Grooming Your Pets, Grooming Your House

Over the past 40 years I have owned seven Golden Retrievers, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and four cats. As we all know pets shed. Interestingly Golden Retrievers don’t shed as much as Labrador Retrievers. Yet so many people get Labs because they are short haired dogs. My current Golden Retriever, Gaby, and my current cat, Hope, are both a medium gold color and have equally long hair. I am pretty compulsive about cleaning and over the years have found quick and efficient ways to both groom my pets and my house.

I keep my pet grooming tools in a small container next to my chair in the family room. When Hope curls up in my lap I take that quiet time in front of the TV to groom her. She loves it. I use a FURminator or a metal comb. I also take that time to keep her claws clipped short. Gaby is not fond of being groomed but she and I sit on the floor while I brush her out, clean up the fur on her ears and trim the fur on her feet. Clean feet means less dirt tracked into the house. I use a cordless Dremel with a sanding attachment to keep her nails short. When we come back from our many walks I towel her off including wiping her feed and then leave her in the laundry room behind a baby gate until she is dry. Between baths if Gaby begins to smell doggy I use Johnson and Johnson's baby powder. Sprinkle a little on and brush it out. I like it especially for getting the musty odor out from under the ears of long floppy eared dogs.

To keep the house clean I vacuum regularly, especially after a grooming session. For quick clean ups I use a Bona hardwood floor dry white mop head. The hair on the hard surfaces sticks to it with static electricity. To clean the furniture that the cat lays on I use my dog’s slicker brush. It picks the hair off of the fabric surface just like it picks the loose hair off your dog or cat. A lint roller is a must have for quick ups.

Just a fair warning if you drop into my house unannounced don’t where black. My friends often tease me about always wearing khaki pants but gold hair doesn’t show on khaki.

©2012