Furminator Review

Tis dog shedding season!  Hair!  Hair everywhere.  Floating through the air.  Laying on the steps.  Sneaking onto plates.  Wait!  How did it get there?  Ev-ry-where.  Ew.

So what's a girl to do?

Buy a Furminator!  

The Furminator came highly recommended to us by our groomer.  We happened to mention one day Red was there that he was shedding uncontrollably.  She gave him a quick brush down, and the amount of hair that came off of him was almost unbelievable.  So we decided to buy one.

The Furminator is a type of brush that also gets to the undercoat of the dog.  The description on Amazon claims that it can reduce shedding up to 90%.  I will say that it is rather pricey, but after using it, I believe it is worth it.

It is very simple to use.  You must use it when your dog is completely dry.  You just brush your dog like normal and take short strokes.  When the brush is full, you can use a little button on it to eject the hair.  I believe the instructions recommended brushing your dog at least twice a week for approximately 10 minutes at a time.  It also suggested using it more during heavy times of shedding.

I used the Furminator on Red the other day for only 5 minutes, and these were the results.  Hopefully the dust pan will give you an idea of how large the pile of hair actually was, and Red isn't even at his worst shedding point yet.  Remember this was only 5 minutes of brushing-not the recommended 10!  Also, those are 12 inches square tiles.

That's more hair than I lose in a year!

I try to brush him outside and gather the hair or let it fly away, but I brushed him inside so I could collect it all to show you.  I do brush him inside during the winter and try to do it on a hard flooring surface.  I recommend using the vacuum to suck it up because the broom will sometimes stir it up, and it will fly around!

So I would say as long as you're going to use it, it is worth it to invest in the Furminator.

Here is a guide to determine what size and type of brush to buy.  We have an 85 lb black lab and bought the large brush for short hair dogs.

There's also a handy vacuum attachment that I'm considering buying!

Moral of the story is buy the Furminator.  You will thank me and so will your carpets and flooring and clothes and food and bedding.  You get the picture!

Olivia Makes A Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associations Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  If you choose to purchase an item from one of my Amazon link, I will receive a very small compensation of which I will be eternally grateful.

The Quintessential First Blog Post...

Ahh... the quintessential first blog post. One that will most likely not be remembered even if this blog were to go viral (which in all honesty is what I'm hoping for). #Realtalk
So what should this monumental first post be about? I don't really know. Maybe a little getting to know you?  Getting to know all about you... Ok, shoot.

Name: Olivia

Age: 26 at time of writing

Occupation: professional substitute teacher struggling to find that magical unicorn that is a full time public school teaching job. 
But as for now, I do it all; English, science, wood shop, wherever they need a sub, I go.  
But not elementary. I don't do that crap.  I'm not good at having thirty 6 year olds swarm me at once.  But, I will say that on the few occasions I have subbed elementary, I come home with some pretty high self-esteem because there are always little girls that want to tell you you're pretty or they like your outfit or your nail polish is cute. What's not to like? I eat the compliments up, and typically while I'm basking in the 4th grade praise another 4th grader is doing something utterly disgusting and paid the little girls to distract me. Elementary are crafty. High school students just let it fly. Plus, they react better to my sarcastic jokes.  
My current gig is teaching home ec until June for a maternity leave at a small western PA school. I'll give you a hint, there's a famous holiday once a year that the town is known for. #gochucks



Marital status: married to Josh for almost 7 years. 
That's always a good story for school. "Oh yeah, I got married when I was 19, but I don't really recommend it for you and your Twitter boyfriend." Good times are had by all when I dish or dating advice. #theythinkimcrazy

Children: as of right now I have my main squeeze Mack who is 6 months and quite possibly the cutest baby on earth (I'll provide pictures to prove it's not just my bias) and my black fur baby Red who is 2 #blacklabsmatter

Talents: it comes down to the old saying "Jack of all trades, master of none." I'm into a little bit of everything.  
I semi like to cook. 
I say I like to work out (I really do like it when I actually do it, that is after it's over with and I've refueled with Doritos). 
I crochet. #oldladystatus And Cricut, craft,  etc. 
However, my true talent is being a multitasker disaster.  Why just this week, I made breakfast for my class at school while simultaneously burning dried fruit for a later period.  You wish you had my skills.

Subject of this blog: hmm, that's a good one.  As I mentioned, I'm basically into a little bit of everything, so this blog will probably be a little bit of everything! Some recipes, possibly some craftiness, and a heaping dose of real life, because why fake it?

So here goes. Let me know if there are others things you're interested or want to know! I'd love to dish out the info.

Photo creds: mainly my cell phone, but if you live in Western, PA check out Vanessa Huey (hueyfamilyphoto.com) she is amazing!