Traveling pooches at Denver International Airport no longer need to venture outside to do their business, thanks to three new “pet relief” areas inside the concourses.
Previously, service and therapy dogs, as well as plane-bound pets, had no choice but to visit a sanctioned outdoor area just outside door 200 on the west side of the Jeppesen Terminal to relieve themselves.
That presented logistical problems for people who had already gone through security and arrived at their gates, as well as the airport’s CATS program — a 26-member Canine Airport Therapy Squad introduced in October 2015 that roams the airport to soothe flyers with jittery nerves.
“There’s a pet relief room at the center of the A, B and C concourses, so no matter where you are you can walk toward where the restaurants and stores are,” said Daria Serna, communications specialist for Denver International Airport. “There’s also signage that instructs people how to get there.”
The rooms, which were previously used for storage, include artificial turf, drainage systems and props to get dogs in the right mood — such as plastic rocks and miniature barrels. And yes, there are plastic bags available in boxes that urge dog owners to “Please Clean Up After Your Pets.” Like any good bathroom, the pet relief areas include a wall-mounted sink, recessed soap dispenser, automatic hand dryer and paper towel dispenser.
“The turf is perforated to allow liquid waste through the turf,” Serna said, noting that they are cleaned daily. “Under the turf is a drainage system to direct the liquid into the sewage. Solid waste on the turf is picked up by the owners with the provided waste bags and then trashed.”
The new rooms cost $500,000 and were paid for with money from the airport’s Capital Improvement Project fund, Serna said. All pet relief areas are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The airport did not install the rooms due to passenger complaints of messy dogs, Serna said, but rather a trend of other airports doing it around the country, including John F. Kennedy International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, San Diego International Airport, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Memphis International Airport and others.
Alongside the airport’s CATS therapy-dog program, canines have also become more common in public and civic areas in general as multifaceted service animals.
But perhaps most important: The U.S. Department of Transportation recently ruled that all air terminals that serve more than 10,000 daily passengers must have a post-security pet relief area by August 2016, according to USA Today.