Saturday 17 October 2015

It's a bum job, but it has to be done

Hello. How do you fancy a poo picking stick from Amazon. Superduper deluxe version for only £46. Saves bending down, saves your back, keep the footpaths clean and poo free. No more accidentally squelching through it and scraping it off your boots. Handy gadget eh! Maybe the council could buy a load and give them away free, nope, probably can't afford it. 

One of these would have been absolutely no good to me this morning. I sat drinking my coffee looking out over the back garden. Rocky seemed to be struggling to do his business, at last the offending lump dropped onto the ground. Success. Then he squatted again, not quite finished, there's more, I thought. Oh dear, nothing happening, obviously he was a bit uncomfortable so I went out to check what was going on at his back end.

Oh my, a great wadge of the stuff was clinging to his hairy arse and wouldn't let go. I got a piece of toilet roll to remove it, no luck, it's clinging on for dear life. I'll see to it in a minute, I thought, when I've finished my coffee. He didn't like me closing the door and leaving him out there. No Rocky, you aint coming in here.

Now, what equipment is needed to poo pick from a dog's bum, not the stick above that's for sure. Boil a kettle of water, and find some old rags for washing it off. Empty an old washing up bowl used for catching rainwater, and mix hot and cold water together to get it to the right temperature. Could do with a doggy bidet actually. But there's such a lot of it, it's going to need cutting out, which scissors, large or small, best take two pairs out. Don't fancy getting it on my hands, good job I've got some heavy duty rubberized gardening gloves.

I don't think he is going to stand still while I do all this, so I'd better put his collar on so I can stop him wriggling free if he gets upset. Now, if anyone else find's they have to do this, follow my instructions. Put dog close to your legs, between them if you have to. Lift tail with your left hand, they don't like this, and carefully snip around the offending lump, a few hairs at a time, and being careful not to get too close to the skin. Keep snipping until there are very few hairs left supporting it. Eventually it will drop to the ground.

Check that you have cut out as much as you can, and while you are at it, trim the hairs all around the area in case it happens again, so that the poo has nothing to cling on to. This will hopefully ensure a clean evacuation next time.

To finish off soak a cloth in warm water and wash the dog's rear end. He won't like it and will sit down. Talk to him nicely, tell him what a good boy he is, or girl if you have a lady dog. Don't pull his tail to get him to stand up, lift gently under his belly. A few sloshes with warm water should clean off any residue. Have a dry cloth nearby to wipe away any excess water.

And there you are, happy dog, and no skid marks on the carpet. Hope this has been a helpful post ;o)
Have a nice Saturday. Toodle pip.

26 comments:

  1. All of the above but substitute a feisty Ginger cat officially diagnosed with feline dementia. I do bum cleaning on a daily basis! Wet wipes are my friend!

    Linda xxx

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  2. I was just having a blog catch up while eating my lunch. Ha ha. X

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  3. So accurate! So funny! It happens to our cat occasionally - if she can feel it hanging, it sends her mad and she runs round like a crazy thing til it drops off! Then to make sure it's gone, she drags her bum across the lawn! It has only happened outdoors so far - who knows what she gets up when she's left alone indoors!!!

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  4. It helps to keep the anal area trimmed so there's less fur there. I've done this for aging longhaired cats. Saves being savaged!

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  5. Well, I've read some blog tutorials in my time but that beats 'em all!

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    1. I agree! However, if you know how to evacuate an anal gland, this would be as good a time as any to do it. Sorry I can't present a tutorial here and now! I have a West Highland white terrier (Westie) and what you describe sounds like something that would (and has) happened here. Is it a terrier thing? My black Lab/golden retriever mix does not have this problem at all (nor as much hair).

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  6. too much information, ha ha.

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  7. It happened to our old dog too who was an Irish Setter with lots of 'feathers' around his back end. The two of us struggled to stop him sitting down and in the end had him on his side while we cleaned him up with warm soapy water. He was not a happy dog.

    Joan (Wales)

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  8. You've answered a question I've had for ages. There's a couple who walk past the house twice a day with a Golden Retriever and what i thought was a mop. Now I know! x

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  9. OOOkkkaaayyy, I've never seen or read about this before! I thought my preference for short-haired animals was about being a lazy groomer and housekeeper. However, maybe not!

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  10. Well that certainly made me laugh, a great tutorial!

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  11. I sometimes feel sad that I don't have a cat or dog; family allergies (and general anti-pet attitude in one case!) makes it impossible, but this post has made me feel much better!!

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  12. Laughed my head off. Thank you xxx

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  13. So glad we only have a guinea pig and a goldfish :)

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  14. I have just found your amazing blog again after about a year away and am currently re-reading it from the beginning (and all the comments!) This post just made me laugh out loud, it is so very YOU! Thank you for the wisdom, the money saving tips, the walks, the wonderful and sometimes wacky crafting and of course the window into your unique world........
    Jacqui

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  15. In the summertime I've had to use the water hose while holding onto the little tail:)

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  16. LOVE your sense of humour.... I still have a big smile on my face!! Cheers

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  17. You get all the best jobs......:) Debbie

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  18. my husband always refers to this as an identified item in the wagging area which makes me laugh. Poor Rocky. I bet he was grateful in the end!

    cathy

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  19. In our house we can't watch Star Trek in case anyone mentions the 'Klingons' at which point everyone falls about laughing!
    We used to have a Bearded Collie and she was permanently being trimmed and bum-washed!

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  20. Hil-Hairy-Arse!

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  21. Where are the pictures ..... !!

    You can't go giving us a tutorial without any accompanying pictures ;-)

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    1. Ha ha! She probably didn't have a hand free for the camera.. Maybe she should have strapped the video camera to her head!

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  22. Hi.Just goes to show the love we have for our critters.Too funny!Have been there and done that and bought the t-shirt.I have a special pair of scissors for this .Fortunately it doesn't happen very often but I seem to be the least squeamish about it in our home.Bye for now D.

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