Our Dog is a Bur Magnet

Boots covered with Burs

If you have a dog, be happy you don't live in the country. Even though our three dogs love to roam our 600-acres here (they are free at all times) this time of year their fur picks up several types of burs.

Burs are seeds with hooks or teeth which attach themselves to fur or clothing of passing animals or people. In the picture above you can see our Australian Shepard named Boots. He is covered with tick-trefoil seeds.

The same problem happens with my jeans. For the next couple months if I stray off our mowed paths my pants will be covered with burs just like Boots is.

Comments

[Tim Ernst]

We have a long-haired springer spaniel and he always used to end up like that every day this time of year - what a nightmare to debur him every day. But now we keep him shaved all summer and on into fall and it only takes a minute or two to brush all the burs off him - and the ladies like him a lot better and have their hands all over him with that short hair, lucky dog! Send your dog to the barber and everyone will be happy!

[Henry Domke]

Shear our beautiful dog just like a sheep? But then he'd be naked!

I can't imagine...

And the stubble that would sprout. Too horrible to contemplate. Anyhow he LOVES to be de-bured.

[Tim Ernst]

Actually if you take a dog to the beauty parlor and ask them to "shave" them they don't actually "shave" them down to the skin - that is just a term for short hair. I don't think anyone would actually shave a dog down to bare skin. A short-haired dog is much easier to take care of and they enjoy the summer a lot more. I have a world-class springer spaniel that I keep "shaved" all summer and he loves is, as do all the ladies that get to pet him!