I would HAVE to disagree!
Last year, after my in-laws visited, I drafted up my Top 10 Places Dog Hair Does Not Belong list. I thought it was a pretty inclusive list. But after the in-laws visit again this year, I have come up with 10 more equally important places in which dog hair does not belong.
Keep in mind that I’m not particularly friendly with the dogs, don’t spend much time petting them much, and wash my hands constantly while they are here. Also, we vacuum often while the dogs are here because my daughter is allergic to their hair and dander, and I just get tired of the mess.
These, in no particular order, are the 10 new places I’ve discovered where dog hair definitely does not belong:
- On my African Violet – this plant sits ON TOP of a set of shelves by our telephone. The shelf is at least chest height on me, so the plant isn’t down anywhere near the dogs’ level. However, dog hair must travel on the air, because there were several hairs in the African Violet. Just weird!
Under my kitchen stool – I have this little IKEA stool I use in the kitchen all the time, because I’m short. This stool must have been collecting dog hair the whole time the in-laws were here. Since it usually just gets pushed around, none of us thought to sweep under it I guess… Well, we SHOULD have. I had a serious handful of dog hair under that thing when I picked it up to clean it the other day. It was just gross.- In the USB connector on my laptop – I was careful to keep the laptop up away from anywhere the dogs could get to, to completely avoid toilet drool or dinner hooch from coming into contact with it. 2 days after the parents left, I found 2 hairs IN my USB connector on the laptop. Somehow, I don’t think that dog hair is helpful there.
- In my protein shake mix – I’m the only one who gets into those canisters, and somehow, dog hair still got in there. That really grossed me out.
- In my hairbrush – yes, MY hairbrush. Which probably means that there was dog hair in my hair. Or that the dogs were very near my hairbrush, which means in the bathroom, which means toilet drool, which….. is gross.
- Inside my baking ingredient canisters – I have found dog hairs in both the flour canister and the sugar canister.
- In my purse – pick a pocket in my purse, even the zippered coin pocket, and you will likely find a dog hair. Why, I still can’t quite figure out…
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US Thanksgiving dinner 2011, with dog hairs hiding in the dishes, napkins, glasses, and sweet potatoes...
In my dishes – if you grab a cup out of the cupboard to pour a cup of tea, please check it for stray dog hairs before pouring in your hot water. Same goes for using my glasses, bowls, spoons in the silverware drawer, mixing cups, rubbermaid containers, cake pans, pots under the stove, or any other container or dish in the kitchen. The dogs probably spend 1/2 of their time here in the kitchen, since we are often in the kitchen preparing food, etc., so I guess that’s why their hair is everywhere in there…. ick!
- On the flatbed scanner of my new HP OfficeJet – I don’t remember scanning anything while the in-laws and their dogs were here. But there was dog hair on the glass when I opened it up to scan something a few days after they left. It wasn’t on my paper, it wasn’t on my hands, and yet it was definitely scanned on my document. No matter how or when it got there, the dog hair simply does not belong there!
- Stuck to the side of my tennis shoes (sneakers, runners, whatever you call them) – the hair is stuck there, right on the “S” of my Skechers. Guess what it’s stuck there with? Dog Drool. It’s like glue. It’s awful. It’s stuck to my shoe. About 10-15 dog hairs, too. Blech!
Under my kitchen stool – I have this little IKEA stool I use in the kitchen all the time, because I’m short. This stool must have been collecting dog hair the whole time the in-laws were here. Since it usually just gets pushed around, none of us thought to sweep under it I guess… Well, we SHOULD have. I had a serious handful of dog hair under that thing when I picked it up to clean it the other day. It was just gross.
For those who would argue that they can keep a really clean house while having dogs or cats there, I would simply like to say, “Our definitions of ‘really clean’ must be quite different!” The dog hair gets EVERYWHERE! (From the 20 examples given, you can see that I’m not even exaggerating!) The hair apparently floats on the air and gets stirred up into places where no hair should ever be. You can NOT keep the hair out of ANYTHING! Being ‘really clean’ with dogs in the house is impossible!
There are places where dog hair does NOT belong, and I keep finding them, around my house. What no-dog-hair-should-be-allowed places would you add to my lists?
That is why I like Cats with short hair
We’re so allergic to cats, that just wouldn’t work for us either…. But short hair is probably a little better….
Well, I didn’t get to the other post yet, but I would add my ear and belly button– both places I have found dog hair. Before we had dogs, I had a very clean home and could not stand getting animal hair on me. Its a never ending battle now, and I love my dogs but geez. Hair is everywhere, you just have to know that when you enter. I really do try though, there are permanent swiffers, dust clingy grab wand thingys everywhere and nothing that goes on the table is used without first being rinsed because hair gets everywhere.
