Just as sports teams
gradually converted to artificial turf, the dog industry followed. Most kennels
and daycares, however, found the conversion just too expensive. Today, the
larger facilities are committing the capital because they believe the superior
surface, lower maintenance and greater flexibility justify the investment.
Every surface for dog
play areas has its own unique properties. Artificial grass is great until you add a little rain
and a lot of traffic. Concrete is easy to hose off but becomes very hot in the
summer and it is obviously a very hard surface. Pea gravel was the surface of
choice because it drained well and was relatively easy on dog paws. Other
surfaces such as rubber mats or pellets have been tried with moderate success.
Artificial turf turns out to be the best overall surface. It’s clean, tough and
has the comfort and feel of grass.
The artificial turf
provides the look and feel of natural lawn and is engineered to withstand pet
usage. The surface is made of polypropylene and it is installed over a 4” graded layer of crushed stone with
specialized sand infill brushed on the surface to support the fibers and
prevent movement in high winds. The surface is resistant to sun damage, never
muddies and is always available. The turf does not require dangerous
fertilizers, drains well and never has to be mowed.
The design at VIVATURF
incorporates a few addition features recommended by our staff. First, we
installed a sprinkler system to make sure that even on the hottest days, the
surface stays cool. Second, hose bibs were installed so that the surface could
be spot cleaned and the wading pools could be filled when needed. The third
thing we added was a shady area over part of daycare by extending the roof of
our new addition to cover part of the daycare area.
Installing artificial turf has been a major commitment to
providing a pleasant and safe environment for our canine guests.
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