Hair of the dog

Dog hair!

You’d think that by now I’d be used to it, but you’d be wrong.

Sure, the quantity no longer takes me quite as much by surprise. The first time Bingley shed his winter coat I was so shocked by the amount of hair he was losing that I called his vet to check that it was normal. She just laughed at me.

Quietly though, I am still amazed at the volume of fur that can come off a short haired dog like a Labrador. But I now know that it’s just part of the normal annual cycle and, awe inspiring volumes aside, that it’s quite OK.

By this stage Jane and I are used to picking dog hairs out of our dinner as we eat. Before making a drink we now automatically check the mugs for those pesky follicles. I’m even used to having to vacuum the house every day. OK, I admit I still have to think about that last one.

All this is normal, as every dog owner will tell you. But what nobody seems to mention is how painful dog hairs can be!

Bingley’s fur is short and thick, and the follicle is needle sharp. When I found the first one sticking into the sole of my foot I didn’t really know what it was. A hair growing on my foot? I just put it down to another bizarre example of the ageing process. But when it happened a second time I began to suspect a Bingley connection, and examining things more closely I discovered that the discomfort was caused by a long splinter-like dog hair inserted into the sole of my foot. It didn’t require a DNA test to confirm things: there was no doubt that it was one of Bingley’s follicles. Trust Bing to have hair as sharp as needles!

Since then both Jane and I have found ourselves hopping around whilst we try to remember where we’ve put the tweezers.

Dog hair: Bingley’s secret weapon. No doubt the M.O.D. dogs know about this and are trained to use it to lethal advantage. But Bing isn’t going to get the chance: we’ve invested in a FURminator to take care of all that lose hair.

Bingley’s coat is now shinier than ever, I’m no longer filling a vac bag every two days, and hobbling to the bathroom cupboard is hopefully a thing of the past. But this is Bingley we’re talking about, so I have to wonder how long we’ll have wait until we’re greeted by the next unexpected discovery!