What did your dog roll in today?

[Wowbagger]

Whatever it was, it involved rolling in a sloppy puddle containing, amongst other things, chicken shit.

He was absolutely plastered in the stuff. Worst of all it was right at the end of the walk and we had to get him clean before putting him back in the car.

We decided to take a detour to a brook with a few pools in and persuaded him to get into water much deeper than he normally would have. It didn't completely submerge his back but it got most of it off his flanks. While we were on the way to the brook we met a German pointer which had been rolling in horse shit. In the World Cup of Really Nasty Pongs, it was Ireland 10 Germany 0.

When we got home he was tethered in the garden whilst I emptied watering cans full of luke warm water over him, shampooing him at the end.

He is now a very contrite and clingy dog.

[pcolbeck]

My friends have a bearded collie. Lovely dog but very hairy and loves to role in smelly things. They are having extension work done and as part of it are having hot and cold outside taps fitted so they can hoze the beast off more effectively.

[Wowbagger]

My friends have a bearded collie. Lovely dog but very hairy and loves to role in smelly things. They are having extension work done and as part of it are having hot and cold outside taps fitted so they can hoze the beast off more effectively.

Are these the same friends with the helpful neighbour? Maybe the dog could be trained... 

[Feline]

My dogs rolled in some grey coloured stinky fluffy stuff that is all round the edges of Cheddar reservoir at the moment. Then when we got home Squidge (still soaking wet) decided to bury her ball in the garden so the mud stuck to her as well. Then she decided she needed to groom herself so curled up on my cream leather sofa to do this 

[Kim]

This thread is conclusive proof that cats are better than dogs.  The worst they do is very occasionally come home covered in oil from a leaky sump, or try to help you paint radiators with their tail.

[Feline]

This thread is conclusive proof that cats are better than dogs.  The worst they do is very occasionally come home covered in oil from a leaky sump, or try to help you paint radiators with their tail.

You're forgetting the cat vomit on the carpets/in your bed and the feathers everywhere and blood splattered on the walls when they bring their prey home for you!

[Kim]

The carpet doesn't shake itself off after you've finsihed cleaning it, though.

You're right about the feathers.  No, wait - at least they went out and killed something.  The dog just found a puddle of shit and decided to roll in it.

[Feline]

My dogs are presently and ironically grooming my cat. She seems to enjoy having her ears thoroughly licked, and yet it is the dogs who are in need or grooming, Kiri is always perfectly clean!

[redshift]

This thread is conclusive proof that cats are better than dogs.  The worst they do is very occasionally come home covered in oil from a leaky sump...

If you're very lucky, when they do this, they've also licked the greasy gunge in an attempt to clean themselves.  This results in a roller-coaster vomiting-and-staggering-crosseyed-junkie-trip-to-the-vets and a day under obs with an i.v. in whilst we all try and work out what the bloody hell it is that's caused it.*



*Ask me how I know this.  I dare you... 

[Feline]

This thread is conclusive proof that cats are better than dogs.  The worst they do is very occasionally come home covered in oil from a leaky sump...

If you're very lucky, when they do this, they've also licked the greasy gunge in an attempt to clean themselves.  This results in a roller-coaster vomiting-and-staggering-crosseyed-junkie-trip-to-the-vets and a day under obs with an i.v. in whilst we all try and work out what the bloody hell it is that's caused it.*



*Ask me how I know this.  I dare you... 

This is the reason why vets keep a little stash of Swarfega and/or Fairy liquid in some little cupboard somewhere. They are the only 2 products that will successfully get oil off a cat!

[Jaded]

Or clippers.

[redshift]

Trouble is, clippers don't work when they've already swallowed it...   

[pcolbeck]

My friends have a bearded collie. Lovely dog but very hairy and loves to role in smelly things. They are having extension work done and as part of it are having hot and cold outside taps fitted so they can hoze the beast off more effectively.

Are these the same friends with the helpful neighbour? Maybe the dog could be trained... 

As it happens they are

[hellymedic]

A long, long time ago, in the days before tumble driers, Mum used to hang sheets, newly laundered in Persil, on the washing line to dry.
A neighbour's dog, by the name of Bella, rather liked these clean fresh sheets. She would snap at them, pull them off the line and roll in them.
This became a habit for Bella, which displeased my mother.

[Feline]

Today my dogs rolled in exactly the same crap they did yesterday!
Unfortunately my Cheddar reservoir run (which is right on my doorstep) is the easiest off-road with-dog cycling I can do, and of course they want to jump in it every time.

[JT]

This thread is conclusive proof that cats are better than dogs.  The worst they do is very occasionally come home covered in oil from a leaky sump, or try to help you paint radiators with their tail.

Or leave horrific rabbit skeletons lying around (full head and back feet on a spine stripped of everything else), or the ultimate gift, a live rat in your bed while you're asleep.

[TimO]

You're forgetting the cat vomit on the carpets/in your bed and the feathers everywhere and blood splattered on the walls when they bring their prey home for you!

I'll say this for Talisker, whilst he clearly does hunt, he refuses to share, so only bring stuff home when he doesn't think I'm in.  He's been caught with the odd small bird, or squirrel in the past, and once brought in a pigeon which had obviously been playing dead, and which promptly escaped from his grasp, but generally he doesn't leave dead stuff in the house.

My brothers Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, like any dog loves to get muddy, but luckily will stand fairly patiently in the bath whilst you shower and wash him down.  It's a lot easier than a cat.

The one time I had to wash Talisker, to remove the aforementioned black oily gungy whatever, I ended up with several large scratches.  That's the one and only time that he's actually attacked me, generally he's extremely mild mannered about humans, he's the most relaxed and chilled out cat I've ever met.

[a lower gear]

Waling on an upland path in open pasture in the Lake District in the summer, saw a man with two very well behaved dogs - walking to heel and not running around making a nuisance of themselves despite numerous sheep with lambs. As we got closer, I intended to complement him on this. Suddenly one of the dogs spotted a dead, rotting sheep (row of ribs and spine with fragments of festering fleece adhering) and went hareing off, oblivious to shouts from its owner. Cursing, the owner watched the dog roll copiously in the wreckage of the sheep carcass, lying on its back to rub the sheep in better, legs bicycling furiously in the air . We could smell it from 100yds away - ghastly! Then the second dog joined in the fun. As we walked on, we could see the dogs' owner forcibly and repeatedly dunking them in the stream. Bet he had to use soap on them too when he got home and even then I suspect the aroma lingered for many days. But the dogs were visibly pleased with themselves.
 

[TimO]

Woolly and Kim reminded me of this thread, and I wondered if anyone had done any actual research into the why, beyond "they do it to disguise their scent to prey animals".

This was the best I managed to find (albeit with a somewhat cursory search), which has slightly more suggestions and consideration than most websites on the subject.

     Why Do Dogs Roll in Disgusting Stuff? - The Other End Of The Leash

[hujev]

I immediately thought of this far side cartoon:
http://danceonthelawn.tumblr.com/post/16174266833/oh-ginger-you-look-absolutely-stunning-and
If it goes away, search "Oh Ginger - You look absolutely stunning, and whatever you rolled in sure does stink")

[jamesld8]

Interestingly our ageing Spaniel has very fortunately stopped rolling in anything for at least two years; she completely ignores badger poo (once a favourite) so makes walks so much pleasanter  Why she`s stopped ??

But in days gone by favourites (which involved a subsequent hoseing down) have been badger, fox poo, dead putrid badger and a dead fish at seaside. All glorious stuff