 Challenge #10: Your Pets
It is time to spring clean our pets! If you have dogs (we have two),
cats, rabbits, hamsters (we have one), birds, fish, horses, goats, or
any other furry, feathered, or scaly friends and they need a little
spring-cleaning attention then this challenge is for you!
Charlie has been asking for this spring-cleaning challenge since we
began (NOT)! Who's Charlie? He's my little white dog (an American
Eskimo cross) who keeps me company on Cindy's Porch. I picked him up
last year when I was cleaning out my linen closets. I had a bunch of
old towels and sheets to drop off at the SPCA. Then I decided to take
a quick peek at the dogs… Big mistake! I fell in love with this
wiggling little white bundle of fur. He's been my pal and personal
trainer ever since, so I guess it really wasn't a mistake.
However, since we have been working in the yard, it has become dog
heaven. We top-dressed the lawn and over-seeded with fresh lawn seed.
Charlie thinks we did all this just for him, so he has been making
like a gopher and building holes and tunnels all over the place. Big
mess. When he comes in, he looks like an inverted skunk - black on
the outside with a white stripe down his back. Let's just say, he has
become a little "off-white."
Look out Charlie Here I come!
(Quick side note – this challenge is written up for dogs. If you have
any other kinds of pets, spring-clean as required. We have a hamster.
His cage is checked daily for food, water, and excess poops. Once per
week, it is completely disassembled and washed down. All the bedding
is tossed and replaced with new bedding. Our hamster doesn't need any
more spring-cleaning LOL.)
The Pet Beds
Where do your pets sleep? If they have blankets or some other type
of "bed" that can be put into the washing machine, gather them all up
and toss them into the wash. (This could be interesting, my oldest
dog (a golden retriever cross) likes to "ploof" the old quilt he
sleeps on. He pulls all the stuffing out of it!)
If they sleep on a pad that can't be washed, take it outside and give
it a good shake. If you have bricks on your house, beat the pad on
the bricks and watch the clouds of dust (and other things) come out.
Let the pad sit outside in the sunshine all day to freshen it up.
Do they sleep in a kennel, dog house, or basket? Grab the vacuum
cleaner and suck up all the bits of dirt, gravel, and grass seed (?)
Sheesk - no wonder the grass isn't growing, the seed is stuck on
Charlie's feet!
Use a damp rag and wash out the inside of the cage or kennel.
(Side note: Does your dog wear a nylon woven collar? If yes, toss it
into the laundry with their bedding.)
The Pet Food Dishes
Gather up all the eating and drinking dishes for your pet. Run a sink
of hot soapy water and give them a quick wash. It is amazing how
yucky the water bowl gets over a few days. Also wash the wall and
floor next to were you keep the bowls. I have messy eaters. They
slop, slurp, crunch, and toss their food all over the place. Sheesk –
how did their mamas raise them? LOL
While we are thinking about pet food, quickly check the food stash.
Do you have enough for the next month? (I have to add dog food to my
shopping list.)
The Pet Toys
We live in a small community that has three pet stores. We are about
ten minutes from a larger community that has about fifteen more pet
stores (I think there are more pet stores than grocery stores). Pets
and their toys are big business! Before we had kids, we had a dog.
She lived to be 12 years old and I swear she had more toys than our
kids ever did (almost LOL). Even my husband's parents used to buy
toys at Christmas for the "grand-dog." Many of these toys have been
passed down to our new dogs. They still enjoy the chew-things, the
many balls, Frisbees, and other pull-toys. But, their favorite "toy"
is still a W-A-L-K!
Today, go on a pet toy hunt. Gather up all the fake mice, the rolling
bell toys, the squeaky toys, the chewed up hunks of rope, and the
other bits and pieces that your pet has dragged into the house and
back yard.
Toss any that are not safe. Get rid of the ones that you don't want
your pets to chew on (that would be the "purple string rope thing
tied in a knot" that leave purple stain marks on my off-white
carpet!).
