Hair of the Dog: 5 Ways to Stop Shedding
We’ve had in our home a long-running cold war, a never-ending battle with pet hair. At first it was my cat, a long-haired black beauty who seemed every day to shed almost twice as much fur as she had on her body. Then I got a dog, a white husky mix who my friends refer to as “the dog who’s been around the world” because his hair ends up everywhere that I’ve ever been.
While some may see being covered in pet hair as a sign of devotion to one’s pets, to most people it appears to be a mark of poor breeding on the part of the owner. To this end, I have found ways to make your own battle of the fur a little easier.
1. Brush your pet daily. Besides giving you a mini bonding session with your pet, it’ll keep your four-legged friend’s coat healthy and tangle-free.
2. Vacuum every day. A little spin with the vacuum every day will keep the dust bunnies from breeding and multiplying.
3. Hang up all clothes right away—especially coats. While a shedding pet reinforces this important lesson from Mr. Rogers, it’s less likely that pet hair will make its way into a closet than on the floor and atop our wardrobe of wintery wools.
4. Don’t walk around barefoot. Your bare paws will pick up and distribute pet hair with remarkable speed. Invest in a nice pair of slippers.
5.Keep sticky-taped lint rollers everywhere you and your pet spend a lot of time. Also keep one in your desk drawer at work, one in your car, and one in your purse. Also, you can use a rubber glove, like the ones you use for dishes, to collect larger patches of loose fur, but keep in mind that this is more effective with cat fur than dog hair.
