Here’s What Happens When the Poop Hits the Roomba

by Lori Ennis

Published: August 13th, 2016

heres what happens when the poop hits the roomba

What happens when a Roomba zooms over dog poop? We found this harrowing tale of a “Poopacylpse,” to be the stuff that dramatic comedies are made of!

So you had a long day.

Your coffee spilled on your new khaki slacks (of course, couldn’t be navy or black!), your boss was on your case about something another co-worker actually messed up, the kids were running wild when you got home and dinner was leftovers.

At the end of the night, you retreat to your bedroom…the sanctuary where you finally can relax and recover. You lay your weary eyes on the pillow and then?

Somehow, it’s around 3:00 am, and your blissful rest is disturbed in the most unbelievable and horrific way.

Folks, horrific doesn’t even begin to describe it, actually.

Imagine waking up when your young child crawls into bed with you some time in the early hours, as he is prone to do, and you notice that Junior doesn’t have that baby fresh smell, but rather…smells like something the dog left on the carpet for you.

You investigate, and find that not only did that sweet little puppy actually leave a present, but your reliable, dependable family member/programmable vacuum didn’t get the memo that it needed to avoid that pile at ALL costs and well… we can only describe it as – when the shit hit the fan.

That’s exactly what happened to Jesse Newton, an innocent dad out of Arkansas. He chronicled his whole sordid tale on his Facebook page, and the post went viral. Newton describes some of the trauma he suffered as the result of his iRobot Roomba running its regularly scheduled program, but this night, it involved a pile of poop their new puppy had left out on the floor. When Newton’s four-year old son crawled into bed with him, Newton smelled the offensive odor and decided to investigate.

Upon said investigation, he found that the Roomba had carried out it’s midnight rendezvous with the floor, and in doing so, had spread that pile all.over.the.place. In his own words, Newton said, “.. on your floorboards. It will be on your furniture legs. It will be on your carpets. It will be on your rugs. It will be on your kids’ toy boxes. If it’s near the floor, it will have poop on it. Those awesome wheels, which have a checkered surface for better traction, left 25-foot poop trails all over the house. Our lovable Roomba, who gets a careful cleaning every night, looked like it had been mudding. Yes, mudding – like what you do with a Jeep on a pipeline road. But in poop.”

In essence, the Roomba went colon bowlin’. All over their house.

The heroic dad cleaned up the mess to the best of his ability, and as he was, he was, “…inventing new types of profanity…saying things that would make Satan shudder in revulsion.” (Who could blame him, though?!)

When the light of day came, Newton was left with another mess. In desperately trying to save the expensive Roomba (because he’d already dropped several hundred deuces to pay for that one!) he inadvertently brought it to its demise by submerging it in the tub as he cleaned it. Luckily, he bought it from a retailer who offered a lifetime warranty, no questions asked.

Though he offered the truth anyway. Newton felt it the honorable thing to do to tell them exactly what happened and still? They replaced his vacuum immediately. We imagine they also burned the pooptabulous one originally brought in.

So, remember this the next time you think you’re having a tough day – this could have been YOU! And, if you have animals that make a habit of leaving ‘tootsie rolls’ around… turn the Roomba OFF!!!

[Source: SomeCards]

Lori Ennis

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Study: Dogs Who Eat Poop Prefer Their Own Brand

Believe it or not, it’s pretty common for dogs to eat their poop, and scientists believe that they prefer it fresh, just like their wolf ancestors did! So, have you ever been grossed out because your dog eats his poop? C’mon, we’re all friends here. You can admit it. Scientists now believe they have a reason for it, and it goes back to the wolf ancestors of today’s domesticated dogs. They suggest that wolves participated in the delicacy that is poop-eating because it protected them from parasite prention, even though they obviously didn’t know that was the reason. Eating poop is known as coprophagia, and a lot of mammals actually do so. Rabbits, rodents, elephants and non-human primates eat their own feces and most experts believe they do so to get all the nutrients they can from food–even the second-time around after it’s already been dropped as excrement. Researchers have even found domestic dogs to eat poop when they are nutritionally starved by diet or disease. Related: UK Street Lamp Unleashes the Awesome Power of Dog Poop But even healthy, well-fed dogs eat poop, right? Scientists believe that puppies can learn this from their mama dogs, as mamas will lick their babies to encourage them to get rid of waste and clean them up after they’ve done so. The American Kennel Club says that most dogs will outgrow the poop-eating stage by the time they are around nine-months-old, but not all do. The researchers think that dogs who DO continue to eat their own poop are interesting in that most dogs will typically try to avoid being in/near their own poop (a basis for kennel/crate training), and again, that behavior is most likely from wolf ancestors who tried to keep parasite-laden poop away from their living spaces. The researchers gathered almost 3,000 survey responses (from two online surveys) of U.S. and Canadian dog owners, looking at habits of dogs who did and didn’t eat poop. One survey was specifically for the owners of poop-eaters, and looked at frequency and type of poop their pup preferred. They found that in the general survey, sixteen percent responded that they’d seen their dogs eating poop, and not because they had psychological or dietary issues. Of those, 82% said that the poop they saw their dogs eat was never more than two-days-old, leading researchers to suggest that poop eaters are picky, and prefer fresh poop. In both surveys, the researchers found this to be true, and believe it goes back to wolvish behaviors from their ancestors. In the Wild, wolves get rid of intestinal parasite eggs in their poop, and those eggs lay dormant for a few days bfore they actually develop into infectious larvae. If the wolves ate the poop fresh, they’d be getting rid of the risk of parasite infection, the researchers believe, with nature guiding their habit. Related: Here’s What Happens When the Poop Hits the Roomba The researchers were sure to say that they’ve not observed wolves actually do this, so any conclusions are still tentative. For those who have poop eaters, though? Maybe a bit of unwelcome news–the researchers found that in dogs who liked fresh poop snacks, it was not easy to take that taste away. Seems that the taste for poop is just too compelling. Bone Appetit!

