dog slobber

So some think that treading muck (most germs are invisible to the naked eye) into my house is acceptable because you say so? And because you have bunions and holes in your socks? The University of Houston did a study and found that 39% of shoes contained bacteria C.diff, a public health threat resistant to a number of antibiotics that can cause many health issues, including diarrhea.

Coliforms, on the other hand, which are universally present in faeces, were detected on the bottoms of 96% of shoes.

E. coli was also detected on 27% of the shoes, along with seven other kinds of bacteria, including Klebsiella pneumoniae, which can cause urinary tract infection, and Serratia ficaria, which can cause respiratory infections.

In total, researchers at the University of Arizona found nine different species of bacteria on people’s shoes, and determined that these bacteria live longer on our shoes than in other places. Naturally there is just a continuous build up of new bacteria that feeds the growth of more bacteria.

Researchers also tested to see if bacteria on shoes would transfer to the tile floors in a house. More than 90 percent of the time it did, and carpets fared even worse.

Microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba, who teaches at the University of Arizona, conducted a study which involved testing a brand new pair of shoes, and found that within just two weeks of wearing them, they accumulated 440,000 units of bacteria.

“The common occurrence (96 percent) of coliform and E. coli bacteria on the outside of the shoes indicates frequent contact with fecal material, which most likely originates from floors in public restrooms or contact with animal fecal material outdoors,” said Gerba. “Our study also indicated that bacteria can be tracked by shoes over a long distance into your home or personal space after the shoes were contaminated with bacteria.”

FYI I have wooden floors and grandchildren. So I don’t want the residue from the soles of your mucky shoes on them. My house, my rules! However, feel free to tell me how to live my life if it makes you feel good.

I often think that sweaty feet on my carpets and floors cannot be nice either! I have had damp sock marks left on my carpets. It was horrible to imagine what caused wet stockinged feet! And the smell! Ugh!

As long as people are good about wiping their feet outside and inside the hall (lots of obvious doormats in place if it's wet) I am OK with shoes. I am not OK with my late FIL thinking it OK to let his two wet dogs out of the car to rush into the house and jump up on sofas and chairs. My MIL also use to think it fine to have her dogs in the kitchen when I was cooking and feeding the children. I was being fussy if I got upset that they stole food out of my toddlers hands or generally hovered around the table jumping up and licking mouths for scraps. Some dog owners seem blind to their dogs behaviour and you cannot blame the dog. I love dogs. I am a sucker for soulful eyes and a wagging tail, and their lovely sense of loyalty. However, I don't want drool on any part of me or my clothing, ever, nor do I want them licking my face or jumping up me.

I know our pets are precious to us. I think some dog owners are oblivious to the concerns of non dog owners. Well behaved owners with their dogs are always welcome here. Most appreciate people don't want dogs around at meals times, doing what dogs do - sniffing around for treats or droppings/crumbs. The ice cream incident made me feel queasy.

You think wiping shoes gets rid of nasty, disease carrying bacteria? Not a chance.

I certainly wouldn’t share any food with my dog, that’s for sure, but the general reaction does show how ignorant most people are about the spread of ‘germs’ (to use a general term). Dog saliva, like human saliva, actually contains anti-bacterial properties. Having said that I repeat I wouldn’t let my dog share my ice-cream, or any other food..

But those who are saying ‘yuk, disgusting,’ and yet are happy to tread other, more dangerous, germs into my house, need to wise up! You are, in my eyes, just as disgusting as that person witnessed by the OP.

You think wiping shoes gets rid of nasty, disease carrying bacteria? Not a chance.

I didn't say that OldMeg. You did.

I have lived 60+ yrs with shoes worn in houses (haven't most of us?) and have yet to become ill because of it. How many people do you know who say their sickness was caused by people in shoes bringing disease/infection into their house? What about the workplace? It would seem the office/factory cleaner is able to stop the spread of the dire diseases you fear from the soles of shoes.

Decent standards of household hygiene serve people well but even the messiest grimiest people thrive. We do have an immune system and it's been said many a time that too much cleanliness is counter productive to human health and well being. There are germs on the soles of shoes and germs on the damp soles of sweaty sock wearers too.

