# What is this shower for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 22, 2026, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472 "2026-04-22T02:43:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CaptainE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@CaptainE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptainE)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/41 "2026-04-22T14:29:44Z")
I’m concerned that dopers can’t figure this out. I have such confidence in this group. Where else could the pet spa be located if not here? It is an oddly designed house. See the odd shelves in two of the bathrooms? ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/42 "2026-04-22T14:40:46Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > This house was built by people who obviously could afford to pay for walls. Yes but the design is more “party barn” or “rural loft” and walls are just so passé. This sort of home is all about maximizing square feet and minimizing cost, and walls cost more than air. Looking through the other photos, this is decently executed in its big moves, but overall I see a lot of cheap finishes and unresolved design conflicts. The coat closet by the front door is a crime. So I think this “pet spa” shower is a case of “we want a place to wash off the dog’s dirty paws when they come in the lower level door” and the solution was this corner shower with little consideration beyond that basic concept. Also the house has clearly been de-contented and staged for the real estate listing, so yeah any curtain or beat up enclosure that may have been there was removed. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/43 "2026-04-22T14:46:38Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Could be it was originally a coal shower and no one needed it for that purpose anymore, but the plumbing and enclosure already existed so they turned it in to a doggy bath by adding the hand-held hose and removing the curtain (which could get in the way of a quick doggy rinse). The house was built in 2009 so I’m going to assume that what we’re seeing are its original features. I will admit I missed the line in the listing that mentioned a pet spa station. So the theory that this shower is intended for dogs is looking stronger. (Although I still feel the design is questionable.) I will also note that they weren’t kidding about the large fenced yard. You can get an overhead shot of the property on google maps and the enclosed portion of the yard is about four times the size of the house complex. I look at this and think “That would be a pain in the ass to mow.” ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/44 "2026-04-22T14:58:22Z")
These kinda folks have a landscaping company on retainer. I like the layout of the house. There are a couple flaws that were clearly after thoughts and done to fix a perceived problem. By the home owner or builder. Love that kitchen! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/45 "2026-04-22T15:01:35Z")
I assume the house might appeal to someone who wants to keep horses. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/46 "2026-04-22T15:03:57Z")
Look at photo 34. What is that room? ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/47 "2026-04-22T15:11:05Z")
I’m sorry but, even after giving myself time to digest and think about this, I still think it is weird. The pet door let’s them constantly go in and out at will and bring in fleas, tics, and God knows what else. I would only buy the place if I was willing to turn that into an entry way closet for coats, boots, house shoes, etc. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/48 "2026-04-22T15:11:19Z")
Is that the room with the island that looks like an island-sized toolbox, and a lot of hooks on one wall? If so, it’s a work room. Maybe my counting is off? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/49 "2026-04-22T15:12:52Z")
That room (“with the island that looks like an island-sized toolbox”) is [photo 33](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/9151-Shepard-Rd-Batavia-NY-14020/83937600_zpid/?mmlb=g,33). Note the photo number in the URL. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/50 "2026-04-22T15:16:48Z")
Oh sorry got the number wrong. Yeah it looks like they had a hobby that required a big area to work. I covet that room. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/51 "2026-04-22T15:17:03Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > The pet door let’s them constantly go in and out at will and bring in fleas, tics, and God knows what else. Is that _really_ a concern? I’ve had dogs all my life and they have never once gotten fleas and only _once_ did we find ticks, from when we took our dalmatian to the beach and he ran in the reeds. It’s a huge fenced in grass yard, not an open forest or brush. How is that different from every other backyard where dogs go? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/52 "2026-04-22T15:17:46Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ll admit when I started this thread, I was expecting somebody would point out the obvious use for this arrangement within the first five posts and I’d be slapping my head for missing it. But it appears this really is as confusing as I thought. I don’t think it’s confusing at all, it’s a dog-washing station. It would be okay as a human-washing station, too, although then i would expect more hooks and shelves to hold clothing. (There are people who rarely wear clothes indoors. Surely there are people who don’t value privacy when they shower.) Given the tile floor outside it, i don’t think it’s a problem that the dog will shake water out of its fur after the shower. My bathroom floor gets pretty wet when i step out of the shower, too. I think y’all are underestimating the aim-ability of that handheld shower head. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/53 "2026-04-22T15:19:49Z")
Understood but, from my perspective, the whole thing would have to go. First of all, I would never own a dog and, second of all, my cat is an indoors only animal. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/54 "2026-04-22T15:20:49Z")
I once lived in a neighborhood with tons of fleas. The cat was covered with fleas. We had fleas hop onto us when we went out to fetch the newspaper. It doesn’t matter whether the dog comes and goes at will, or you need to open a door for it. It will bring in exactly the same number of ticks and fleas either way. I doubt they washed the dog every single time it came in. Just when it’s paws we’re especially muddy, and for the scheduled bath, however often they routinely bathed it. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/55 "2026-04-22T15:22:01Z")
If I ever win the lotto (I don’t play) I’d totally buy that house or something like it. Then hire a house keeping service. etc. etc. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/56 "2026-04-22T15:24:08Z")
Having pets is a messy thing. No telling what’s coming in with them. Bayliss had a caterpillar on his head yesterday. We laughed and laughed. I don’t like doggy doors for lots of reasons. But to each their own. Fleas and ticks are not a problem if your pet is on the Simparica or similar. It doesn’t guard against caterpillars, obviously. Bayliss or the Chihuahuas get beggar lice, which is not an animal, it’s seed pods from some weed that stick to fur, cloth and hair. A wipe down is necessary at these times. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/57 "2026-04-22T15:41:34Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > It doesn’t matter whether the dog comes and goes at will, or you need to open a door for it. It will bring in exactly the same number of ticks and fleas either way. Well yeah that was kinda my point. The _door_ isn’t going to magically make the dog get fleas or ticks. It was a weird complaint. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/58 "2026-04-22T15:51:33Z")
That work area and that shower definitely have serial killer feel, but I appreciate the need to rebrand all that when you’re putting it on the market. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/59 "2026-04-22T15:58:29Z")
No, that work area wouldn’t do as a kill room. Where’s the floor drain or the stainless steel prep table? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472/60 "2026-04-22T16:06:01Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > If I ever win the lotto (I don’t play) I’d totally buy that house or something like it. Then hire a house keeping service. etc. etc. Actually I wouldn’t. It’s not a house I would want, even if price wasn’t an object. I realize I’m in the minority here but I dislike the “open” concept. I like my house to have rooms. And I don’t like high ceilings; I look at them and see them as wasted space. And I don’t like the loft. In this particular house, I also don’t like the bridge. I just think of how much I’m going to be carrying things in and out of the house. Sometimes in the rain or snow. On minor notes, I don’t like the bowl sinks or the sliding doors or the parking lot. Or the dog shower. I like the big porch but I’d be happier if the first floor was enclosed and the second floor had a roof. Things I do like; the workroom, the beamed ceilings, the woodwork, the kitchen island, and the massive garage. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-shower-for/1029472.md?page=4)