Have I ever officially introduced you to Scruffy? No? Well then, meet Scruffy.
As a Swiffer ambassador, I’ve been asked to share my pet adoption story. OK, fine. I guuueeesss I don’t mind talking about my baby dog.
Four years ago, on my daughter’s 8th birthday, we met Scruffy.
We’d been looking everywhere for the right dog for our family and as soon as I saw her picture on a humane society website for a town a little over an hour away, I knew she was the one.
When the volunteer brought her out to meet us, he said “she really doesn’t like to be held.” We still wonder what in the world he was talking about. Scruffy loves being held.
My husband says they could have brought out an alligator and we’d have wanted to bring it home. She wasn’t exactly the cutest thing back then as far as traditional dog beauty goes. But we thought she was awesome.
And she has been awesome. The perfect addition to our family.
A Few Facts About Scruffy:
We were told she is a “terrier mix.” We’ve since been told that “terrier mix” is code for “who knows” in the world of adopted pets.
The HSNT (Humane Society of North Texas) estimated that she’d be around 20 pounds. She’s 9 pounds. Since my daughter desperately wanted a “baby-sized dog,” this has worked out perfectly.
Scruffy is an amazing doorbell. Not the least bit scary, but truly gifted at alerting us when someone is (or might be) coming to our door. Unfortunately, she is equally gifted at letting us know a neighbor is out on a walk or a squirrel has jumped to a new branch in a tree in our front yard.
Scruffy isn’t an amazing vacuum cleaner alternative. While she’ll gladly gobble bread or bacon, she turns up her nose at almost anything else. It’s a little embarrassing when the nice man at the pharmacy drive thru offers her a treat and she sniffs it and walks to the other side of the car.
But even though she doesn’t rock clean up duty, we’re thrilled to have her. I’m a huge fan of my kids growing up with a dog. While siblings experience rivalry and irritation, Scruffy is always each kid’s very best friend. No matter what else is going on and how snippy someone feels, talking to Scruffy brings out soft words and snuggles.
So what does this have to do with Swiffer? Well, having spent time with the people who actually design the Swiffer products over the past few years, I can say that the people at Swiffer LOVE LOVE LOVE pets. Really, it’s a company value to consider the unique needs of pet owners, support pet adoptions and to make cleaning easier specifically so that people can enjoy their pets more.
Here’s one thing that’s almost guaranteed when you adopt a dog of unknown origin: #shedhappens. We guessed that Scruffy wouldn’t be a bigtime shedder, and she isn’t. But at certain times of year, she definitely leaves a trail of pet hair wherever she goes.
Shedding is a legitimate concern for pet owners, and Swiffer is passionate about helping you deal with that mess as easily as possible so you can focus on enjoying your pet. The Swiffer Sweeper’s dry cloth has deep ridges and grooves that conform to the surface of your floor to TRAP + LOCK dirt, dust and hair.
Yay for not just pushing the pet hair around!
I’d love to hear about your pets! Tell me the story of how he/she/they joined your family!
Find out more about the Swiffer Sweeper at Swiffer.com. Want a coupon? Go here!
--Nony
Our cocker spaniel came from a school district list-serve in the Dallas area. Her owner had 3 dogs and was marrying someone with 2 dogs and they decided the youngest/newest had to go. She was about a year old.
She’s a great family member (though she does have her favorites) and we love her dearly. I will tell you there is a reason cockers have their tails docked (hers isn’t). Yes, hair everywhere!
Dana, we have a rescue dog named Scruffy, too, so I loved reading this post. Thank you! Our Scruffy is about 25 pounds, a “terrier mix,” and a total sweetheart of a dog–really gentle and affectionate. We couldn’t ask for a better dog!
Oh my gosh, that is the sweetest story. I have to say I don’t miss the cat hair from when we had cats, but it was so worth it. Animals are important. Now it’s just me and my fiancee who shed hair everywhere.
By the way, did you end up keeping that rescue puppy that showed up? Something about your husband waking you up with the words “puppy.” I remember a blog a while back but because I’ve listened to every one slightly out of order all at once I can’t remember how long ago that was.
No, we found a home for her with some of our friends who’d been looking for a lab puppy. The timing was kindof the worst since she showed up at our door the day before my book released and life was crazy. We did have her long enough to get her healthy. Our vet thinks she was dumped (SO sad) and she had worms and was so skinny. We couldn’t believe how much she grew in the two weeks she was with us. She’s happy now, though!
It’s heartbreaking that someone could do that. I’m so glad you were able to find her a nice home, even with the chaos.
rescue dogs are the best!!!!! our first one came from someone who No longer wanted their dog & was just going to get rid of him…….it was so sad…we did wonder if he was mistreated though because of how he reacted to certain things. our second just showed up in the neighborhood & our neighbor searched & searched for her owners with No luck……anyway we decided we would take her instead of having her taken to the pound & we have been greatly blessed by her. she is a mess & Yes leaves a mess but we love her anyway.
My 3 cats are rescues. 2 are actually my daughter’s that I inherited, because cats aren’t as fun in a college apartment as one might think. Her 2 came from the Houston SPCA, about 4 years apart. My third, was sitting outside a convenient store late one night. He was so tiny (a little over a month old), so I picked him up and walked around looking for his mama, but couldn’t find her. I went inside the store, and the folks in there said they had seen him, and didn’t know where he came from. Well, that was almost 4 years ago, and he is the craziest, sweetest cat. He and my daughter’s younger cat are the same age. Those boys are inseparable! My girl, who is almost 7 years, loves to be petted, but hates to be picked up.
I Swiffer (actually, I usually put paper towels on it, because they’re much cheaper) multiple times per week. I realized a long time ago, there is NO way I’ll ever be able to have all the cat hair cleaned up at the same, but I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world!
Hi, I’m a lifelong slob but a new convert to your podcasts/books. I really balked at the idea that I “should” clean my kitchen floor every day (“what kind of clean freak does that?!”), but I have to say of the four daily tasks, it’s the one I was most surprised at.
Your Swiffer/Scruffy post struck a chord with me as I’ve been Swiffering every day and it makes a huge difference. I make sure to put a new cloth on right after I use it so it’s ready to go the next morning and then I really have no excuse since it only takes about three minutes all together. With three cats and two grown but living at home “kids”, I was gobsmacked at the positive impact this daily chore makes on my home (and my attitude).
Thank you, Dana!