Card games that ran far too late. Iced tea sweating rings into wooden tables. Grandad filling out the morning’s crossword. There were always dogs underfoot too, my grandparents’ three dachshunds wandering between our feet or settling into my Grandma’s chair.

That’s what a patio is for. A family doing its living out loud, dog and all.

The patio has always felt like the place where childhood and adulthood could exist together. As a kid, you could play in the yard while listening to the adults talk. As an adult, you could sit in the same chair and feel, for a moment, like you were still that kid.

It’s also where people come and go. On busy days like Thanksgiving, our patio was the hub for any activities we had planned. Football played on the TV as the neighborhood dad’s deep fried turkeys for their family. The smaller kids splashed in the pool, running in and out of the house without worry about dragging water inside. And of course, our dog, watching over everyone from a spot on the patio couch. Making sure everything runs smoothly.

Our dog has never been an addition to the patio rituals we try to keep up. He was just the current one keeping it going. And over the years, we’ve learned that every good patio has a few things you just can’t do without. Here are some of our non-negotiables.

For the people

A chair built for staying

A rocking chair, a glider, whatever your grandmother had. The kind with arms worn smooth from actual use, not a folding chair you drag out and put back. Every good patio has at least one seat that’s basically been claimed, the one you sink into around seven and don’t get up from until somebody finally says they should head in.

Whatever game your family plays

Rook, dominoes, spades, a deck that’s lost two cards and everybody’s learned to work around it. Doesn’t matter which one, only that it lives out there permanently, ready the second somebody says “one hand before we go.”

A cooler or drink station 

Sweet tea for whoever’s driving, something colder for whoever’s staying. A cooler by the door, a little cart, anything that means nobody has to get up mid-conversation to go refill something.

For The dog

A bed that keeps her in the middle of the action

Somewhere that puts her in the conversation instead of tucked in a corner. Patio surfaces can hold heat longer than you’d think, so something elevated and breathable is the difference between her staying out there all night and heading in by eight.

A water bowl that’s part of the setup

A real station instead of whatever bowl got exiled outside. The kind you refill without thinking about it, the same way you’d top off anyone else’s glass.

Her own marked spot

A bed or blanket that lives in one place and becomes hers, the same way somebody’s grandfather had a chair nobody else dared to sit in. Every family patio has a spot like that. Now there’s a dog in it too.

A Patio is better With a Dog

There’s something especially appealing about a patio in fall. After months of grueling Southern heat that makes sitting outside feel impossible, you finally get an evening cool enough to stay awhile. The dog isn’t panting. Someone brings out a blanket and you’re surprised it’s that time of year again. You can sit there again without immediately looking for the air conditioner. And of course, the dog is right there with you, settling into the middle of everything.

The dogs usually understand the appeal better than anyone. They can lie under the table, watch people come and go, and never miss a thing. Someone might scratch her head on the way inside. A kid might stop to say hello. She might wander into the yard to sniff around and come back ten minutes later. She gets to be part of the gathering without having to do anything except be there.

Meet the Author

Hey! My name is Garrett, I’m 22-years-old from Dallas Texas, though I currently reside in Brooklyn. New York has been quite the shift from what I’m used to in the suburbs, but I am enjoying the city life thus far! In my day-to-day routine I am constantly thinking about dogs, mostly because of my work at a local doggy daycare, but also because of my general love for animals!