The Ideal Bath Tub for a Couple of Big Doodles

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I'm in the process of house hunting and one of the challenges I've found is getting a house that has a tub or shower that is ideal for bathing doodles. A lot of newer or renovated houses now a days have soaker tubs, which are imposible to lift 72lbs dogs in and out of, let alone the maneuvering to get them clean. If I were to bath the doodles in a soaker tub, I'd need spend a good 30 minutes in there after them just to sooth my back muscles. Can anyone say Robaxacet?

Then there are the stand up showers that are usually in a corner, which are impossible to fit a doodle and a human in. I've seen stand up showers that are the rectangular space of a tub, but without the tub, just glass shower doors, this is better, but it still means that I have some awkward maneuvering to do to get in there with the doodles, unless I remove the glass doors, but then I'm sure there'd be a big mess to clean up.

So in the end I gave up on finding this in a house and resolved that whatever house I chose I will need to install somesort of showering/bathing facility for the doodles. Now that I've found the perfect house, just waiting to see if they accept my counter offer, I need to know what kind of a tub/shower would be ideal to install in the basement (and hopefully not too expensive). The drainage is all there, and there's plenty of space, so it is all possible (pending the home inspectors approval anyway).

So let me have it. What would be your ideal doodle tub/shower?

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

I just checked and they do come in different sizes.

http://www.renspets.com/bathing-system-large.html

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

ooohhh, check out the groomer's edition! This is kind of cool actually. I will definitely consider this since I certainly don't have the money to build in one of those fancy ones that Susan sent the link for below.

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

I don't have any answers but it is amazing what we will all do for our doodles. 

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

yes it is!  I brought my cousin, who's handy, to my second viewing of the house to assess whether or not it's realistic to put in a doggy shower in the basement. He thought I was nuts saying it's the least of my concerns and who cares about that. Little does he know the entire house purchase is based on the needs of the doodles (the private fenced yard, proximity to walking trails, doodle friendly flooring, close enough to work to come home at lunch when a doodle has an upset tummy, not too many flights of stairs for Winston's hips...). My agent just smiles and nods, she has pets too so she gets it. :o)

[Janice, Taffie, and Lacie]

I would say forget the house tubs and set something up in garage or for hose with warm water to go outside etc. You don't want the mess in the house!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

That wouldn't work in the winter, and the house I'm looking at doesn't have inside access to the house from the garage and probably doesn't have any drainage.  Right now I have two doodles in an apartment, so having a basement area to bath them would be a huge step up for me!

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

yeah that would not work in minus 20 degrees C weather!

[Susan, Scott, Stillbe & Carter]

This Old House magazine, April 2012 edition.  There is a several page article about creating laundry/mudrooms, and on page 83, they show what appears to be a great setup.  It's a raised pan with a few inch lip and a hanging handheld nozzle. The link below takes you to the photo online.  If you have to search online yourself, go to back issues, April 2012, 'Read This Before You Redo Your Laundry Room' and it's one of the last of 29 photos.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20576261_21130114,00.html

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

ooohhh, I love that!!! Thanks for sharing this.

[Susan, Scott, Stillbe & Carter]

And you can have a custom made 'pan' to whatever specs, relatively inexpensively.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I was just browsing through all the different laundry room ideas. You've created a monster! If I get this house, the basement has the perfect area to set up a really great laundry / pet grooming area. This is exciting!

[Susan, Scott, Stillbe & Carter]

It's the best article I have ever seen on laundry etc rooms, and with an 1830's house, I read a ton of home improvement stuff!  Have fun with your projects!