special place in our homebuyers’ hearts, and that was the impetus for ensuring we had amenities to help make not only the care of pets easier but to provide pets with amenities that keep them active and healthy,” said the company chairman and CEO, Sheryl Palmer. The Scottsdale-based company has included pet showers, feeding stations, and sleeping areas in its new homes to serve these families.

According to the National Association of Realtors, this was a savvy move on the builder’s part. NAR’s 2018 profile of home buyers report shows that 15 percent of respondents chose their neighborhood specifically because of their pets, 33 percent wanted the area’s pet-friendly parks and recreation facilities, and four percent said they were buying better homes for their pets!

April Yamaichi, owner of Burlingame, Cal.-based Sit and Stay dog walking and training service, has some tips for these clients to keep their pets safe at home:

– If there is a surfacing material that is easy to clean and absorbs sound, it would make it more comfortable for dogs when using loud equipment like a commercial blow dryer. Dog ears are highly sensitive to loud sounds and I think it probably hurts. [Rubber flooring or large mats could potentially meet this need.]

– Mudrooms should have a wet/dry vacuum to suck up excess fur, and there should definitely be a drain in the floor for splashing outside the shower area.

– When considering a dog door, homeowners should talk to a building contractor to make sure that the placement is structurally in a safe spot, (away from electrical and where it would not weaken the wall structure). Ideally, the dog door should be placed near the backyard or side yard.

– Crate training a dog helps to have a dog already acclimated for possible emergencies if the family has to go to a shelter. Most shelters allow dogs to be placed in a separate area in the same shelter but they must be in a crate. Dogs are already freaked out being in a different area and would be in worse shock if they are placed in a crate they’ve never been in.

– I wouldn’t place food and water bowls directly in the kitchen area because they could be in the way. Near or just outside the kitchen is fine. The main thing is to find a spot that is convenient for the client to fill the water bowl without having to go far with the food bowl.

– If the trash can is in the open without a lid or with a swinging lid, you’re encouraging dogs to dumpster dive. If the trash is in a designated trash compactor, under the sink with a closed cabinet door, or a metal trash can with a heavy lid, this will discourage them from getting into it. (There are pets who have figured out how to open trash compactors, bins, and cabinets, she notes. Furbaby proofing may be the next great business opportunity.)

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