A few years ago, I decided to adopt my first pet as an independent grown-up since my parents had gained custody of the family pets upon my departure for college. The dog I ended up adopting turned out to have a hyperactive shedding problem, and I soon found myself sleeping, eating and relaxing amidst dog hair. This quickly morphed from an annoyance into an issue of hygiene. I proceeded to try numerous tricks–brushes, sprays and techniques to battle the enemy, but nothing seemed to work. I spritzed, trimmed, brushed her 36 times every other Tuesday while facing east, but I was still finding bits of hair in every nook and cranny of my apartment. Eventually, my pocketbook and energy diminished drastically and I admitted defeat. I countered the problem with a vacuum and a pair of rubber gloves I used on the furniture. They worked pretty well, but rubbing down every piece of furniture and collecting the hair was pretty time-consuming. Then, my life changed. An apparatus by the name of FURminator stepped into my life, and at that moment, my fur follies came to an end.
The philosophy behind the FURminator is completely different from previous methods of hair removal. The loose hair on top of the coat is the least of our problems when it comes to dealing with tenacious dog hair. The undercoat is where the bulk of the dead, loose hair dwells until it falls off the dog and lands on the kitchen floor. Ick! The FURminator deShedder is able to reach deep into the undercoat and grab masses of superfluous hair and remove it. The tool does not cut the hair, as that merely provides a Band-Aid effect. The trick is to completely remove the hair as quickly and easily as possible, which is accomplished with this tool.
When my mom first told me about the FURminator, I brushed it off, assuming my dog wouldn’t let me within a foot of her while holding that evil, metal-toothed monster. I eventually decided, however, to give it a try and take PetSmart up on their return policy if my suspicions were proven correct. On the first attempt, my dog struggled a bit as I got her into position for her first FURminating. By the time I was on stroke number three, however, she was sprawled on her side, nuzzling my hand with each motion. It was a pretty ridiculous sight, and I suddenly realized who was actually under whose paw. Oh, the things we do for our pets!
Two warnings: Use the FURminator outside, as indoor use pretty much defeats the purpose, wouldn’t you say? Secondly, be gentle! The teeth are metal and can hurt if you press down too hard. Plus, it’s made to grab the hair without much pressure, so please do not go outside to brush Fido or Whiskers and wind up skinning them.