Do any of the toys need a wash? Dump them into the hot soapy water
and get rid of all that dog slobber. Your pet will think you went
shopping for new stuff LOL!
(Side note: check the washing machine. Is the bedding ready to go
into the dryer?)
And now, for the last part – The Pet Itself!
This is when I wish I had a cat – they clean themselves. Washing the
dogs is an event that requires a little planning.
- Clear out the bathroom. Remove the "good towels," the
bathmat, and put away the toothbrushes, shampoos, the toilet paper,
and other knick-knacks. There is no way any human can restrain a dog
when he decided to shake and rattle and roll all the excess water
off. And that water flies all over the place. (If you have a large
old tub or children's paddling pool, and it is warm outside, you may
want to wash your pet outside).
- Put on some old clothes. You are going to get soaked! If you
have kids, get them involved (mine like washing the dogs).
- Dig out the dog shampoo (our vet says to only use dog
shampoo – not people shampoo), an empty plastic pail (it is easier to
rinse the dog using a pail), and a couple old towels (one for the dog
and one for you and the bathroom). Remember to read the instructions
on the dog shampoo. Some dog shampoos are concentrated and must be
mixed with water.
- I like to brush our dogs before we wash them. This gets rid
of most of the chunks. As well, I can find the mats behind their ears
and clip them out before I wash them.
- Fill the tub with a few inches of lukewarm water (keep it
more on the cooler side than the hot side).
- Tell the kids to catch a dog! Our dogs have this sixth sense
that tells them that something is up (either they are going to the
vet, or they are going into the bath tub). It often takes two of us
to catch our retriever and dump him into the water (I can't believe
we have a retriever that hates water – duh!). Remember to close the
bathroom door so your dog can't escape (been there, done that!)
- Wet the dog down, lather him up, and rinse him off as quickly
as possible. If you are not sure you got all the shampoo out, rinse
him off again. When you are done, lift your dog out of the tub and
put him onto the floor. Dump a towel over his back because he is
going to shake hard to get rid of the water. Use the towel to try and
catch as many of the drips as you can.
- Then, when you have dried your dog off as best you can, open
the bathroom door and let him rip! I love watching a wet dog. They
have the most amazing amount of energy. You can just see the relief
(Whew! It's done!) Mine are always ready to play.
- If you have a second dog, repeat the process (I usually use
fresh water because it usually looks really disgusting!).
- This is the most important part! When you are done, clean out
the bathtub. Wipe down the bathroom walls and cabinets and wipe the
extra water off the floor. Yes, I know your dogs are bugging you for
a treat now, but first, the bathroom has to be returned to "people-
use." Dried dog hair is almost like concrete when it collects in the
bottom of the tub! Gather up all the wet towels and quickly run a
load in the washing machine. Done!
- Does your pet need any other grooming? Once our dogs are
nearly dry, I brush them again. My husband clips their nails (I am
too squeamish to do this), and I try to brush their teeth
(disgusting!).
- Remember to put their collar and ID tags back on again.
Last, but not least
-
Check their vet records. When is the last time your pets have
had their immunizations? (Mine go in July) If you don't know, call up
your vet and find out. If you are traveling and know you will be
putting your pets into a kennel, call up the kennel and find out what
protection your dogs need. Some of this medicine has to be given more
than two weeks in advance (we found this out the hard way – the day
before we wanted to leave – sheesk!).
- Now, check your pet's ID. Has their license expired? Do they
have ID? We have added our pet's name and our phone number onto our
pet's tags. Our hope is that if someone ever finds one of our dogs,
they will call our home number before they call the SPCA. It costs a
lot of money to get a dog or cat out of the pound.
- Gather the clean, dry bedding from the dryer and finish
making up your pet's beds.
That's it. Enjoy some time with your clean pet. Take them out for a
long walk this weekend and give both of you a special treat.
Take care of you and your pets,
Cindy
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