Rollin’ in it: dog perfume

Eww or Eau? It’s all in the nose of the beholder…er…besniffer?

If you live with dogs, you’ve probably learned to recognize that moment when a scent catches their attention.

She’ll stop in her tracks and lift her snout into the air, nostrils flaring as she inhales deep drafts of Something Really Stinky.

Nose to the ground, he’ll begin sniffing around, working his way toward the source of the stench with the fervor of early explorers searching for the headwaters of the Nile.

No matter how much you redirect, call or offer treats, the siren smell of dead mouse, goose poo or dried worm calls to dogs in voices only they can hear–and they have to answer it.

Once the origin of the stink has been identified, the dog must own the scent. He must become one with it. She must Roll. In. It.

Lilah the dog from Life with Dogs and Cats rolls in something smelly.

Lilah gives this smell four paws up.

Lilah rolls in something smelly

If you look carefully, you can see a patch of brown grass by Lilah’s nose. I believe there’s a dead worm stuck in it. She can’t get enough…

Lilah rolling in the grass.

Lilah, lovin’ the roll.

Better than a perfume ad

If you have more than one dog, once one pup proudly wears Essence of Yuck, the others must do so as well. So it is with one, as it will be with all.

I learned this the year I brought my dog Pasha with me to visit friends who live in northern New Jersey, a beautiful near-mountainous region through which the Appalachian Trail winds–and where wildlife abounds.

My friends had a slew of Jack Russell terriers–one of whom found a huge pile of bear poop in the yard, immersed herself in it and came proudly trotting into the house–exuding Eau De Bear Peau strong enough to make the humans in the house gag.

It was easy enough to clean off the portable, short-haired terrier: a quick wash in the kitchen sink with dog shampoo liberally applied.

We humans were busy opening doors and windows to dissipate the smell, not realizing my Keeshond mix Pasha had gone in search of the enticing scent. My double-coated, long haired, much-bigger-than-a-Jack-Russell Keeshond mix.

Pasha pranced into the kitchen, smiling and wearing a thick greenish goo smooshed into his thick fur. (Apparently, both dogs did not believe in the concept of applying sparingly.)

We had to hose him off in the yard.

By this point, one of my friends set off in search of the Source. A clean but still-wet Pasha ran back to reapply, thus inadvertently helping us find the pile. Before we could stop him, Pasha had once again smeared the gunk back into his fur. And simultaneously debunked the truthfulness of where bears actually…go. (Hint: it’s not always in the woods; sometimes it’s in the back yard next to the swing set.)

Another hosing off. The bear poo was buried. And Pasha was only allowed out on a leash for the remainder of the visit.

Pasha, a Keeshond mix

Pasha had double-thick Keeshond fur. Here he is after he was groomed.

Share the smellth

Now I have three dogs. And I know, if one rolls in it, they all do. And depending on how much of the stinky stuff was ground into whose fur, I sometimes have to enlist the entire family in an assembly-line dog wash afterwards.

Lilah shows Jasper where the best place to roll is.

Lilah introduces Jasper to the best smell…

Jasper and Lilah enjoying a great roll in the grass.

…and now they’re both enjoying a good roll.

But, oh, the joy the pups feel when rollin’ in it…sometimes I just let it happen.

They could use a bath anyway.

On Wednesday, Tucker will offer a step-by-step guide to proper application of stink. Stay tuned.

Do your pets ever roll in something smelly? Or dirty? Or sticky? Something that requires a bath?

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Today, we’re participating in the Mischief Monday blog hop. Stop by and visit some of the great blogs below.

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26 Comments on "Rollin’ in it: dog perfume"

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  1. Sue says:

    LOL Rudy and Rosie love, love, love Essence of Yuck doggie perfume. Great photos!

  2. to roll in stinky goodness is the only bad thing what Easy never does… and I’m thankful for that :o)

  3. Cathy Armato says:

    Oh boy can I relate to this post! While traveling cross country my dogs located the most evil smelling stenchpatch on the planet. We bathed them in the hotel tub but it didn’t get it all out. With car windows open, we finally located a PetSmart off the highway and begged for help. Thankfully they were able to get the stench off! Needless to say, I tipped them generously.

  4. Emma says:

    Yep, nothing better than a good roll in stinky stuff!

  5. This is Kilos favourite dog park activity.

  6. sandy says:

    Your dogs are so happy rolling in it that they make me smile. I would not have wanted to be you cleaning off Pasha, but it sounded like an episode of Laurel and Hardy. Looking forward to Tucker’s blog entry!

  7. Mr. N can’t resist horse poop. At least he fits in the sink!

  8. aaaiiiieieeee! Three times the rolling!!
    LeeAnna at not afraid of color
    (but afraid of poop rolling)

  9. The head peep laughed so hard about bears not always going in the woods but in a back yard next to the swing set that her water went everywhere. You may have won the internet tonight.

  10. Yuck! You wouldn’t catch me rolling in stinky stuff! I’m OCD clean and tidy! 🙂

    Cosmo, however, likes to roll in the grass, but I don’t think it’s smell related, he just does it on the way home every day, I just look at him! 🙂

    I hope you’re having a fun day,

    Your pal Snoopy 🙂

  11. Harley rolls even if there isn’t a scent. Crazy Doodle!

  12. Kitties Blue says:

    When we had our dogs we used to take them to our neighbor’s farm in the country. Poppy, a small terrier mix, loved to roll in the cow pies. Even after hosing her down, it was still less than delightful riding the hour home with her in the car, even with all the windows down!

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