First thing this morning I had to appear in court. WAIT! No, this is NOT a post about work, I promise!
But it’s important to tell you that I had to put on my best game face today, and we women know all too well that wearing that power suit makes you look and feel more confident. And, well, my power color is black.
But….. black power suits and pet hair do not go well together.
As I used the lint roller assigned to the car to give myself a final once-over before entering the courthouse, I heard myself mutter, “for once I wish I could get dressed without having to contend with pet hair.”
I stopped, and thought about what I’d just said. Really? I want to go through life without a Rumpydog to smile at me and drag me out into the sunshine when I feel like hiding in the gloom? Do I want to live without a cat like June Buggie who doesn’t take no for an answer and insists I get up when I’d really prefer to sleep all day?
Of course not!
So why did I say that?
Because I live in a world where, while it’s now acceptable to share our lives with pets, take them to parks, and spend money on them, it’s not OK to wear their hair in public. And I get that. Some people have allergies aggravated by pet hair. And it doesn’t look very attractive, does it?
Maybe it’s not the hair I’m upset about. Perhaps it’s the need to wear a power suit in the first place. Anyone who knows me knows that’s not my normal attire. And I don’t like feeling I’m being judged by what’s on the outside instead of what’s on the inside. Rumpy has never once commented on what I wear when we go for a walk. And Junior could care less what I’m wearing as long as I get my butt up and feed him.
In other words, I don’t mind dealing with the pet hair. It’s the power suits I’d rather do without.
Dogpaddling Through Life 
I think we should blame it on those who make our clothes… they use fabric with magnetic power for pet hairs… :o(
It must be some kinda Murphy’s Law that the more you pay for an outfit, the greater it’s a magnet for pet hair.
They used to say whoever could breed a blue pin stripe pet would make millions. I am continually plagued with fur on my clothes, whether they’re my go to work clothes or my sitting around the house jeans and t-shirts, but face it, everything goes better with pet hair!
I’m sure there’s some idiot somewhere trying to breed that pinstripe pet too…. LOL
Same here. But it’s infrequent we wear suits of any kind anymore and our dogs have black hair for the most part which fits in nicely, lol!
I should get a ginger/ black/ white power suit! Maybe leopard print? LOL
Mom spent $900 on a leather chair because she could just wipe the dog hair off easily – no sticky brush or vacuum needed. She did not take into account that I can fly. Now the chair is scratched up like it was attacked by a cougar. She’s about to go out and buy a replacement – the cheapest faux leather she can find. She’d MUCH rather have a flying dog than a gorgeous chair. Who wouldn’t???
Love and licks,
Cupcake
I understand that logic. Flying dogs are way more fun than chairs too!
When I worked, it was an issue, but I never really thought about it. Thank Dog for miracle brushes, though! Now, I get to wear comfy clothes all the time 🙂 and who cares about the hair?
People who aren’t us!!!! LOL
I always accessorize with cat hair. It adds something to the outfit.
A certain je ne sais quoi?
You betcha!
yep I’m so glad that I wear a uniform to work so much easier except I have to wash my uniform separately from everything else to stop Speedy’s fur getting on it 🙂 xx Rachel
Ah, no animal caregiver is immune!
And that’s why I live on a boat. No power suits. No bras. No shoes.
Oh, and also, no money. 🙂
And yet you choose to be there, so what it does offer must be infinitely more valuable.
Several years ago a female colleague was preparing to leave the office early to attend a funeral. As she picked lint from off the sleeves of her black dress, she commented that “black attracts everything except men and money.” I told her it “depends on how you wear the black.” If she wore a black dress with a high hemline and plunging neckline, she’d attract a bunch of men who’d then want to give her money. She was shocked at first, because she was older and married, but then she laughed.
I know the feeling about getting all dressed up. I put on a suit a few weeks ago to visit a client. I hadn’t put on one in months, so I felt like I was walking into a bait shop wearing a tuxedo. At one point, some 25 years ago, I had close to 40 suits; plus a slew of separate dress jackets and slacks.
I ain’t worried about men or money myself; each brings a set of problems I can do without.
Great post. Thank you for sharing.
When I worked I had to wear suits most of the time and I had cats. Their hair presented a problem even with a lint roller. I decided to get undressed in my walk-in closet and hang my the skirts inside out. I hung a sheet from the shelf to the floor and hung the jackets behind it. It kept the cat hair off my cloths. I would get dressed just before I put my coat on and was leaving the house.
Wow! Great idea! I will remember that in case my next job requires dressing up. Oh, and I agree about the time change and will comment when I get in my laptop. It’s too complicated to comment on other blog posts from my phone.
I have given up on black … and I warn people who come to our house! Furniture is called fur-niture for a reason, Clothes should be the same.
It is a bit ridiculous, isn’t it? We shave off our hair then spend obscene amounts of money to adorn our bodies with cheap imitations. You’d never see one of our dogs do something so stupid.
I am so with you on that. When will I find a job that just pays me to stay at home and love on animals?!
I doubt that will happen, but ya never know!!!!!
Not sure there’s enough lint rollers for pet sheds. Too bad us uprights feel like we have to be perfectly sans pet hair when having to impress society. I saw a woman the other day at the store and the front was perfect. When she passed me, her entire back-side was covered in some sort of pet hair and it made me actually smile. PS. Hope your court appearance was successful. 😉
I’d say that sounds like me!
People are always advised to wear black when they come to our house 🙂 Unless of course they want contrasting effect!!!!
I don’t think anything is more pervasive than beagle hair. Clean clothes in the closet, nowhere near him, still have beagle hair on them!! But yeah, it is embarrassing when my dress black pants have hair all up and down them from someone rubbing up against me as I was getting ready to leave the house.
Happens all the time around here. Just when I think I’m free and clear, somebody’s just gotta show some love! Ah well, in the end, the love is more important to me.
Right on, Jen! When Moosey was still alive, we were guaranteed that we’d have noticeable pet hair on our clothes. He had white fur, and Gracie and Zoe have black fur. Oh well. 🙂
I do find denim is the best fabric to wear if one has pets.
TW seconds that emotion. She hasn’t worn a dress, skirt, suit since she retired 9 years ago. She wears my furs proudly.
Good for her…. and for you!
Ditto and keep the pets and dump the suits (UGH well familiar with the lint roller in the car..and that one spot you always forget about…but the plus side if there’s a really obnoxious person in the office you dislike who just happens to be allergic to pet hair such as tidbits that hitched a ride unnoticed that morning, and there’s always that seat next to them in meetings….)
I have one in the car and two in the house. One in the bedroom of course and one by the door to touch up before I exit.
I have almost cured my bipeds of wearing black! They say it isn’t worth the effort! They would feel neglected if they didn’t find some white hair on their clothes.
It’s funny that I forget that hair clings to clothes at lunch too. I came home for lunch Monday, forgetting I had on black jeans, then returned to work with a souvenir from the Rumpster!
I totally agree with you….when we have pets at home, they sometimes make us look less nice because of pets hair or of their smell….but they give us more smiles than the time when we didn’t have them!
And those smiles mean more to me than the look or smell!