I am definately pro pets in the home! Although I love my dog to pieces, I must say I don't love the hair! My husband and I bought a Dyson vacuum after getting married and absolutely love it! Since we have a short haired dog, the hair sticks into everything and is almost impossible to get it all out! But the Dyson manages to pick it all up...although the hair reappears as fast as it is vacuumed up! We also ripped out the majority of our carpet on the main floor to reveal hardwood which also makes it really easy to clean and the dog hair can't stick into it!

get your pet on a good organic-if possible- pet food-and add some omega oils-makes ALL the difference!

We too, have a Dyson vacuum (the Animal model) and it will suck the cat hair off of our corduroy (!) couch like there's no tomorrow!  It comes with a special attachment that has a rotary beater bar, and it works wonders.  In between vacuuming I will use a sticky lint roller to pick up the hair.  I also put a towel down on the cat's favourite resting spot, which helps a lot.

We have a Golden Retreiver, Lewis, who sheds like crazy!  Not to mention the oils from his fur collect dirt and that also leaves our carpet contantly dirty looking.  And yes, we vaccuum like there's no tomorrow but nothing really gets rid of it totally.  This is a price I am willing to pay for our pooch who we love as a member of our family.  :)))

I also have a Golden Retreiver. When we built, we installed hardwood floors to accomodate Whiskey's fur. My daily ritual is to walk around with my morning coffee or cordless phone in one hand and a "Swiffer" mop in the other. We also installed an under cupboard toekick central vac outlet.

I am 100% pro-animals in the house.  Have grown up with cats (yes even in the crib...he protected me from everything) and having to go without in college I will never live animal free again!  We now have a cat and 2 huskies(!) and I love them to pieces, but the fur is everywhere!  

We bought a dyson and it does wonders, but we do have to vacuum a couple of times a day during shedding seasons and really want to switch to hardwood floors.  We also groom them regularly which really helps.  I was toying with the idea of getting a FURminator...has anyone bought one?  Does it really work that much better?

I have a six and half year old pug (who looks almost exactly like the bow-tied lover in the photo you've used above) who is an all-year shedder with the added bonus of losing his double coat in the spring and fall. Also, I am an obsessive compulsive neat freak who can not relax in my own home if there is one single hair visable to me ANYWHERE except on the back of my dog.

Result: Me - insane all the time.

My Swiffer is my third arm and I shop at Costco for club packs of sticky rollers. My vacuum is my best friend and, I kid you not, when I bought and designed my condo everything was chosen in an effort to mask the pug hair - carpets, linens, curtains, etc.

Nobody is safe from me and my hair collecting devices at my house and I've been known to lint-roller guests during dinner and, yes, I have vacuumed my child.

However; having said all of that, I would not give up, trade in, or lose out on the absolute joy that my four-legged baby has brought to me and my family over the years. As much as I joke about selling him off to the highest bidder (any offers?) and while I will be sticking to non-shedders from now on, I can't imagine my life without a furry, stinky little bundle of unconditional love.

We have a Himyalaim cat and a golden retriever, which are both indoor pets. As much as there is a shedding problem, our Dyson pet-friendly vacuum, is a great product. A damp washcloth, or the sticky rollers do work in between major cleanings. To the friends and family that visit our home, it's "Love me, love my pets". The unconditional love they bless us with is worth a little extra cleaning.  

I am with you on the issue of pet hair, however that is not to say it prevents me from being a Pet lover and owning one.     Myself I lean more towards canines that are of  Purebred 'hybrid' breeds.  Meaning the dogs that I have owned, have always had the lineage of 'purebred Poodle'  and therefore DO NOT SHED!   (ie:Standard Poodle and Sheep Dog / Miniature Poodle and  Spaniel.)  The 'hybrid' list is unlimited due to the various sizes of Poodles being Standard, Miniature, Toy, Teacup then pick your  favourite breed.   Twice-a-year shearing is only required.  

In summary, this is the way I deal with Pet Hair, and if I could I would breed Poodles with Dust-bunnies which would mean I would only have to vacuum twice a year.      SMILES      -Brenda-

HAVE A GREAT WEEK ELANA!

Thanks Brenda!

