Mount Pleasant Magazine Nov/Dec 2021

71 www.MtPl easant . Pet | www.MPVet s . Pet | www. f acebook . com/MPpet s PETS F E A T U R E YOUR PET’S DREAM HOUSE By Zelda Bryant Conversations with homebuyers always include specific preferences regarding bedroom and bathroom count and other desired features. Many buyers will include descrip- tions of their immediate family members and explain why those features are important for them. For example, one buyer recently told me: “JoJo and Sam- my need their own bedroom on the first floor. JoJo’s older now and can’t go up the stairs.” But they weren’t talking about aging relatives. They were talking about their dogs. JoJo is a 12-year-old German shep- herd lab mix, and Sammy is a 10-year-old poodle who has gone blind. This family bought a single-family home with a slab foundation in Dunes West because there were no steps for their dogs to navigate. Today’s homebuyers take their pets’ needs more seriously than in years past, and it is a factor in their buying deci- sions. According to the National Association of Realtors, 66% of American households currently have a pet or plan to get one. Additionally, 43% of households would be will- ing to move to better accommodate their pets. Homeowners are finding new and interesting ways to ac- commodate and decorate for their pets. Many clients today FINDING A HOME FIT FOR FURRY FAMILY Photos provided by Jeanne Taylor Photography. The author with her dogs, Ruby, an Australian shepherd and Smokey, a collie.