Stupid dog.

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

spot

Member
Jun 27, 2006
82
Ok. here's the deal...
My dog eats embers.
I'm burning wood in my fireplace, glass doors open, screen shut.
A log 'pops' and an ember makes it through the screen.
Before I know it, the dog has licked the (sometimes still-glowing) ember off of the hearth.
She then trots back to her spot by the couch, plops down and waits for another freshly-cooked treat.
She never seems to get burned, her tongue, lips, and nose are never singed.

1) I cannot close the glass doors with a fire going. They are the cheapo-doors that will break if I do.
2) I burn fully seasoned oak and ash, with a minimum of pine, cedar or other "snappy" wood.
3) The screen is as fine of mesh as I have seen. It does an exellent job of stopping stray sparks but sometimes one makes it through.

Are all dogs like this? Is she mental? Is this in the same vein as chasing her own tail, catching it, and then wondering who bit her tail?
 
My dogs haven't eaten any embers...yet! But they do grab themselves little scraps of wood (to gnosh on) when I'm out splitting.
Maybe your dog just likes her wood cooked :)
 
My dog took a burning log out of the fire pit out back and droped it , turned around and gave me a dirty look.

"Well dog , did ya learn anything "?
 
Ours will never take anything hot..If near the stove when we reload she will usually get up to move away..she might chew on a piece of bark or an ember that is cold once in a while..
 
Your not alone, My dumb dog will eat cooled off burnt ember chunks. I found this out when I cleaned the ashes out of the stove and spilled some on the hearth. Took the pail outside, came back in, and the dog was on the hearth crunching the bigger black chunks. YUMMY!
 
I had a very bright dog that was fond of running off when the town had fireworks displays; odd since he loved hunting and retieving. Fire department reported he was out behind the ballfield leaping into the air and bringing still smoking parts of the shells to anyone who would let him. His teath and tongue where BLACK!

ATB,
Mike P
 
Mine has never gone after the embers, either hot or cold, but likes to cruise the wood rack for a treat when I'm not looking. Thinking about it now, though, he never goes after the wood scraps when we're outside by the wood shed.
 
Roospike said:
My dog took a burning log out of the fire pit out back and droped it , turned around and gave me a dirty look.

"Well dog , did ya learn anything "?


i don't know why but this reminded me of my lab, ernest. i was bringing him back from the vet from getting him "fixed", he went to lick his nads and stopped and gave me a look. i know he was thinking in a homer simpson voice"hey, wait a minute"
 
Webmaster said:
We love dogs because they are stupid - heck, if they were smart we would probably hunt them.

What do you expect from an animal that often eats poop.....embers are tame by comparion.

I wouldn't call them stupid. I think my dogs play dumb when I'm trying to get them to listen to commands...but they seem quite brite when it suits them. I had to zip tie all the corners on the crate as my shepard/beagle was regularly letting himself out.
 
He keeps your house from burning and you call him stupid ?


stupid is as stupid does fg
 
My brother's black lab is a hoot to watch around an outdoor campfire. He'll leap 6 feet in the air to chase and catch the sparks that fly up. Occassionally he'll grab one that's a little too big and too hot after which he snorts and snuffs for a little while, but then goes right back at. After a particularly big bonfire in August his whiskers were singed off and he was all sooty around the muzzle, but happier than a pig in you know what.
 
Why is it always Labs? And more importantly, why do I own one?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.