Pets are a must. Pet hair not so much! I recommend a Fur-Zoff. It sweeps up pet hair from all fabrics - furniture, clothes, car seats - it works great, way better than a lint roller. I am big on eco-friendly products too, and furzoff is made of recycled materials and you can use it forever. Their website is furzoff.net - they have a video you can watch.

Besides that, I just vacuum the carpet. Don't need a special vacuum, just a good one!

We have a yorkshire terrier, Maggie, she however does not shed, for all you no pet lovers get a yorkie, or shitzu, or whatever else doesn't shed and you will fall in love with your dog, I did, now can't imagine life without Maggie

use a rubber glove to wipe hair off upholstery -- it works better than any lint brush I've used.  

I am totally with you Elana. Hate the pets in the house...seriously, as much as I love them, what happened to the notion of keeping animals in their natural environment - outside!

Life is too short to worry about a pristine home & pets give us so much, it's a small price to pay to have to vacuum more often!  Seriously, do you put plastic on your furniture too?

I have a dog and two cats, and yes I'd rather not have fur all over the place but it's way better than living without pets.

Brushing pets regularly helps, my Dyson is excellent, and having wood floors helps a lot.  I'm always on the lookout for fabrics that are "fur resistant" & stay away from fur magnets like velvet.

Friends swear by the Furminator, though I use a "rake" like comb that has tines that are wider at the base & narrower at the tip.  I could make a whole second dog with the fur I comb out of my retriever/spaniel/who-knows-what 6 year old mutt.

I'd love to see more practical ideas on fabrics etc, rather than "get rid of the pets".

Hi all,

I have a Jack Russell-Pomeranian cross who sheds A LOT. A light stroke on his back can literally cause dozens of loose hairs to fall, but like many other pet-lovers, I could not live without him in favour of not having his fur all over. As much as I can't stand dog fur anywhere near my kitchen!

I keep a lint-roller in my coat closet so I can clean up any fur before I (or any guests!) leave my condo; and I also keep one in my car for the strays that find their way there.

For Jennifer, I reluctantly paid the $40 for the Furminator, but until then tried numerous brushes and combs that did not pull out even half the fur that the Furminator does. If you do decide to get it, buy it from PetSmart, keep the receipt, and if you hate it, take it back! Good Luck!

Finally, I love Tonka but he is not allowed in my bed! That is the only dog-hair-free place and my sanctuary.

2 cats -- who managed to get fleas three years ago through the screen window (they're not allowed outdoors: cats are not native to this environment, and I try to encourage native bird species). So I got a pet-fur Dyson. I must say, it really sucks :-)

I use it on carpeting, floors, furniture, lampshades, trim mouldings. It's great. I also have clothes brushes and sticky rollers.

My pets have seen me through a lot. I can not imagine life without their companionship.

I could hardly get thru your note, Elana, you're missing so much love! I couldn't imagine life without pets - having said that, I could live without the hair. We have a spaniel and a basset, and bassets shed a lot (and stink!). We changed to hardwood (which is much more sanitary, anyway - have you ever thought about what must be in your carpet, uggh), spent the money on a good vacuum and faced the fact that life was too short to be completely obsessed about hair. I'd go nuts and drive my husband nuts, if I did. When my son was a baby and crawling, we used to refer to him as our little swiffer :) It's hard, but their love wins out! I'd really consider a non-shedding dog next time, but will probably go with my heart, instead.

Love the pets dearly though like most of you, the fur is a never-ending battle.  Sounds like a Dyson is the answer-after having read many of your responses I was beginning to suspect this was a commercial for same.  I use a damp sponge on the upholstery.My husband asked me last week where I had learned that to which I responded, "My Mum".

I use a dampened clean rag on carpeting and upholstery.  I sweep the hair in one spot and then am able to just pick it up and dispose of it.  

Being the proud owner of 2 rescue cats it has been my .pleasure to groom them regularly.  If prevention is the best cure then the Furminator ROCKS!

Having a central vac is a big plus, in fact one cat loves to be vacuumed since the noise is minimal.  

The way I deal with pet hair is to sweep daily, vac as much as possible (one word "Shark", their products work great for pet hair) and brush the animals.  All time consuming, pain in the butt tasks that are worth every minute with my german shepherd, my maine coon and my tabby.