I'd say the woman allowing her dog to slobber and lick the ice cream she finished off had a much bigger chance of becoming ill than I do.

You said As long as people are good about wiping their feet outside and inside the hall (lots of obvious doormats in place if it's wet) I am OK with shoes

You have your standards I have mine. Enough said.

Oh jacq10 that's exactly what we did as kids!

I take your point that you ve crawling infats on the floor who may pick things up and put them in their mouths. Fair enough then to ask visitors to remove shoes. But for most of us who are adult or with older children we dont eat off the floor. I repeat (I've said this many times on Gransnet) as long as we are careful about always washing our hands after the toilet or before preparing or eating food there's not much chance of thse germs you mentioned doing us any harm many (moat?) Of us have survived with people walking on our floors in shoes. Its important to build up immunity. The same is true of using public toilets (just wash your hand thoroughly) and there is no need to use antbacterial wipes all over the place. I know you didn't mention these things but others have.

polly in the UK alone, sepsis is responsible for 44,000 deaths every year, more than bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined.

I don’t ask visitors to remove their shoes, however virtually all do automatically, I’m pleased to say. They leave their shoes, wellies, riding boots, football boots, etc in the mud room. I do mop the floor after a visitor who doesn’t.

I don’t know where people get the idea from that germs from a floor stay there and don’t get transferred. Surely at the very least you don’t allow people upstairs into bedrooms with outdoor shoes on? ?

Anyway said enough on the subject. Time for a nightcap

I'm only too happy to get visitors these days and wouldn't even think to ask people to remove their shoes unless they are wet/dirty. Most people would do that without asking anyway. So that must make me disgusting.

Two of us them Willow! Of course i take my shoes off if asked and if they are wet/dirty/muddy or if the person has a pristine white carpet but otherwise I don't and nor do most of my friends. What iis interesting about GN is the diverse range of opinions on many subjects.

I was invited for a meal around someones house a good few years ago. The meal was lovely - a full roast dinner which I rarely do due to never having been able to manage to get the timing right.
I duly gave the hostess a hand carrying the dishes through to the kitchen - only to see her giving the plates to the dog to lick clean! She must have noticed my expression because she added 'Oh they go in the dishwasher so it doesn't matter!' Duh, in this instance her dishwasher was out of order so they were washed by hand. Yuck! I wonder if she dined with us and I presented a trifle made in the dog bowl, saying casually 'Oh it's fine, I washed it first!' :D

Oooh! Disgusting! I like dogs, but cannot bear them licking around my face - let alone my ice-cream! They lick their arses, for god's sake!

And I cannot abide people feeding dogs their own food from the table. Slurp, slurp, around their fingers, then they go back to eating with their fingers covered with dog-slobber!

No animals eating scraps from human plates!

No dog-bowls/cat bowls in the dishwasher either!

Gross is the only word for that! It's ok to give the dog a bit at the end - we used to do it when we had dogs but never to then put it back in our mouth!!

As for removing shoes most people do this when they come in but I usually say it's ok now as we have laminate floors - and cats who have their own personal hygiene habits

I never shared what my [human] family was eating with our much beloved pets while we were eating it. Scraps and leftovers would sometimes be given later – and that could include the end of an ice cream cone. Maximum Dog did once steal a Christmas visitor's mince pie, but she was waving it in front of his nose as she was talking, and Frutiger, a maverick cat if there ever was one, snatched a kebab skewer out of the hand of absendaughter's then boyfriend.

Until the last few years I’ve always had animals - and birds - living around me. Therefore it’s habit to always wash my hands before eating and never touch food unless with freshly washed hands. Utensils for the animals were kept separate from humans. Food preparation is done on boards not work tops as, even though not allowed and rarely caught in the act, cats wander everywhere. But I have to say we’re a shoes-on house. Shoes are removed for comfort or to keep mud and wet off carpets. With animals wandering around the floor is never ever going to be bacteria free!

I do like dogs but it's a dog not a child. I do not like to see animals spoken to or treated as semi humans. Treat them as dogs/ animals. That means not sharing a lick of your ice cream!

Sorry, it's not "meh". It is totally disgusting!

youtu.be/puN4YgRH-MA

Ohh yuk, no way