Do you think your house smells like your pets?

[Anonymous]

I have a super sensitive nose and my house doesn’t stink.

I have a collie mix dog who gets full groomed every other month (washing a dog weekly is cruel, it dries out their skin terribly and causes them discomfort) and brushed and wiped down regularly in between so my allergies aren’t badly triggered.

I have a Miele vacuum and use it twice a week most weeks - keeps the dander and shedding cleaned up which is also good for my allergies. All the bedding including the dog bedding is washed weekly.

My dog came to me house trained but housetraining is critical to keeping odors minimal.

I had cats when I was younger but won’t have them again - I don’t believe in letting them outdoors for a myriad of reasons and no matter how good you are about scooping the box daily, the smell of cat piss becomes ubiquitous in your house. Also they track litter around the house and get up on counters when you’re not looking.

Dogs are definitely cleaner to have than cats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have friends who have dogs and their dogs may stink a bit, but their homes do not smell. CATS, are a different story. I only know of two cat families whose home does not smell at all and its because their homes are clean and tidy. Every other cat home I've been into, reeks of cat, and I try not to spend so much time in their homes because my allergies flare up instantly. The smell is disgusting and yes, the people who live there have odor blindness.

You know what's interesting about this? I have three cats and don't think my house smells, but I acknowledge I may very well have odor blindness.

However, if I go to someone else's house that has cats, I'll notice it there.

I once went to an open house and it was obvious the cats sprayed walls or furniture with urine. (Thankfully I do not have that problem).

But I wonder -- is it odor blindness to only your own cats/animals? Or is the condition more applicable anywhere you go?

It's a bit of both. Everyone develops a level of odor blindness. But also, just like not all cats and dogs trigger allergies the same way or to the same degree, they don't all smell the same either (assuming a basic level of house hygiene, of course).

[Anonymous]

Pets are smelly. Even if you're vigilant, stuff changes. My cat stopped burying his poop when he got older and arthritic. He was also on this high fiber food for another health issue that made his poop especially stinky and the combo meant you could smell this within minutes around the whole house.

Animals will stink, especially old ones. That's part of pet ownership.

[Anonymous]

OP here and thanks for the responses. Based on the responses and my experiences, I actually think most of the people saying their house didn't smell are suffering from odor blindness or just got really lucky with a non-smelly pet.

I do appreciate the suggestions on considering oiliness.

[Anonymous]

I purposefully picked a Samoyed, because I can't stand the smell of dog. Samoyeds are known not to drool or stink. They do shed a ton, however, a sort of very soft fluff that I sweep and vacuum. They are high-maintenance, so perhaps not what you had in mind. Maybe Poodles or Bichons for you? You'll have to do some research.

I also don't have carpeting or rugs, which are a big source of smells. Samoyeds come with such a thick coat, it's not like they need dog beds If you have hardwood floors and a non-stinky dog, you'll be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I purposefully picked a Samoyed, because I can't stand the smell of dog. Samoyeds are known not to drool or stink. They do shed a ton, however, a sort of very soft fluff that I sweep and vacuum. They are high-maintenance, so perhaps not what you had in mind. Maybe Poodles or Bichons for you? You'll have to do some research.

I also don't have carpeting or rugs, which are a big source of smells. Samoyeds come with such a thick coat, it's not like they need dog beds If you have hardwood floors and a non-stinky dog, you'll be fine.

Me again. I forgot the oil on the coat! Our Samoyed brushes regularly against one speciifc wall in the house, and every so often I take a baby wipe and clean that wall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here and thanks for the responses. Based on the responses and my experiences, I actually think most of the people saying their house didn't smell are suffering from odor blindness or just got really lucky with a non-smelly pet.

I do appreciate the suggestions on considering oiliness.

I think the cats vs dogs thing is true. I have never had pets and am super sensitive to smells. My very clean friends (weekly housecleaners who deep clean plus a clean seeming dog) with dogs have houses that truly don't smell.

Every cat house I know smells. No matter how clean the person is.

Cat smell also lingers for, like decades. My MIL is very very clean, her cat passed away 10 years ago, and there is one room in her house that still smells like cat. We own a duplex type of house, and when our cat-owning tenants moved out, I actually needed to renovate the unit down to the studs (remove the walls and ceilings) in order to get rid of the cat smell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our kids have been pressuring us for a pet and we're pretty close to caving in. We're looking at getting a dog (not a cat due to allergies) but, besides the usual concerns (cost, where to place them when you're traveling, the parents ultimately becoming responsible), we're worried about the potential smell of living with a pet.

The majority of our friends/families have pets and that also means their house smells like dog or cat. Is it inevitable that if you have a pet, you'll also get pet smell. I don't think most people are aware that their house smells like animal (odor blindness is a thing once you get accustomed to the smells), and some or worse than others, but I don't think we've been in a single pet-occupied house that doesn't have the smell.

