Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! There are plenty of gross things about dogs. Jodi, Kol’s mama, was thinking this when Kolchak Puggle happened to lick her in the mouth. This cutest of all Affenpinscher puppies licks me in the mouth ALL THE TIME. What the heck? GROSS.

How many of you let your dog lick you? On the face? We’ve never had licky dogs till Chewy. I just think it’s gross. Seriously. But this is the ADD woman with tactile issues speaking.

When I say there are gross things about dogs, I don’t mean their gaseous side. I have a cast iron stomach. I can clean up after the ickiest accidents. Being licked in the mouth is gross. Being licked in the ear is gross. Being licked anywhere else just tickles.

And I know that plenty of you are going to disagree with me about the licking thing. That’s okay. But I’m guessing there’s some other behavior that your dog exhibits which you find gross, yes? So let’s hear them!

Some of you will say that it’s gross when your dog eats the tootsie rolls in the litter box. Or cleans up after deer and ducks. My own dogs eat the chicken and duck poo and are fine. It’s all natural, after all. Shoot, if my chickens can eat Jones dog treats, my dogs can clean up after the chickens, right?

My brother in law’s Rottweiler used to eat powdered laundry soap. And corn cobs. And the solid pine bunk bed in my brother in law’s room. I’m not sure that was gross, but Bear was an odd dog. Beautiful, but odd.

What else is gross? When I’m fleshing deer hides in the back yard, the dogs eat the little scraps of pickled deer meat I scrape off. For that matter, so do the chickens. Maybe it’s the salt?

Oo! Oo! Here’s something gross – that scoot across the carpet or grass things that dogs will sometimes do. Do you know what that is about? It’s usually either that they need their anal sacs expressed (get your pooch to the vet), or they’re wormy (again with the vet). Or, as our puppy trainer points out, maybe they’re just cleaning their rear end. Any way you slice it, it’s GROSS. G-R-O-S-S.
So! It’s time for breakfast and coffee. Tell me about the gross things your dog does! I’ll be reading from a basement this morning. It’s my second day of jury duty, or another day of waiting to see if they call me for a jury, reading old magazines and doing crossword puzzles! Entertain me, will ya?
Until I write again …
Flea