I am definitely pro pets in the home.  Yes the hair is a challenge but it's a small price to pay. A good vacuum and regular grooming go a long way.

If i were married to someone like you I would be extremely resentful that you were so selfish.  What a silly reason to force someone to give up their loyal, loved furry family members.  

How would you feel if your husband told you he didn't want you to have a child because of the diapers, food mess, spitting up, damage to walls, and teenage angst?

You "plotted and schemed" to get rid of the cats?  Having in-laws that can't forgive you your "reign of terror" is a  "small price to pay"?  I wonder how that will play out long term.

Anyway I doubt this will get posted.  You will deem it "abusive".  I guess it's only OK to talk about abusing the relationship your husband had with his cats.

I am a "neat freak" and when I brought Maggie, my black lab mix puppy home from the pound 2 years ago, the fur was problem for me!!  I normally vacumn every day and sometimes twice!  She get's brushed often and I have been giving her flax seed oil which has also made a difference.  Anyone who had carpeting will tell you to get rid of it not just because of the fur but also because of the odours (mine is coming out very soon!).  I wouldn't do anything differently.  Maggie is a great companion and a member of my family.  

If someone came in to my life and made demands on me that they did not like how I did things, etc...I'd be showing them the door.  Your behaviour was selfish and inconsiderate to say the least.  You wouldn't be welcome in my home.

I'm with you on this one Elana.  I'd rather have another kid (got 4 already) than get a dog or cat to live in the house.  Few friends over the years that had cats had stinky homes.  Turned me right off.  And listening to a story from a colleague a number of years ago about how her dog had to get regular "butt massages" so the muscles would tighten up to prevent odor just completely sickened me.  Keep em outdoors.  As a kid, people used to have doghouses...what happened to those?

I have a yellow lab that sheds all year long .O.K. so my house has dog hairs always .We vacum everyday sometimes 2 or 3 times a day but we love him to much to ship him off to some one else.I also have 2 daughters that have very long hair you should see the bathroom & bedrooms when they brush their hair a dozen times a day. Do  you think I should give them away too. I don't tthink so I'll keep all 3, anyway haven't heard EVERY THING TASTES BETTER WITH ANIMAL HAIR!!!!

Animals actually help keep humans healthy.  We rented our home instead of selling and chose a working couple with their two very large dogs over a couple with two children.  I did not want toys/cereal in my heat ducts nor plastic mini figures swimming down my toilet pipes(had in the past). I have always had one or two fury animals in my home for the last 50 years.  Sure glad you do not work in a Sr. center.  The elderly so look forward to these visits. Also hope you or any family member would ever need a seeing/hearing dog. You would never allow it.  My dogs have never been allowed up on any furniture and most breeds can not survive winters in a dog house!!

I love dogs and have multiple large breed dogs in the house now, all that shed.  It is a challenge keeping up with the dog hair, especially during shedding season.  I went through several vacuum cleaners because of the dogs until I found the Miele.  It has been wonderful!  It really picks up the hair.  You just vacuum daily and dust often.  I also use the Zoom Groom on the dogs (a soft rubber brush that removes the loose fur) and the dogs even like it.  You can't completely eliminate dog hair unless you get one that doesn't shed, but I would never give up my dogs - I'll deal with the dog hair!

Everyone has problems with their pets in regards to pet hair.

I have a pitbull and i love white furniture. Unfortunatley my pitbull is black, so all the little hairs show up everywhere.

I am going to try out some of the things that you guys mentioned here, and i'll write my reviews once i use them!

I saw a great quote one time (which has become my life motto) that says: " A clean house is a sign of a wasted life".  

Are you sitting down? If not, I think you should...We have a Golden Retriever, a Yorkie (non-shedder), a Chihuahua (very minimal shedding) and 5 cats. I seriously know what it is like to deal with pet hair! Yes, I am practically being driven to insanity by it lol. As soon as it gets vacuumed up, it's right back again. Then, if you haven't gotten every single little hair and you go to mop, you'll know it! I like the comment by the person who said the cat was their protector in the crib. Our cats slept with our children and they're still alive lol. No big deal. I just hate seeing it all over the floors. Still, we love our pets! Guess it's just vacuum, vacuum, vacuum! lol