Not on the dog!

Kris and I took Bella and Annie for a walk tonight. When we're short for time, or just lazy, we'll take them up to the school and let them run around the big field. They get to run around, we get to walk and talk: a big win all around.

Well, on this walk, Bella stopped at one point, and started chowing down on some cat poop. I have no idea why this dog likes eating cat poop [1] (a google search answered that question quickly), but it annoys me to no end. I can't stand the shit-breath she has when she's done.

So, on the leash Bella goes, and we start walking home.

90% of the way home, Bella stops. Figuring she's just peeing, I keep walking. When the leash goes taut, and she resists, I realize something's up. When I look, she's eating more cat poop. I made the mistake of thinking it would be solid, and that I could just knock it out of her mouth: I stuck my gloved fingers into her mouth and tried to flick the poop out.

Big mistake.

My fingers come out covered in cat poop. And I'm angry now. I'm angry that this stupid dog ate cat shit not once, but twice. I'm angry that I now have cat poop on my gloves (ones my mom gave me a long while ago!). I'm angry that her breath smells of cat shit and she's giving me a shit-eating grin while still chewing. So, I did what any angry, shit-gloved, beagle-dragging woman would do.

I wiped my gloves on the dog.

Just as I was reaching down, somewhere in the fog of my anger, I heard Kris call out, "Not on the dog! Ewwwww!"

I really must listen to him more. I ended up dragging Bella home (mostly literal, she heeled very well for those last 150 yards), plunking her in the shower and giving her a bath. Did I mention she hates baths? She smells nice now. She also got a greenie. Stinky breath dog.

Footnote:

http://www.animalbehaviorassociates.com/ pdf/RMN_dogs_eat_poop.pdf

A behavior that is very common in dogs but not well understood is the eating of feces. Technically this is known as coprophagia. When given the chance, many dogs will eat the feces of other animals such as horses, deer and house cats. Raiding the litterbox is a common activity for dogs in households with cats. The behavior may be derived from the carnivorous (meat-eating) heritage of our pets. Carnivores frequently eat the internal organs and stomach contents (including poop) of the animals that they kill. As a result, eating the feces of other animals may be a normal extension of their carnivore behavior. There may be proteins and other nutrients in the feces that are eaten.