Nesting birds and dog fur

[coffeeinbed]

if you have a garden and a dog that is shedding leave some out for the birds.
We just spent a lovely hour watching some bluetits and robins collect fur for their nests.

By the same token ,don't take your golden retriever to the local field ,brush it and leave all its hair laying all over the place because that is littering ( or bloody should be) especially when the breeze changes and said dog hair blows into all the neighbouring gardens and over the washing ( can you see where I'm going with this ) .

I did say if have a garden...

I know I wasn't getting at you personally .

I had a sheltie as a child who was so placid the birds used to come and pull the loose hair off of him!
I'm currently getting around an extra dog a day out of Ddog1 - had forgotten about putting it in the garden :)

And tumble drier fluff.. I bring my hair home from the hairdressers and put it out for the birds

Surely you keep all the fur to knit a new dog........?

(I could make a new child with all the hair my daughter sheds)

I have seen nests with lined with my dog's fur.
Made me feel very happy.
I'm easily pleased.

How did I not know birds did this!

The birds in my garden use the very fluffy feathers shed by my chickens. They also harvest the yellow fluff from tennis balls.

My grandma used to chuck her hair out the window when she cleaned out her brush, I often do the same and I've seen my hair in birds nests too :)

My dog's fur is so much softer than my hair.
No question.

My dad used to chuck the combed out goats hair onto the shed roof for just this purpose.
My dog would be no use as he doesn't shed, but dpony makes up for it as when his winter coat goes everything is white

I do this - I love the thought that my dog's hair is keeping baby birds warm.

i leave all the wintercoat from our shetty for the birds.

When I use the furminator on my dog,I put it all in a fat ball feeder ( like a hanging cage ) & watch the birds take it.

The jackdaws sit on dpony's back when he's moulting and pull the fur out for their nests. Dpony doesn't seem to mind as he doesn't move or twitch - when he's groomed and I tip the fur into the fields the birds queue up to take it. Lots of nests lined with white pony fur round here!