What really grossed me out was the time I watched a friend and long time dog owner throw the dog bowls in with the dishes. She insisted they all got cleaned the same way, but even if you just overlook everything else, there is the hair factor– its going to settle somewhere, on something, and if it doesn’t happen this time around it will happen with the next wash. Ick!
I thought about belly button actually – though I haven’t personally found any dog hair in my own belly button yet (*cringe*).
I commend you for realizing that the hair gets everywhere, and working to tame it. There are dog owners who just ignore it as part of life, and seem to expect their guests to ignore it as well. And yes, I do try REALLY hard to just go with the flow while the pets are here – they are getting older and they won’t be around forever – but being a no-pet-home makes it harder!
Dog bowl with the regular dishes – yah, ICK!!!!
Okay, Raylene, I just always love your posts and this one had me smiling from ear to ear and laughing out loud. You’re awesome!
LOL, thanks Susan!! 🙂 The first list came up out of my going “EWWW!” every time I turned around after the dogs were here last time. This list came naturally out of the same kind of experience after their most recent visit. When you’re not a pet-owner, you naturally notice these things! And they DO usually mak me giggle, after the initial EWWWW factor wears off! LOL!!
Depends on the dog … some shed more than others. And one of our cats sheds a LOT more than the other.
I *do* get tired of it, but have mostly given up the battle for a super, really clean house.
But honestly, I have never found dog or cat hairs on the scanner, or in closed containers in the kitchen. Weird, if you ask me. 🙂
Yes, you’re exactly right, Tanya. Their older dog is shedding more now than he ever has before. Just getting old. But their younger dog CONSTANTLY sheds. We wonder how she ever has any hair left on her body, she sheds so much. She has short hair (the other dog has longer hair) and she still sheds non-stop. Only 1 trip they came up here and it was SUPER cold here the whole time they were here, and she stopped shedding that time. Otherwise, she’s a hair factory!
My mom-in-love says they won’t have any more dogs once these are gone. She is tired of the mess, too, especially since she keeps a SUPER clean home, so she’s constantly cleaning to even begin to keep up with the dogs. She’s done with dog hair and drool and such…
Canisters – It must be that someone opened a canister, and hairs got in there somehow while it was open. Same with the scanner – maybe when I opened it, I whisked some floating dog hair onto the screen. I dunno. IT’S EVERYWHERE!!!!!!! lol! And yes, it’s weird! hehehe
What kind of Dog do you have?
I have no dogs, but the in-laws have 2 Springer Spaniels. The older male dog is a feathering spaniel with longer hair. They keep him trimmed short so he doesn’t have much feathering, but he still has LOTS of hair. The younger female dog is a short-haired non-feathering spaniel (she has 2 wispy feathers on her ears, and a tiny bit on her tail). She’s the one that sheds CONSTANTLY! Handfuls of hair when you pet her, handfuls of hair in her bed every morning, and a constant trail of hair wherever she’s been. She’s healthy and has always been this way. It’s just how she is.
If that is the worst thing the dogs do then I guess that you are lucky cause they could leave a surprise on the carpet for you to clean up!!!!
Well, dog drool and dog hooch (slobber after they eat) would deserve a whole post of their own – Top 10 Places Dog Drool Does NOT Belong, kind of thing. LOL! The female dog has always had a bladder issue as well, so sometimes we get a little piddle somewhere, but it’s not TOO bad. And, they are very well house-trained, but it’s the tracking in from outside that is the issue there – the dogs as much as my kiddos. Mud, grass, and poop get stuck in the treads of snow boots really well! 🙂 Another reason we don’t have dogs. haha!
This is why i stick to having no animals:)
Right now, we have 1 fish, and it’s our daughter’s and she’s responsible for its care. 🙂 We used to have a great big 50-gallon tank with pretty fish, but didn’t move them from BC when we left there. We also had a 2nd 50-gallon tank with 2 turtles (red-eared sliders) and they were fun. But my hubby’s new rule is: “If it can’t hold its breath underwater for 2 weeks, it can’t live at our house!” HAHA! The kiddos keep trying to figure out a scuba suit for a bunny! LOL!
My experience of having pets was I killed 2 hamsters after that I was done:’C
LOL, oops! Yah, that would kinda be a downer, eh? Poor hamsters….. 🙂
That is why I have fun with everyone else pets then I do not have to take care of them!!