Vacuuming Efficiency

Our big yellow lab sheds like it's his personal mission in life. Not just the big coarse hairs, but the fine little ones, too -- the kind that stick to my hands and clothes and everything when I pet him, and the ones not currently clinging instead float through the air in search of their next target. It has been driving me nuts.

He needed it anyway, so I brushed him thoroughly and gave him a bath before we left on Thursday. By the time I got him out of the shower, he'd lost so much extra fur that it looked like a very soggy guinea pig was stuck in the drain. Brushed him again as he dried, then during a stretch break in Nowhere, Idaho, and one more time when arrived at our destination. His fur was curlier now and smelled good... and kept fleeing his body like crazy.

In times past, my husband has remarked when vacuuming that it would be a lot more efficient to just skip the carpet and vacuum the dog. And so -- I did. There wasn't a dog-vacuuming attachment (go figure) so we made do with what we had available.

It worked surprisingly well, especially for getting those pesky little static-furs contained. And it didn't bother the dog too much since he got snacks in the process. I'm thinking this may become a regular part of our dog-grooming routine.