[msb-alumni] Detroit Metro Sets Up Area for Service Dogs
- From: Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2014 16:02:45 -0400
BlankFYI
Metro Airport unveils restroom for dogs at McNamara Terminal By Robert Allen
Detroit Free Press Staff Writer A restroom area at Detroit Metropolitan
Airport now accommodates four-legged flyers. Two lush-looking patches of
grass, complete with sprinkler system, were presented Tuesday behind a
partition near gate A34 in the McNamara Terminal. A small crowd watched as
two happy dogs tested out the "Service Animal Relief Area. Marguerite
Maddox, 58, of Detroit said it will save a half-hour not having to take her
black Lab named Jello outside through security screening to get relief. "To
have her inside is a blessing for us," Maddox said while smiling down at
Jello, who helps her with hearing disabilities. The relief area is free and
offers a sink for filling water bottles and washing hands, as well as
squares of both fake and real grass large enough to accommodate one or two
dogs at a time. "You've gone from backpacking to staying at the Ritz
Carlton," said Delta Airlines facilities manager John Garbacik. The $75,000
addition, which connects to the same sanitation system as the humans'
restrooms, is intended for passengers' convenience as well as to make work a
little easier for the people who clean up accidents. It also helps avoid
people slipping and falling on dog waste, Garbacik said. The service-animal
relief area is only at the McNamara Terminal, as its volume of connecting
flights makes it more appropriate than the North Terminal, where people are
just departing and arriving, said airport spokesman Michael Conway.
Michigan-based Paws With a Cause made suggestions on the relief area's
accommodations. Deb Davis, community outreach manager with the organization,
gave a demonstration with Cricket, a golden retriever on Tuesday morning.
Cricket was able to hit the rectangular target of grass as well as push a
large button activating sprinklers, which rinse the liquid waste to drains
below the grass. Bags are available separately for solid waste. Davis said
it took some training for Cricket to understand she wouldn't be in trouble
for relieving herself indoors, but that she caught on quickly. "It's a
wonderful convenience for our dogs, especially our service dogs," she said,
"because they're an extension of our bodies.
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