The morning my golden retriever found a dead fish on the beach

I take my dog Bella down to Ocean Beach in San Francisco every morning, but last Tuesday she dove into a pile of seaweed and came out with a rotting salmon carcass. She was so proud of herself, rolling around in it before I could get the leash on her. I had to drag her back to the car while she fought me the whole way, then give her three baths at home before the smell finally came out. Has anyone else had a dog find something truly disgusting on a walk and how did you handle the cleanup?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_dixon7018h ago

Try that enzymatic stuff again but leave it on wet fur for a full 15 minutes before rinsing.

the_amy18h ago

Three baths sounds about right. I had a lab mix once who found a dead seagull down by the wharf. Took two rounds with that enzymatic shampoo stuff and I still swear I caught whiffs of it for a week.

young.kim18h ago

Used to think people were exaggerating about the dead animal smell thing, you know? Thought a regular bath and some baking soda would do the trick. Then my own dog rolled in something dead near the creek behind our house - still don't know what it was, maybe a possum. I did the whole routine three times, vinegar rinse and all, and could still kinda smell it when she got wet in the rain a week later. Your seagull story totally convinced me that some smells just need that many rounds of the heavy duty stuff.