The teardrop-shaped green labradorite pendant that Risa Canseco Groh wears each and every day is more than just a beautiful piece of jewelry. It is a piece of her heart.
The pendant contains the ashes of Jet, the black lab she and her husband Brandon raised and loved together for more than 16 years.
“He was our first baby,” says Risa as she touches the pendant gently. Labradorite comes from the Canadian province of Newfoundland/Labrador, known for their beautiful dogs.
Risa’s style is all about her pets. That’s why, when she and her husband, Brandon, designed and built their dream home in rural Platte County two years ago, their pets’ needs were their first consideration.
For example, U.S. standards for hallways are a minimum of 36 inches, although typical hallways are 42 – 48 inches wide. The Grohs designed their hallways to be six feet wide.
“I’m like a human pinball machine bouncing off the walls every night as we go to bed and every morning as we head to the kitchen,” says Risa, who has four dogs and one cat, all who wiggle to be closest to her wherever she goes.
“This extra width gives me a chance to stay on my feet and not step all over the babies,” Groh says.
For the same reasons, the Grohs designed extra space in the bathrooms. We all know the unwritten laws of pet ownership prevent humans from using the bathroom alone.
The Grohs are not alone in making substantial decisions about their home to accommodate animals. A 2022 survey by Realtor.com revealed that 82 percent of Americans with pets consider their animals’ needs of equal or greater importance than human needs.
"Having an animal-accessible home is more important to many pet owners than extra square footage or a shorter commute to work" says Clare Trapasso, executive editor at Realtor.com.
A fenced-in yard is the most common feature. The Grohs own six acres and have fenced four of those acres to allow plenty of space for the big dogs to run. However, they have fenced a smaller space just off the back patio where the smaller critters can run without feeling lost.
The next most common style component of a pet owner’s house, according to Realtor.com, is an in-house dog shower/bath station. Risa Groh calls theirs a doggie spa.
The room, just off the garage, is 10 by 18 feet and includes the family’s washer/dryer. Otherwise, the space is all for the animals. It includes a 48-inch-wide stainless steel dog wash station, typical of that found at PetSmart, Pettersson’s in Parkville and other animal care stores.
Adjacent to that is a drying station and space for Risa to trim their nails and administer other needs. Pegs on the wall hold leashes and other necessities.
The doggie spa is just off the kitchen where the Grohs prepare the animals’ meals. But the four dogs don’t always play well together when Risa places the food dishes on the floor. So, they installed a glass pocket door between the kitchen and spa to separate the dogs at feeding time. The glass allows the humans to notice any concerns with the dogs as they eat.
What makes the spa room very special to the couple is the custom designed wallpaper. It includes images of their first pet together, Jet, as well as their other animals.
The Grohs love for Jet is also memorialized in the stained concrete surface of their front porch. They mixed some of his ashes into the concrete “so he’ll always be sitting on the porch with us.”
There are touches of their love for their pets all over the home. A Victorian doorknob and a brass door knocker both feature black labs, too, and the massive stone/gas corner fireplace in the bedroom is neither for romance, nor for Risa and Brandon’s comfort.
“Our boy Hank gets so cold, so this space is for the dogs’ beds and for them all to snuggle when they are cold,” Risa says.
The one thing Brandon and Risa love almost as much as their pets is throwing a party. Their house design includes a 2,400 sq ft garage. This includes space for two vehicles and for Brandon to rebuild a 1964 Ford pick-up truck, as well as a small kitchen and living space and big screen TV mounted on the wall. A disco ball spins from the ceiling.
The décor includes plenty of Chiefs and Royals memorabilia, a life-sized Taylor Swift cutout and enlarged photos of their four-legged friends.
We’re told a framed version of this story may make it to the wall of honor.
Now that’s what we call style.