Don’t sweat the mess

#Middlebury

DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I just adopted a beautiful little mutt named Beatrice. She’s my first dog, and she’s wonderful. The problem is, she’s not very clean! She rolls in mud and tracks it all through the house. She scatters her food everywhere when she eats. Her fur is all over my furniture. I had no idea pets were such a mess. How can I get her to be neater? – Neat Is Nicer, St. Louis

DEAR NEAT: I’ve got really bad news for you: Pets can be messy! They just don’t share our aesthetic sensibilities. They don’t need a perfectly clean rug. They don’t need air fresheners. They don’t worry that Marie Kondo is secretly judging their book collection.

To a dog, the world is a wonderland of interesting scents. To preserve the most interesting smells, they often roll in them. That’s part of why Beatrice is walking in from the yard covered with mud.

Pets, especially rescued pets, need love more than anything else in the world. You’ll need to compromise with Beatrice – and mostly in her favor.

Keep an old towel near the door so you can quickly rub down her fur when she comes inside. That’ll keep the worst mud in check. Note where she hangs out the most around the house, and put a pet bed or just an old towel in those spots to reduce fur buildup on the carpet. Train her not to sit or lie on the furniture. Steel yourself for occasional messes – pee, poop, vomit or spilled food. Vacuum twice a week.

You won’t have a perfectly clean, orderly house. That’s fine. It means you’re spending your time doing something far more important: taking care of Beatrice.

Send your questions or pet care tips to ask@pawscorner.com.

© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.