More U.S. airports adding "doggie restrooms"

From USA Today:

Dogs need to go, too. So airports are adding doggie restrooms.

Airports say "pet relief areas" enhance customer service. But they're also being nudged by a federal rule that orders airlines to work with airports to install facilities for travelers who have service dogs.

Among airports with new dog bathrooms: Atlanta (pictured), San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington Dulles, Washington National, Chicago O'Hare and Phoenix.

The facilities are typically outside, within walking distance of the terminal. The federal rule requires they be kept clean, free of odor, contain a gravel or sand surface and have adequate drainage. Some airports have added synthetic grass, fire hydrants and benches.

"Many of our members travel," says Melanie Brunson, executive director of the American Council of the Blind, which pushed for the rule. "Increasingly, you don't get much time between flights. You don't have a whole lot of time to take care of your dog's needs."

About 2 million pets and other animals fly each year in the U.S., according to the Transportation Department. But convenient relief areas weren't required until the department published changes last year to the Air Carrier Access Act, which spells out travel rights for people who have physical disabilities.

"If there was one (before)," she says, "it was in the boondocks, and (travelers) didn't have much time to get there."

Neva Fairchild of Carrollton, Texas, who has a service dog and is an American Foundation for the Blind employee, says it can be embarrassing for owners of dogs that relieve themselves at an airport curb.

"I can understand if people are offended by dogs relieving themselves at a pole 20 feet from the airport," she says. "But when the dog has to go, it has to go."

Fairchild says she'd like to see more relief inside security zones at airports to avoid clearing security-screening checkpoints again for connecting flights.

Washington Dulles is one of the few airports with indoor facilities within its security zone, in addition to three relief areas outside. Engineers designed them after studying other dog parks. They contain ventilation and wall-mounted water-distribution systems for cleaning, Dulles spokeswoman Courtney Mickalonis says.

Before assigning a new pet area, Atlanta had "maintenance issues" with travelers who let their dogs use landscaped areas without cleaning up, says Gary Summerlin, an engineer at the world's busiest airport, where about 6,000 animals are flown annually in cargo. But pet owners using the "formal" area have been more responsible, he says.