Select a Pet Proof Home Office Chair

Pet owners know that animals like to get into everything. Whether you have a cat, dog or a bird, they can wreak havoc on your living quarters. Offices are no exception. As proud owner of a menagerie, it was imperative that we choose furniture that could withstand anything that our variety of pets could dish out. Although you can scold animals away from most furniture, they often forget or don't feel that they have to listen when their human family is not at home.

In our office, we had to find an office chair that worked well with our office and with our pet situation. Since we both spend a lot of time doing work on the computer, it needed to be comfortable and supportive. We wanted a chair that rolled, so that we could easily move around our rather large desk. We had a puppy at the time, as well as a young and slightly neurotic dog, so we had to make sure that there was nothing to chew on at the base. We also had cats and a bird who liked to sit on the chair, so we had to make sure that the material the seat was made of was durable and washable, able to withstand beak and claws. And, as a final criteria, we did not want to spend a great deal of money on the chair.

After extensive searching, we happened upon an ad to Office Max, a store in which we rarely shop. They had a chair available for only $150, on sale for 30% off. We went to check it out, and decided it was a winner. The Office Star High Back Fabric Chair was a very basic chair, but fit our needs perfectly.

The reason this particular chair was the one that we took home had to do with a number of qualities.

Fabric versus leather: As a pet home, we strongly preferred fabric to leather. Although fabric runs a higher risk of cats deciding to scratch it, leather is much less able to hide any flaws. One nail can pop through the leather, causing a small tear that becomes progressively bigger with time. This is a major problem if you have dogs who may decide to sit in the chair (and don't let the size of your dog dictate whether you think he'll sit in the chair-let his personality dictate that. You'd be surprised where some large dogs decide that they can fit) or a bird. Making sure to get stain guard or that the fabric is easy to wipe clean is a good plan if you have a bird of any size, and leather may make more sense for some with smaller birds. We have a relatively large parrot, and his claws would go through the leather. The fabric is designed in such a way that the small holes that he makes are virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the chair, and he is better able to hold on to the back of the chair without falling off, which we count as a positive.

Metal rollers: Very few chairs now are constructed with anything other than metal for the bottom rollers, though some are encased in hard plastic. Either is a good option if you have a dog who likes to nibble or chew on chairs.

Color: We went with basic black, both because it goes with our décor and because we have a black lab. Shedding is something to think about for fabric chairs, but less of an issue for leather chairs.

Sturdiness: With a black lab who feels that she may be just the size of a puppy still at age 5, we wanted something that could withstand her jumping into it. Although she no longer fits, even when she tries, this chair has managed to withstand all of that pressure. It holds up to us, too.

Arms: We wanted a chair with arms to help keep a dog head out of our laps and to (try) to keep cats out, too. They also provide a level of comfort.

It was not difficult to assemble, which was a bonus we had not counted upon. Overall, the chair has lasted and has provided exactly what we wanted out of it, though any mid-grade, high-back chair would have worked, so long as it met the above criteria.