On Poop and Laughing Hysterically

Well, shoot. I don't know why puppies do what they do even after they are a year old, or why, but Rocko has had his fair share of eating items that aren't normally ingested by regular folk. Sure, if he were to eat a pig trotter or perhaps a pig snout, I'd suggest that he wasn't regular folk, but he has gone way beyond what a cannibal would consider normal fare. Yesterday, I passed the laundry room, and there he was, chomping on a big poop a la The Bunny.

This poop wasn't as big as usual (the surgery), but it was large enough for a couple bites. That guy, he saw me coming and clamped down his jaws so tight he split the poop in thirds and in his wily and doxie/terrier ways, managed to double back and pick up the two chunks that plunked down on the floor before he ran into Girlfriend's room to finish. Many hours later, even though I thought I had managed to partition the laundry room off (this is where The Bunny's stuff is), he came up to me to give me a lick and I smelled a nice lavender scent. After a few minutes, I realized that smell was the smell of The Bunny's new "New and Improved Lavender Scented Clumping Litter" and that was all she wrote. This dude has bad taste. Who'd eat poop? I suppose there are all types that will eat poop. Chuck hankers after a nice coyote poop whenever we take him on the trails. I even knew a gal whose two terriers ate their own and she'd sprinkle stuff on it to make it taste bad (?), to no avail, although I will say her dogs were a couple of dopes.

Which reminds me, one time, my mom and I headed off to Happy Hour at the local chain Mexican restaurant bar. By the time we had taken off, we had already started laughing. She turned to me while she was starting the car and yukking it up about something, but over and over she tried to poke her keys into the car keyhole. She couldn't stick it in, no matter how much she tried, and then, when I spotted a huge magnifying glass on the dashboard and picked it up to remind her how bad her eyesight had become, we started laughing so hard that we couldn't stop. We finally got to the bar and sat down to order a couple of those blended margaritas with barely a sniff of Tequila in them. But, while we were waiting for drinks, the subject turned to poop. I remarked that my siblings sure had a knack for plugging the toilet.

And then she said, "Hah! You think they are bad; I should introduce you to my good friend, Jan. She knows someone whose poop is so thick she has to carry a stick in her purse."

We got kicked out of the bar before our first drink.

Comments

[Jenn]

It looks like he's wiping his mouth afterwards, at least. :)

I've heard that sometimes dogs will eat their poop because something is lacking in their diet. Not sure if that's true or if it's something those mega-expensive dog food companies tell ya in order to sell more product.

[lynda]

Yeah, we have to keep Layla out of the laundry room for the same reason.... seriously, what's with that?

[sophanne]

Oh yes, oh yes. Cat food in laundry room. If there is no cat food available and anything in the litterbox, it's Liza's to have and to hold. We also had one instance of the toilet paper business but never both together. She did hop out of bed one rainy night, go to the bathtub, take a leak and hop back into bed. I guess she thought she'd give that a try, knowing what would happen if she went on the carpet!

[rudee]

Bwahahahaha: " I even knew a gal whose two terriers ate their own and she'd sprinkle stuff on it to make it taste bad (?), to no avail, although I will say her dogs were a couple of dopes."

What did she sprinkle on it to possibly make it any worse than it already was?

[Marion]

Cats and I suspect bunnies, dont digest there food like you and I. My vet once told me its like a treat to the dog. ewwwwwwwwwww anyhow the vet explained that cats (there food is pure protien) do not digest there food so to the dog it taste like mosiened cat food. Although I dont find cat food smelling too good to me! Maybe this info will bring some insight! Huggs Marion (dont let that dog lick your face. LMAO

[Jessica]

We refer to the cat box as the "snack bar" at our house! As least during the warm months (the few that we have) our cat prefers to go outside... much to our dog's dismay.

[Renna]

We've never had a dog that WOULDN'T eat cat poop. For that reason, we've never kept a litter box. Our cats have always been indoor/outdoor cats. When they need to 'go', they go to the door and let us know, same as the dogs.

[Cheri]

I had to keep my cat's box fenced off or I had the same problem, had to keep the food fenced off too or my dogs would have weighed a thousand pounds.

We don't have a cat anymore, but the dogs still find gross things to eat. The puppy loves to munch on bugs. Odd creatures dogs are. (Rocko does a fine job with that t.p.)

[Amy]

Eating doggie poop is usually triggered by something lacking in the diet - frequently as they age, they can't digest their food like they used to be able to. It can also be a behavior that got started because of an over reaction to them sniffing it or tasting it the first time. They then think it's something SUPER valuable and better scarf it up before they loose the opportunity.

