Looks like tropical Hibiscus to me. Rose of Sharon is the deciduous cold hardy one.

I know that Hibiscus syriacus is deciduous, but if it got moved indoors in the fall, it might not drop its leaves, right? I wouldn't think a tropical Hibiscus would do very well with so little light, but maybe you're right.

Yes it could to be Hibiscus syriacus - Rose of Sharon. It is likely not getting enough sun to bloom. Does your friend fertilize?

Cyrtomium falcatum, The Japanese Holly Fern & Osmanthus × burkwoodii are the only ones I found that are urine resistant and like partial shade. I did see mention of Alchemilla mollis, Ladies Mantle The fern could be used as a barrier for other plants behind. The Osmanthus could be too large.

Thank you, peren.all and 41 North! I'm feeling pretty good for having recognized it.. I don't know if my friend fertilizes it and she said it's never bloomed. She doesn't remember how or where she got it.

Her garden is quite a bit below street level and adjacent buildings block the sun, so I doubt the RoS could ever bloom. However, the suggestions for in-ground plants sound great! I'll pass the suggestions on to her, and maybe the RoS could be planted there.

Thanks again!

I think it is either a light starved tropical Hibiscus or an Abutilon. I do not believe it is R of S.

Abutilon was my first thought. However, the cane-like older stems and the leaf shapes may actually support it being in fact Hibiscus syriacus (the leaves do not look like H. rosa-sinensis). What is needed of course is to see it bloom.

Would it help to know that the plant is about six feet tall? And it's been in its pot for years.

I just don't believe a non-tropical and deciduous species would be able to survive in a pot, indoors, for some many years. But then again, Rose of Sharon is a true Hibiscus with tropical genes somewhere in the line.

P.S., For the spot without any sun, maybe try a Aucuba japonica. They are evergreen and don't need any sun to thrive.

I think we have a winner! Mariesa says the Abutilon picturs look like her plant, so thank you for the identification. She's going to take better care of it. Y'all are always amazing!

I'll pass the plant suggestions on to her, too.

"Rose of Sharon is a true Hibiscus with tropical genes somewhere in the line."

Not necessarily. Various species of the same genus can have very different climatic origins and with correspondingly different attributes and characteristics. There are plenty of species of hibiscus that are neither tropical nor subtropical in origin.

Your friend might want to try keeping the plant indoors year-round, if there's some sun there in the summer too. This could encourage blooming and would presumably also keep it from being pee'd on,

Note that urine is an excellent source of nitrogen, so if the dog has been frequently "watering" the soil in the pot, your friend needs to be careful NOT to add any fertilizer that contains nitrogen (which is pretty much all of them). A lot of plants don't flower well if they're getting loads of nitrogen, so the dog pee could be the reason why this plant doesn't bloom -- especially if she's adding any other fertilizer. If she does move it indoors, though, or if her elderly dog reaches the end of his days, the plant might eventually appreciate a little fertilizer.

Thank you, Carol. In the summer the sun is too high to get through her window, but I beleive that when its moved out in the summer it can get a bit of sun then.