We're especially concerned now because we were visiting friends last weekend and their house reeked of dog and cat and, once we left, the smell was in our clothes. It was actually quite disgusting and, while that may be an extreme case, we're very sensitive to smells and want to have a plan in place before committing to a dog.

Are there any pet owners that are 100% certain their home doesn't smell like animal? If so, do you have tips on how to prevent the smell?


I know 2 people who have small dogs and neither of their houses smell like a pet but it certainly is very perfumed (smells nice and not like a pet) to probably cover the pet odor. I smell like a Tidepod when I leave and it’s quite unpleasant and can’t be good for your lungs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here and thanks for the responses. Based on the responses and my experiences, I actually think most of the people saying their house didn't smell are suffering from odor blindness or just got really lucky with a non-smelly pet.

I do appreciate the suggestions on considering oiliness.

We not only got lucky with a non smelly, non shedding, and non drooling dog (labradoodle), but we also have hardwood floors, do not allow the dog on furniture/beds, and we have a lot of square footage. Having a dog in a 1500 sq foot apartment is smellier than having one in a 6000 sq foot house. We have had both situations. Keeping all the leashes, dog towels, dog bowls, and in the mudroom helps as well. The dog is decidedly less smelly than my teen boys!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our kids have been pressuring us for a pet and we're pretty close to caving in. We're looking at getting a dog (not a cat due to allergies) but, besides the usual concerns (cost, where to place them when you're traveling, the parents ultimately becoming responsible), we're worried about the potential smell of living with a pet.

The majority of our friends/families have pets and that also means their house smells like dog or cat. Is it inevitable that if you have a pet, you'll also get pet smell. I don't think most people are aware that their house smells like animal (odor blindness is a thing once you get accustomed to the smells), and some or worse than others, but I don't think we've been in a single pet-occupied house that doesn't have the smell.

We're especially concerned now because we were visiting friends last weekend and their house reeked of dog and cat and, once we left, the smell was in our clothes. It was actually quite disgusting and, while that may be an extreme case, we're very sensitive to smells and want to have a plan in place before committing to a dog.

Are there any pet owners that are 100% certain their home doesn't smell like animal? If so, do you have tips on how to prevent the smell?

You may believe it doesn’t smell like your pets and it still does.

[Anonymous]

I’ve never been to a house with pets that doesn’t smell like pet. The owners just don’t realize it because they are used to the smell.

[Anonymous]

Cats pee everywhere, step in their litter box, track kitty litter, and jump on all countertops, furniture, clothes and surfaces when you are not home. Hard no.

Dogs with shorter hair, and non drooly dogs, and hair (not fur) are optimum. If you wash your dog too frequently, the dander will be a terrible problem.

Rugs trap odors, but some animals pee anywhere, and that is a difficult if not impossible odor to erase.

If you get a dog that has been trained, that is optimum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't been able to smell pets in most of the homes I've been in. I can recall only mabye two or three occasions when I've smelled someone's pets, and in each of those cases it's been where the owners are generally not very clean with their home to begin with.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our kids have been pressuring us for a pet and we're pretty close to caving in. We're looking at getting a dog (not a cat due to allergies) but, besides the usual concerns (cost, where to place them when you're traveling, the parents ultimately becoming responsible), we're worried about the potential smell of living with a pet.

The majority of our friends/families have pets and that also means their house smells like dog or cat. Is it inevitable that if you have a pet, you'll also get pet smell. I don't think most people are aware that their house smells like animal (odor blindness is a thing once you get accustomed to the smells), and some or worse than others, but I don't think we've been in a single pet-occupied house that doesn't have the smell.

We're especially concerned now because we were visiting friends last weekend and their house reeked of dog and cat and, once we left, the smell was in our clothes. It was actually quite disgusting and, while that may be an extreme case, we're very sensitive to smells and want to have a plan in place before committing to a dog.

Are there any pet owners that are 100% certain their home doesn't smell like animal? If so, do you have tips on how to prevent the smell?

You may believe it doesn’t smell like your pets and it still does.

DP. This is confirmation bias. You don’t notice when you’re in a house with a pet that doesn’t smell.

Agree that the type of dog matters. I keep our doodles bathed and clipped, and most importantly, their ears clean. A *lot* of dog smell is their ears, and I know a lot of people don’t do this because my vet is always amazed at how clean my dog’s ears are. We wash everything they touch regularly. I recently had a realtor look at my house when we were considering selling, and she told me my house did not smell like dog, and she said she would have definitely told me if it did.

[Anonymous]

Oh yes your house smells of your pets! It’s honestly gross, I’m not sure how people live that way, I would never feel clean in my own house.