# I Pit My Dog and Myself (A Lame Venting of Irritation)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-dog-and-myself-a-lame-venting-of-irritation/332245>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 22, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-dog-and-myself-a-lame-venting-of-irritation/332245 "2005-11-22T15:26:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-dog-and-myself-a-lame-venting-of-irritation/332245/21 "2005-11-22T20:04:11Z")

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> [@SisterCoyote](#):
>
> I have a theory about why this is, but from a human perspective it’s kind of gross.

I think it’s because dogs like anything that smells very human, especially their master’s things. Dogs seem to like socks and underwear more than a sweater, for example. I bet a retainer smells irresistable to a dog, it is like kissing their human! Plus made of fun chewy plastic.

Our dog does not chew up clothes anymore but she still likes to carry things around and sleep on them. My husband’s socks and t-shirts, and my son’s burp cloths are her favorites and she is always snagging them.

What is your theory?

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**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-dog-and-myself-a-lame-venting-of-irritation/332245/22 "2005-11-22T21:16:18Z")

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> [@Rubystreak](#):
>
> Good luck with yours… maybe taping them to the wall so they aren’t loose would help?

I hope you mean the cords and not the dog. 😉😛

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**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-dog-and-myself-a-lame-venting-of-irritation/332245/23 "2005-11-23T01:04:00Z")

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> [@romansperson](#):
>
> I hope you mean the cords and not the dog. 😉😛

Either would work. My dog ate another full box of cereal today, and I think I’m going to roll out the duct table pretty damn soon. “Hey Rubystreak, what’s that on your wall? I think it’s moving…”

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**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-dog-and-myself-a-lame-venting-of-irritation/332245/24 "2005-11-23T01:49:54Z")

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> [@Honey](#):
>
> Watch your dog carefully since cooked chicken bones can splinter and cause problems such as puncturing the GI tract. Hopefully everything will come out ok. 😉

Yeah, that did kind of worry me. I’m watching her bowel movements for any sign of trouble, but thus far, she seems just fine. I think it does help that the piece of chicken in question was a wing, since the bones are smaller and weaker than, say, a drumstick.

> [@neutron star](#):
>
> Well, if it’s any consolation, it’s not entirely destroyed. Considering your dog’s love of wires, you might find it worth your while to spend $5 on a cheap soldering iron.

For my safety, as well as the safety of those around me, I am not allowed to have things like soldering guns. Yes, I’m sure it’s quite simple and you could probably do it in a heartbeat, but I suffer from CC, which for the uninformed is an ailment known as Congenital Clumsines, meaning if there is any possible way to do so, I will get hurt.

Thus, using items like that, or power tools, or Super Glue usually results in what Dr. Hibbert refered to as “traumadies”: traumadic/comedic accidents. Comic for those watching and hearing about it, that is. My co-pay is $50. Buying a new controller still makes fiscal sense.

> [@Velma](#):
>
> I think it’s because dogs like anything that smells very human, especially their master’s things. Dogs seem to like socks and underwear more than a sweater, for example.

To a dog, the stinkier the better. For creatures with such an incredibly deliciate sense of smell, you’d think they’d avoid strong smells, but no it draws them irresistably. I have seen Polaris put her nose deep into dirty laundry and [Ii]nhaaaaaaaaaaale\* like she’s snorting a line of coke.

Our dog does not chew up clothes anymore but she still likes to carry things around and sleep on them. My husband’s socks and t-shirts, and my son’s burp cloths are her favorites and she is always snagging them.

[/quote]

Polaris steals socks, too, but doesn’t chew them. Instead, she _brings them to my husband._ She’ll sit by his chair, sock held loosely in her mouth, until he notices her and takes it. He’ll then say, “Thank you!” and she’ll wag her tail like he’s given her a t-bone.

She takes them from laundry baskets and half-open drawers. She digs them from under the bed. Some of them she stores in her “burying place.” I think she saves them for when she can’t find fresh socks to fetch and be thanked for.

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**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-dog-and-myself-a-lame-venting-of-irritation/332245/25 "2005-11-23T01:58:23Z")

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Moving thread from the Pit to MPSIMS.

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**Author:** ![Cerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@Cerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerri)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-dog-and-myself-a-lame-venting-of-irritation/332245/26 "2005-11-23T12:30:47Z")

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Could be worse. My friend’s chihuahua chews the crotch out of all her underwear and pants he can get his filthy little paws on. And that’s not even something you can suggest putting bitter apple or hot pepper sauce on. ☹

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**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-dog-and-myself-a-lame-venting-of-irritation/332245/27 "2005-11-24T00:31:50Z")

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Well, this explains why my dog was so fond of carrying underwear around in her mouth as a pup…

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**Author:** ![ninevah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/46a35a/32.png) [@ninevah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninevah)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-dog-and-myself-a-lame-venting-of-irritation/332245/28 "2005-11-24T02:50:32Z")

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My cat managed to chew through the mobile phone charger cord. Had no idea that she’d done it until I went to recharge the phone, plugged the end into the phone, turned the wall powerpoint on, wondered why it didn’t make the ‘recharging’ beep … then discoved it was severed.

Think the only reason she did it was because charger cable has a stupid piece of velcro attached - for what reason I don’t know - and I’d caught her playing with this about a week before. Didn’t actually think she’d chew through anything like this. Fortunately, the cord wasn’t switched on at the powerpoint.

My partner’s dog once chewed through his mother’s dentures which was an interesting discovery. Obviously, she didn’t have them in her mouth at the time.

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**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-dog-and-myself-a-lame-venting-of-irritation/332245/29 "2005-11-24T05:09:39Z")

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Our dog is well over two years old, and we STILL can’t allow her upstairs-we have a baby gate blocking the steps, and one blocking the laundry room so she won’t get into the litter boxes (which our first Westie also did, to be fair, and she was extremely well-behaved).

Lexie has chewed our television remote, my library card, my sister’s glasses. We can’t put our toilet paper on the holder because she grabs it and chews it to hell. Her favorite trick when she’s being ignored is to grab her water dish, spill it everywhere, and then chase the dish around the room.

This behavior, sadly, is not limited to dogs. My Buffy once chewed through the cords connecting my sister’s stero speaker when she was a kitten.

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**Author:** ![Whifton\_Polekitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/97f17d/32.png) [@Whifton\_Polekitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whifton_Polekitty)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-dog-and-myself-a-lame-venting-of-irritation/332245/30 "2005-11-24T06:34:50Z")

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I had the joy of housesitting for a friend of my mothers at one point. She owned a very sweet but totally insane black Lab. Beautiful dog, but about as sharp as a bag of wet mice. At the end of the housesitting, I was amazed because the dog hadn’t done a single “bad” thing… No vomit on the floor, no eaten houseplants, nothing.

The day, nay, an HOUR before she returned, the dog destroyed the several down pillows on the couch. The living room was THICK with little feather particles. And they migrated throughout the house… I was still vacuuming when she came home, and was similarly amazed that the pillows had been the only casualty.

Loved that dog, though. Great fun. Dumb as a post, but a really nice dog.

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