With five gated, grassy "relief stations" featuring water bowls and replica fire hydrants, Los Angeles International Airport offers havens for the increasing number of people who bring their pets along on their travels.
At the urging of federal airline officials striving to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, LAX added three relief stations in December "to better assist travelers with disabilities who are accompanied by guide dogs or other assistance animals," said Larry Rolon, the airport's coordinator for disabled services.
The fenced enclosures feature a patch of grass, a replica hydrant, bags for disposing of solid waste and a sand trap for soaking up what airport cleaning crews might otherwise have to sop up. They are:
- between Terminals 1 and 2;
- between Terminal 3 and Tom Bradley International Terminal;
- between Tom Bradley International Terminal and Terminal 4;
- between Terminals 5 and 6;
- and at the end of Terminal 8.
Other big-city airports with doggie restrooms include Atlanta International, San Francisco International, Chicago's O'Hare, Phoenix Sky Harbor and Washington Dulles and Washington National airports.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, about 2 million pets and other animals fly each year, USA Today reported.
