Hair Cutting


The dogs have just been groomed .

They line up on the kitchen sofa with that sad air of resignation of men awaiting a firing squad, and stand with  a certain amount of shame on the fold-a-way table as Jackie, the ever cheerful groomer does her thing.
Welsh terriers should ideally be hand stripped, but it is a procedure that can irritate dogs with sensitive skin. It is also a bit of a dying art and is more expensive than clipping, especially when there is more than one dog involved.
The large bag of unwanted dog hair , I recycle on the field.
A while back one of the farmers told me to place it in gaps in the hedges where foxes might venture through, so if you look carefully at the field borders, you can make out vague clumps of ginger fur dotted here and there amongst the hawthorn.
I don't know if it actually deters foxes.
But it can't hurt
When I walked the dogs down the lane this morning ,I noticed several members of a troupe of field sparrows  sitting on the barbed wire fencing with ginger hair in their beaks.....recycling again, I thought,......it's almost nesting time.


34 comments:

  1. Love it.
    Everything in this house has a patina of black fur. Which I throw outside for the birds to use in their nests. And last year was pleased to see that a pardalote had a very snug nest indeed with a fur lining.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous10:23 am

    John, what a sweet thought of yours: Nesting time. Baby swallows kept warm by your dogs' surplus hair. How much better can life get?

    You do know, of course, that there are wig makers who will pay good money for crowning glories, don't you? Just saying.

    U

    ReplyDelete
  3. After I've combed Monty, I always put his hair up in a tree.... amazing how quickly it goes.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've been putting off getting Elsie clipped because of the cold weather, but seeing your two today I'm thinking it must be OK.

    We used to have an Old English Sheepdog and left her excess fur in the garden during spring for the birds to use for nests.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous11:01 am

    I used to do hand-stripping John - it hurts your fingers no end! I'm sure the dogs prefer what you do and I'm absolutley positive the sparrows are grateful!
    Yes, nesting time is near......spring isn't far away!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well the birds will use the fur to make nests, if nothing else. They have decided that spreading lion shit around doesn't deter deer, though.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I put clumps of our dogs hair round the front door to deter my mother in law, she hates dogs.

    ReplyDelete
  8. SUch handsome dogs!

    And totally unrelated: have you seen this BBC segment on pensioners knitting jumpers for battery hens?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qKSmh8Q0zBc#!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I was going to say something about hair in a tree but got all sidetracked by pensioners knitting jumpers for battery hens. Can't even begin to imagine hens made out of batteries wearing jumpers.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Reminds me of the time I cut Liv's hair for the first time. She was about 4 and it was SOOO long. I spread her baby hair in the back yard, something learned from my Mother. Later that year, a bird's nest came down in a storm and I was touched to see Liv's baby strands intermixed with all the twigs, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I like the idea of Ginger fur adorning your hedges :)
    The hair of my dog is left for the birdies to use as nesting too.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love the idea of ginger fur adorning your hedges :)
    The hair of my dog is left for the birdies too.

    ReplyDelete
  13. 1) So, is there a lot of grooming going on in North Wales then?
    2) I think you will find that human pubic hair is a better fox deterrent. Perhaps you could put a card up in the post office window.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous1:38 pm

    Love your post!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I bet that put a smile on your face. Birds are such resourceful creatures and when I see them with those odd things that would make the nicest nest, I admire all that work they put into it. Fine home it'll make! Also, those pups of yours are gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I always leave plenty of the skirtings from the fleece out in the paddock when I have my sheep sheared.

    Did you know that you can have your dogs' hair spun into yarn? It is best when blended with wool (the wool gives it more bounce and elasticity)and makes lovely scarves!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous2:13 pm

    No dogs here to donate hair to the universe but in spring I drape bits of yarn over the fence and branches for the wee birdies.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous2:19 pm

    ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  19. The dogs look fabulous! Love this breed.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Ginger colored nests ! Can you imagine the jealousy of the other birds? "She stole it you know, from that human. Sure it's pretty but it came from a mutt for God's sake!"

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love the idea of the dog hair getting second use as nesting material.

    Next time they're due for haircuts, I'll pop by and stand on the fold-away table for mine. Clipping is fine for me.

    ReplyDelete
  22. The dogs look lovely.

    After combing the cats, i often clean the comb outside to let the hair go where it will.

    I loved Kath's comment!

    megan

    ReplyDelete
  23. We compost our cat's fur...some of it gets placed in trees for the birds (fur not compost). Generally we avoid trees with fur attached...it means a bear has been visiting.
    Jane x

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hehe.
    Bet it makes for a cozy nest, too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. J n J's fur is hard and sharp, don't think the birds would use it, could pierce their baby's tender skin. Birds are quite smart.

    The dogs look really nice!

    ReplyDelete
  26. They look very smart...and glad the sparrows have something for their nests too!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I always got handstripped, but them Tess came along and now moms started grooming us!!! don't think we would do very well in a ring at Crufts!!
    Have a good week
    See Yea George xxx

    ReplyDelete
  28. I always put out dog hair for the birds at this time of the year John - it is good to see them flying off with it for their nests. Those two Welsh terriers look good - reminds me that I must get Tess done too now that winter is on the wane.

    ReplyDelete
  29. the hair of the dog is usually wine in this house ;P

    ReplyDelete
  30. the hair of the dog is usually wine in this house ;P

    ReplyDelete
  31. Your pups look totally soft, fuzzy, and huggable. It's nice to think of their fur being recycled by the birds.

    ReplyDelete
  32. They both look great John!

    ReplyDelete
  33. I have tried to leave dog hair in our yard to ward off the deer...Still have plenty of deer, and as you found....lots of happy birds.

    ReplyDelete

I love all comments Except abusive ones from arseholes