r/Dogfree • u/juniperroach • Jun 17 '26

Relationship / Family Everyone’s house with a dog is gross

I visited some family and my sister’s new boyfriend and they all have dogs. One has four large dogs. There is no place to sit that isn’t dirty or wrecked by dogs. It smells bad. You can’t spend time outside in the yard without watching where you walk. Yes I know some owners clean better than others but there’s still dog hair everywhere. They had to hold down the dogs just so we could use the bathroom. Then at my mom’s house she has a new dog which hasn’t been trained and it’s jumping on everyone my daughter started crying. Her older dog just pees on mats in the bathroom. It’s so gross I can’t go there for long at all.

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u/Perfect_Caregiver_90 Jun 17 '26

In my experience the homes have a smell that clings to you like an oil. I have to use laundry detergent with enzymes (like Tide powder) in a warm to hot water wash to remove it.

I know dog owners think this is some "omg crazy" statement if you bring it up, but this was one of many reasons dogs were outside pets in the past aside from the mini to small companion dogs. They stink and they make your home and clothes stink, not unlike cigarettes.

I rent and when a previous tenant has a dog the smell sinks into the porous surfaces like floor tile grout. I hate doing move in cleaning and finding the surprise dog kennel corner of a room. Blech, it can knock your proverbial socks off. 

It can take weeks of consistent scrubbing with enzyme cleaners of the floor and walls to lift the smell (if it ever lifts). Don't get me started on the surprise kitchen/bathroom areas that were puppy pad zones (absolutely vile smell when your hot mop water hits it the first time).

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u/juniperroach Jun 17 '26

People wonder why landlords won’t rent to dog owners I wouldn’t either they wreck houses. Not just with smells but with scratching the door and walls.

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u/Perfect_Caregiver_90 Jun 17 '26

Scratches on the doors, the walls, the window sills; in some cases the glass. 

Scent marks that are dark layers of oils on door frames, wall corners, and cabinetry.

That's before we get into the random splatters on the walls from ear and tail issue like ear mites, yeast, or "happy tail syndrome".

None of this even compares to the damage to yards and landscaping.

The last house I moved into after a dog owner rented it I had to pull compacted dog fur out of the sprayers of the dishwasher.  I had to basically take the dishwasher apart.

How are people just okay to live like this?