Gum and Dog Fur

I could rain down invective on whomever chucked their used Juicyfruit into the woods, or wherever it was that my big white pointer lay down on it and got it stuck to his bony, yet fur-covered elbow. We live where there are lots of white pines, so naturally I thought the dark sticky-looking blot was just old sap. But a sniff revealed it was not piney in the least; it was distinctly Juicyfruit.

But that is a waste of good umbrage. There are more important things. The only reason I’m bothering to write about it is that, after an evening of fruitlessly picking at it, and pitying his contortions to lick it, I turned to the trusty Web.

I want to give props to an Italian Greyhound website where I found the remedy. I wasn’t authorized to post a thank-you on the message board itself, because I don’t have an Italian Greyhound. Well, they don’t know that, but I don’t have an account or access or the time or inclination to go about getting that. So I’ll just give ‘em a link and a thank-you.

What did the trick? Peanut butter. (Kirkland brand creamy organic from Costco, to be specific.) Just a teaspoon or so massaged in. And boy, did the doggie like that! Really wanted to help. Apparently any oil will do to break up the gum (and this would work in human hair too), but the grittiness of peanut butter and its semi-solid state probably help make it break up the gum and keep it from running all over the place. So noted!