As you can probably figure out, this isn't exactly the most savvy financial decision on our part - we actually just break even at the end of the ninety days.  However, what we hope for, is to have begun a lifelong relationship with a customer who appreciates that we are honest and up front about how to properly use and care for their dog's potty box.  We really just want everyone to have a positive and successful experience and more importantly, we want everyone's dog to have a safe and sanitary place to go potty. 

This type of product is the very reason we began to stand behind our competitors' products.
I am beginning to see a pattern that the most popular box that keeps getting traded in to us is one that has been designed with a tray underneath.  The theory behind this makes sense.  However, in practical usage - the customers keep telling me the same thing that I've heard from other customers who have tried a planter box with a drain.

We call this kind of product "good on paper".
The theory is that you don't have to replace the sod weekly if you water the sod to "rinse out" the urine. What ends up happening, is the sod gets very muddy and truly, if you want to do a thorough rinsing of the urine & the bacteria, you would have to water it and water it, then walk on it to squeeze the urine out of the sod.

Sod retains moisture, silly!
Picture a sponge that is filled with urine, running water through it will drain some of it, but squeezing the sponge is really the only way to get it clean. Who wants to do that with a piece of urinated on sod?   This competitor recommends that you water the sod 2-3 times a week, so that the urine will "flow" down to the tray.  We have tried this, and what a mess it was.  The water turned the urine and sod into stinky pee pee mud!  Yuck!

Okay . . . just for kicks, let's say you decide you will squeeze the urine out with your hands or by walking on it.
At that point, you have to then worry about removing the tray of urine/water and wondering where you are going to pour it out.  People in apartments have told me they often can't pour it off their balcony or it will splash their neighbors underneath.  One woman told me the hilarious story about how she tried to carry the tray from her balcony, through her apartment to the bathroom where she intended to pour it in her shower - but what happened along the way when she bumped the wall turning the corner to go down her hallway . . . well, you can imagine!  Not only was she wearing her dog's urine, but now it was all over her carpeting.  (okay, so maybe that wasn't so funny for her, but the story certainly made me chuckle)

I had one customer tell me that the box leaked although in personally looking at the product, I'm not sure where the leaking would be coming from (maybe if the tray isn't changed often enough?).   Overall, the other complaints have been overwhelmingly similar - just poor functionality.

Rarely do people want to go through all of this in order to reuse the same piece of sod.

But this competitor says you can reuse the same piece of sod for between 4 to 24 weeks?
Yes, they do say that in their marketing materials.  Ask them if they stand behind their promise.  If indeed, the same piece of sod can be used for that long, then they should have no problem guaranteeing that it will.  The truth of the matter is that their return policy is only within 14 days of purchase, and if you read the fine print, you only get fifty percent of a refund after 14 days.  (in fact, their return policy is very well hidden, you have to be a sleuth to find it on their website)

But hey - your boxes are non-refundable!
We are very honest and up front with our customers, we make sure they understand the weekly maintenance involved in using a dog potty in the proper sanitary way.  We don't hide the fact that our boxes are indeed non-refundable, however we have been known to talk many a customer out of purchasing one of our boxes if we felt they weren't going to be able to maintain the box.  We only want to see our customers set up for success, even if it costs us a sale. 

Your product promotes changing the sod weekly & cleaning the box out thoroughly once a week - why does this company not promote that?
They are trying to sell you what they call a "concept" (actually just a fancy word for a gimmick). We've been around since 1994, we tested how to use a dog potty box every which way we could possibly think of.  A tray with a drain was something we figured out wouldn't work way back in the 90's! 

Bacteria gone Wild!
In addition to a tray/drainage system just not having good function ability, we realized that no matter how many times the sod is watered and "flushed" . . . there is no way around it.  Bacteria is a living growing organism and a piece of urinated on sod that is two, three, four weeks old - is like a big old party of Bacteria.  We will save you the scary stories of how this can not only put your dog's health at risk, but also anyone residing in your household.

Oh, and by the way, did we mention that the urine is going to kill the sod anyway?  If you don't believe us, here is an article about "The Effects of Dog Urine on Lawn" written by a super smart doctor guy. 

The What about the company that says their box has an "irrigation system"
There is another company who sells boxes that are a cheap imitation of ours - it is actually just an open tray that you lay the piece of sod on (our box is designed with a lip around it so that the sod gets securely tucked in and also our box is made of very sturdy thick plastic that doesn't break). Their gimmick is that the box comes with a fire hydrant and picket fence - but actually, when you see the box in person, it is just a cut-out of a fire hydrant (not three dimensional) and it needs to be assembled and very thin plastic materials are used.  (little known fact: this company came on the scene back when we used to be known as Puppy Park, which may tell you something about what inspired them to name their own company)

The ideal potty situation for your dog is a combination of two things:
1) Having a potty container that is functional - doesn't leak, holds the grass snuggly in place, and has a surface that won't rot and can be easily cleaned (to prevent bacteria buildup)
2) Using disposable sod that can be easily replaced on a weekly basis. Exposing your dog to soiled sod for much longer (especially when the urine is in such a concentrated area) can pose a health hazard.