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Dogs Trained to Detect Ancient Remains Expedite Search for Graves

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What Should I Include in a Pet First Aid Kit?

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Working Dog Gets Stolen and Dropped in a Shelter 700 Miles From Home

We all love our pooches, don’t we? It’s impossible to imagine that someone would be capable of stealing your four-legged companion. But, sadly many dogs get stolen every day. That’s exactly what happened to Hank, a 12-year-old McNab mix, who was working on a ranch in Oregon.The woman who brought Hank to the St. George Animal Shelter told the staff that she had found the dog locally. However, Hank was more than 700 miles away from home!“He was a working dog,” said Animal Service Officer Supervisor Cathy Freitas to St. George News. The pooch was found on a ranch in Oregon and driven to St. George by a woman who lied to the shelter staff and said that she found the dog in the local area. “The dog was absolutely well cared for and happy,” Freitas added. “And the person who saw it assumed otherwise and thought rather than going to the authorities and saying ‘I found a dog,’ she intentionally drove the dog from that area because she didn’t want it to go back to the owner thinking that it wasn’t well taken care of because it was outside… Not every dog is going to be happy lying on your couch and eating snacks.”The shelter posted a photo of Hank on social media, hoping someone would recognize him. Luckily, the post reached the right people, and a person in Idaho recognized the pooch. Soon, everything became much clearer.As it happens, Hanks was with his family for a long time, and they missed him terribly. Unfortunately, Hank’s owners didn’t know where to start looking for him because the people who took him had driven so far away. When the shelter got ahold of the owners, they immediately got into their vehicle and drove 700 miles to get their dog. That’s 1,400 miles round trip - a sure proof of the love and dedication that they have for their pooch.The owners explained that Hank is in the fifth generation of McNab dogs bred to work on the family’s ranch. People should know that there are working dogs, Freitas explained. These dogs are bred and trained to work and that’s where they feel the most comfortable and happy. If you happen to find a dog near livestock, there’s a good chance that it’s a working dog, and it’s best not to approach it. If the dog seems neglected or injured, contact Animal Services or nonemergency dispatch. This way the local authorities can check on the dog and get a hold of its owner. When it comes to Hank, the St. George Animal Shelter wouldn’t be able to hold his owners accountable if he had been neglected or abused because they are outside of the St. George Police Department’s jurisdiction.  The police from the dog’s hometown wouldn’t have been notified, giving the family a chance to adopt another dog.Taking a dog like this is extremely stressful for them and their family, but it can also put their herd at risk, as they would be without a guardian and more likely to become prey. Luckily, this story has a happy ending and Hank is back on the ranch, helping his owners with livestock. His family could press charges against the woman who took him, even though she might have had the dog’s best interest at heart. At the end of the day, she stole Hank and transported him across state lines. If you come across a dog herding livestock, stay a safe distance away and don’t offer any treats or food. According to Freitas, most working dogs aren’t aggressive towards people, but they can be if they sense their herd is at risk. Let’s not forget that working dogs aren’t house pets. Join the PetGuide community. Get the latest pet news and product recommendations by subscribing to our newsletter here.

Why Does My Dog Paw or "Dig" His Food Bowl?

Sometimes, dogs can behave straight out quirky. The range of their weird behaviors varies from chasing their tail and scooting on their but, to “pawing” or “digging” food, which sort of looks like they’re burying their kibble but they’re not really doing anything. Have you ever seen your pooch trying to fake bury his food by pawing at it? Don’t worry, the behavior might look odd at the very least, but it’s not a reason for concern. Here’s what dogs that dig, bury, or paw their food are trying to tell you with this behavior.Why Does My Dog Paw or "Dig" His Food Bowl?Dogs may exhibit pawing or digging behavior around their food bowl for various reasons, and the interpretation can depend on the individual dog. By closely observing your dog's specific actions and considering these factors, you may gain a better understanding of why they engage in pawing behavior. Keep in mind that individual differences among dogs can lead to variations in behavior, and what holds true for one dog may not necessarily apply to another. Still, there are some common explanations that hold true for most situations when “pawing” is in question.Too Much Food Served:In the wild, dogs might use their paws to cover or bury their food to protect it from other animals or to save it for later. This behavior could be a residual instinct from their ancestors – if they eat a bit and then paw at their bowl before leaving the meal, it means that they are trying to stash the surplus away for later. Try downsizing their portions to see if the behavior goes away. Scent Marking: Dogs have scent glands in their paws, and pawing at the food bowl might be a way for them to mark the area with their scent. This could be a territorial behavior and might be seen in households where there are several dogs present. Excitement or Anticipation: Dogs might get excited about mealtime, and pawing at the bowl could be a way of expressing anticipation or eagerness for their food. This is especially true if they are eagerly pawing the ground even before the food has been served. These dogs can often be voracious eaters as well, so to prevent them from snarfing up their food in seconds, try utilizing a  slow feeder for dogs to promote a more appropriate pace of eating and prevent bloat and other digestive issues due to lack of chewing and fast eating.

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