All dogs poop, but not all dogs can wait for their next walk. If you have a new puppy or a disabled dog that needs assistance, or if the weather is just plain awful, there has to be a better solution than having to clean up accidents on the carpet, right? The typical Wee-Wee Pads you'll find at most pet stores are a completely fine option, but they're not pretty. That's where the Doggy Bathroom fits in.
This crate-shaped dog “litter” box may resemble a plastic bin, but it wants to be the barrier between your dog’s lifted leg and your favorite piece of furniture. It's expensive ($209), and that's without mentioning the optional subscription service to ensure you're always stocked on the brand's pee pads, which it says are made with ecofriendly biodegradable materials.
Let's set the record straight. The Doggy Bathroom is extra. It's the fancy new coffee shop in town that's trying to replace the hole-in-the-wall shop down the street. Its primary value is aesthetics—the company's founder, Alain Courchesne, is a Canadian designer and, yes, there's a Keith Haring edition. The system is a little clunky, which is odd for something that costs so much and has only one job. But it still works. My dogs did their business in it, and the dang thing looks much prettier in my apartment than most other doggy litter boxes I've seen.
Taking older dogs for a walk can feel impossible: They’re slow, you’re busy, and it may not even be great for their aging limbs. A dog doesn’t even have to be elderly to have joint, muscle, or continence issues that can make it difficult to keep up with their bathroom habits (particularly if you don’t have a backyard). When the weather is bad? Forget about it—my pups go on what we affectionately refer to as a “poop strike,” when they refuse to step out into the rain or snow. Plenty of folks rely on pee pads in this season of their pet’s life, but who among us hasn’t cleaned up a mess that was off base?
