Gransnet forums

Pets

Smell of dog - should I say something?

(136 Posts)
namo Fri 04-Aug-23 08:28:15

I’m staying with my son and daughter in law. I’ve got a good relationship with them. I like to sit in their living room but it smells of their dog, and there’s nowhere else to sit. Should I say something? What would your advice be? It would be useful to know the dog owner’s perspective.

Gillycats Sat 05-Aug-23 19:42:07

I think I’d take it on the chin if I was told my house smells of my dog. But if it was a complaint I’d never ask that person back again. I go to houses that stink of fags, those awful plug in air fresheners and musty smells but I’d never say a word to anyone. If it was unbearable I would avoid going there again.

lemsip Sat 05-Aug-23 18:57:47

oh, say something, in an okay way of course

Nightsky2 Sat 05-Aug-23 17:33:21

eddiecat78

When looking for carers for MIL there were several on the agency's books who would not work in homes which had a dog

That was more than likely because they didn’t like dogs and nothing to do with a smells. People who have never owned a dog can be frightened if them.

Nightsky2 Sat 05-Aug-23 17:27:29

SachaMac

Just sniffing my Border Terrier to see if I can detect any hint of mushroom on him Foxie48 smile

I used to sniff my old Border Terrier occasionally but not once did I catch a whiff of anything unpleasant.

welbeck Sat 05-Aug-23 16:40:06

my point was that doggy people needing care may find that they always have a different person for each visit.
so it's something to consider.
it's not so much smells, and they do go to all types of houses, but some will refuse to go (back) to a house with a dog.

Maya1 Sat 05-Aug-23 15:41:07

Not sure if my house smelt due our long haired border collie or not. I couldnt smell anything and always asked friends. He was too infirm to get on the sofa but loved the rug. I admit his hair got everywhere.
He died in March, the house is spotless and l absolutely hate it.
I wish it was full of dog hair and smelly just to have him back.
On the point about carers and dogs, unfortunately it is correct at least in our area.
I needed a 24 hour live carer to enable my husband to come home for palliative care. One of the first questions was about pets, specifically dogs. They were almost pleased to hear Finn had passed away as their carers were afraid of dogs.

Grandma70s Sat 05-Aug-23 15:14:40

In my experience, cats only smell if they are un-neutered males. A neutered male or a female cat has no noticeable smell.

Iam64 Sat 05-Aug-23 15:01:05

As the current owner of 2 dogs, previously I’ve often had 3, it seems I have to accept people who’ve never shared their lives with dogs knows more than I do. As well as not noticing the smell, I missed my male dogs peeing up the curtains.
My current lab had one accidental pee at 10 weeks, otherwise totally house trained by 12 weeks, or so I thought

My house doesn’t smell of dogs, cigarette smoke or any other unpleasant scent. I worked across client groups as a young social worker. Occasionally, I’d ask for a ferocious dog to to shut in another room, or the garden but carers, social workers etc couldn’t do their work if they couldn’t cope with smelly houses - and I’m not just pointing at dogs

Foxygloves Sat 05-Aug-23 11:12:50

Weather /dog smell app for my phone! grin

Foxygloves Sat 05-Aug-23 11:03:47

I thought OP said it was the carpet /soft furnishings?

Calendargirl Sat 05-Aug-23 07:07:45

multicolourswapshop

Why don’t you say tactfully is your dog okay he’s seems to have a bit of a funny odour coming from him/her my friends dog had toothache which caused him to have a similar odour
Iit might waken your family up
give it a go, see what their reaction will , be test hee waters so to speak

In other words, “your dog smells”.

multicolourswapshop Sat 05-Aug-23 07:02:23

Why don’t you say tactfully is your dog okay he’s seems to have a bit of a funny odour coming from him/her my friends dog had toothache which caused him to have a similar odour
Iit might waken your family up
give it a go, see what their reaction will , be test hee waters so to speak

eddiecat78 Sat 05-Aug-23 05:55:57

When looking for carers for MIL there were several on the agency's books who would not work in homes which had a dog

Galaxy Fri 04-Aug-23 23:22:28

I am in a team currently of those who provide care, in a different way to home care, but in a team of 20, 15 of us have dogs.

welbeck Fri 04-Aug-23 23:17:49

maybe someone could start a specialist agency: dogs? no probs !
but recruitment would be difficult round here.

welbeck Fri 04-Aug-23 23:15:58

all i am saying is it's best to be prepared.
i never came across one care-worker who had a pet dog themselves, maybe one bulgarian, back home in plenty of land, but not really as a pet, more as a guard dog outside.
so the pool of already few available staff will be even smaller, to find someone who can work in those conditions.
they would not work with the animal in the same room of course.

Galaxy Fri 04-Aug-23 23:00:34

If people arent receiving care because of this its dreadful care.

welbeck Fri 04-Aug-23 22:39:58

Galaxy

Well yes carers should be properly paid, we should not be excusing poor quality care.

agree, of course.
but i don't think what i was describing is poor quality care.
the workers choose the hours and locations they can do.
if they decline any particular jobs, they just say they can't do it.
there is always more work than people to do it.

Primrose53 Fri 04-Aug-23 22:26:07

We had a border terrier cross and he never smelled at all.
We had a yorkie/jack russell cross and she never smelled apart from once when she had an awful ear infection.
We had a rescue yorkie and he didn’t smell but he had bad teeth when he arrived and they did smell until we got some removed and sorted.
We had a Dalmatian cross and he only used to smell when he had been in the sea, which he often did.

SachaMac Fri 04-Aug-23 22:00:13

Just sniffing my Border Terrier to see if I can detect any hint of mushroom on him Foxie48 smile

Galaxy Fri 04-Aug-23 21:00:55

Well yes carers should be properly paid, we should not be excusing poor quality care.

welbeck Fri 04-Aug-23 20:49:03

it's not a case of being sacked; they are contract workers on minimum wage, doing long hours of tramping about in all weathers, waiting for buses, not getting paid for travelling between calls.
there is an extreme shortage of care-workers, which as we know has a knock-on effect on delayed discharge from hosp.

Granmarderby10 Fri 04-Aug-23 20:40:13

Wow! Just WOW! Blondiescot where on earth are these ultra sensitive souls emanating from.
I don’t believe anyone would become a carer if they are repelled by cigarette smoke or dog odour.
In a way I think the fact that there is no smoking anywhere now has highlighted all the objectionable smells that were there all along, such as armpits, dogs fur (cats always smelled) cheap perfumes, food smells.
I would hazard a guess that the younger the person the more they are likely to have been brought up with wall to wall air fresheners and fabric softeners and to think that this is how it should be. It is a neurosis and quite worrying .
Perhaps someone soon will invent an anti- pong face mask🙃

Blondiescot Fri 04-Aug-23 19:17:48

welbeck

they can refuse and frequently do.
the vast majority of care-workers around here are of african or asian origin.
a few are central or eastern european.
most of them cannot understand keeping dogs inside the house.
it is something to consider if one is dependant on care.

I've never heard of that around here. I know someone who was told she'd be sacked if she refused to go to the house of someone who smoked.

welbeck Fri 04-Aug-23 19:09:57

they can refuse and frequently do.
the vast majority of care-workers around here are of african or asian origin.
a few are central or eastern european.
most of them cannot understand keeping dogs inside the house.
it is something to consider if one is dependant on care.