The cat poop...well, that's an ENTIRELY different issue. Those are considered gourmet crunchies and I have yet to meet a dog that didn't take advantage of the opportunity to partake! I just require not kisses from them for the at least 12 hours thank you very much! At least you won't have to scoop as much!

Good luck! Amy

[denise f in c'ville, va]

i rigged a cabinet so the door opens just enough for the kitty -- but not enough for the dog! i just used a hook and eye thingy and it's open enough -- and my cat is indoor/outdoor -- but sometimes prefers to be inside.

that pup is so cute -- who could stay mad?

[eve]

My dog likes to roll in it. She'll open the lid of the litter box, carefully take out a piece, and smush it all over herself. Then she has this crazy idea that I would love to do the same, and excitedly runs over to me to rub herself all over me. Then we both get into the shower immediately. sheesh.

[Cathy]

What I learned when I worked at an animal shelter is that cats don't digest their food as completely as dogs, so there is still a good amount of protein in their poop. This is why dogs will eat it. Just like most dogs will think cat food is a treat. But at least his breath was lavendar fresh!

[beverly]

In the winter, my border collie mutt likes to eat horse poop-sicles that she finds along our hiking trail. She claims they are unbeatable as a tasty treat.

[Courtney]

I love the pictures:-) :-) Very cute

[Kari]

My 4 year old Shiba Inu *still* eats her poop sometimes, and it was a big problem when we were house-breaking her (as a puppy.) Seems as if she never got it in her head that our dining room is part of the living space, not the bathroom. Whenever she sneaks off to poop in there, she'll then proceed to snack on it, til I catch her, and swat her nose a little. Oy, dogs who like poop (whatever flavor!) I will never understand!!!

[yoel]

One of our dogs when I was growing up would follow the cat, wait while she pooped, and fight with her as she tried to cover up the poop. And being like 5 times her size, he'd always be victorious and run away in triumph, cat turd in mouth, with the cat chasing after him screaming. Too grody! I never figured out why the cat didn't just give up the fight, and poop directly into the dog dish.

[JulieM]

Oh, my! I started laughing as soon as the photo appeared. I am so relieved that other people have the same issues we do with our pets!

[Gina]

Ha! Too funny, I just had a similar experience with our dog and cat. I fell for the lavender scented clumping litter, which does smell quite nice up until the cat knocks one out in it. Well, our Weimareiner went nuts over the stuff and ate a whole bunch and we didnt realize it until he got sick all over our rug. It was easily the worst smell imaginable...vomit, cat poo and lavender. It was so wrong!!!

[sue Treiber]

It seems as if everyone has something to say about poop.
I think it's just a dog thing. Mine has been known to do it, but hasn't recently. Who knows why they chose to do gross things!

[ThatLoganChick]

I haven't laughed so hard in AGES! Your post was hilarious in itself, but the comments? Priceless! Thank you all for the tears and the belly-ache.

Our mutt (Fae) has had just over 8 months cat-poop-breath free. We finally installed a baby gate that prevents her from getting into the litter box, although it does force the cats to either jump onto the drier and then down to the litter box, or to wriggle on their bellies under the gate (that's what the too-fat-to-jump one does, anyway).

Stick in purse. Oy!

[soxanne]

Eeeewwwww!

Thanks for sharing?!?

[mary j]

OK you guys-- I'm a nurse, have done a lot of down-and-dirty personal care in my work-- lotsa butt-wiping, in other words. I don't have a problem with it either smell-or-pride-wise (and I have a great sense of smell), but I just cannot handle the dog and cat poop escapades! That's where the olfactory overload comes into play for me, so THANK GOD my dog and cat are both outdoor poopers. I know my dog snacks on horseshit when we hike, and I can understand why, you can see it's barely digested alfalfa and grass (hi protein). These are all major reasons I will NEVER understand why people allow dogs to kiss and lick them anywhere their mouths! You gotta know it's just not worth the lovin', people.

As for the shit stick-- all I can contribute to that discussion is, it's better than clogging up toilets everywhere you go!

[Dorothy]

My dog has a thing for cat cookies and toilet paper too. Nasty little bugger! I keep those teeth cleaner things on hand at all times. One of these times I'm hoping that he'll associate getting his teeth brushed with eating poop and quit. No luck so far. It's been five years.

[Pam]

You made me laugh on a day I didn't think it possible. Five gold stars to you. My Welsh Terrier was a poop eater. He liked frozen poop (oh, those Canadian winters). The story about your mother is priceless. I miss my own mother like crazy and in my grief this story reminded me of all the good laughs we'd shared. Thanks so much for this post, Wendy. Thank you.

[Sally]

It seems like you should be glad. It probably means you have to clean up the litter box less.