The Power of Dog Hair

The Top 10 Uses for Dog Hair – a common resource, sadly under-utilized in modern society

“One of the earliest animals to be domesticated,
the dog has played a significant role in the development of human civilization.”

“The coats of dogs are just as diverse as the breeds of animals that possess them. Variations in color are tremendous and are usually a central consideration in determining a breed. Hair types also vary significantly, but are usually broadly categorized as short, medium, or long. The hair may also be fine or coarse, and coats are usually thickest among animals living in cold areas. In most locales, dogs begin shedding in the spring, thinning out the coat as warmer weather approaches. Though there is not a significant demand for products made of dog hair, some people spin excess dog hair into yarn and utilize it to create knit items.”

Well knit items are cool (and they’re on our list) but with just a wee bit of research, we found ten important uses for dog hair:

1.  Spin it into yarn to knit beautiful and useful things. 

2.  Felt it to make stuff like collars, hats or even a dog hair toupee! 

3. Yuck – make a coffee filter…. 

4.  Use it as the raw material for artificial diamonds 

5. Solve a crime  

6. Clean up oil spills 

7. Keep deer out of your garden  

8. Nesting material for birds 

9.  Protect sea turtle eggs from marauding raccoons (note that I don’t have a web link but I do have a couple of lovely thank you cards from a sea turtle refuge I used to send dog hair to)

10. Tie flies