• I just have to vent…
    Booger learned within a few months that shoes are off limits. Between a combination of my reaction when catching him with my shoes & apple bitter, he has not chewed a shoe in about a year. (Although he will ocassionally get a nice smelly one, put it in his "pile" & rub his face all over it. And he still looks guilty if you catch him rubbing his face on it.)
    Lola, however, REFUSES to leave shoes alone. As a restaurant manager, I invest heavily in work shoes. I pay $150 a pair for simple black shoes that go with all pants, are usually slip resistant, very comfy for working long hours on your feet. Lola got my old, ready to be replaced work shoes shortly after coming to live with us. Lesson learned... I made sure to keep my shoes up high. I did very well for a few weeks. And one day I forgot and left the shoes by the door & she got them. 2 pairs down. I got a third pair, and I have done a GREAT job of leaving them high up. Until today. I'm ready to skin her & use her hide to make my next pair, except she's not black & isn't very big so she'd probably only make one shoe.
    GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, I got frustrated, but I didn't catch her with it so I couldn't do much about it. She knew I was upset though, because she came up to me, head down, tail wagging, and then got right next to me & looked up at me as if to say "I can't resist your shoes & you can't resist my puppy face! You know you can't be mad at ME!!!"
    As I type this, she is curled up in my lap like the little "angel" she is.
    ARGH!!!! I can't afford her anymore! She's too expensive to keep in treats.


  • LOL sorry to laugh I worked in food service for about 9 yrs and know what u mean about the shoes i have lost some myself then i relized i couldnt get mad at them cuz ur with food all day of course ur shoes smell like some yummy stuff so we made a deal i would leave my shoes in the closet with the door closed and would get to keep them and they didnt need to be smell all the yummy stuff and get in trouble for trying to eat it lol
    I know they can get expensive but just think she just made some umm ART for u ya thats it 🙂


  • Don't throw out those chewed shoes!! phoenix3 is correct–they're ART!! We used little hook and eyes, hung them on the garage, and used them as mini planters. Impatients this year. Sounds stupid, but they really look cute!! and they certainly are a conversation piece (and a reminder)


  • I actually let Nicky keep shoes of mine that she chewed, and she eventually ate all but the sole. One good Birkenstock lasted her for months! Don't be discouraged, but Nicky is 11 and still loves to get my shoes if I leave them down…or my glasses...or take my wallet out of my purse.....

    Anne in Tampa


  • Haha I'm still SO frustrated, but the most frustrating part is knowing KNOWING knowing its nobodys fault but my own!!! Just ONE time forgetting to put them away & its like SHE KNOWS!!! They are downstairs, out of the way, in a place she doesn't hang out much… but I guess she follows her nose.

    That actually sounds fun... using them as planters. I will have to try that. I know they say you shouldn't let dogs have the shoes they chew because it makes them think shoes are okay, and maybe that's part of the problem, but I usually let her keep them because leather is such a treat to her. And I can't use it anymore, so I'd rather make a REALLY expensive chew toy than throw it out so at least I get part of my money's worth.


  • Its hard when they chew something and its your fault.
    BUT we have all been there.
    Ask me about my week old designer glasses, that now have 3 holes in the lenses…
    Yes, they are REALLY unique now...
    Hugs....


  • My dogs don't bother my shoes but one of the cats can be annoying. TUK (the unnamed kitty) has a fetish for velcro. He has chewed up a pair of flip flops that have velcro on them to the point where they won't stay on my feet. He also has a "thing" for a pair of sandals that have velcro so I no longer leave them in the open. I keep my shoes behind a closed door and thus TUK can't get to them and the dogs are not tempted.

    Editted to add pics of TUK gnawing on the sandals.


  • Zaire LOVES my pairs of converse shoes, but for some reason will usually not mess with other shoes. She must like the way the canvas gets stinky. :p


  • @Andrew:

    I just have to vent…
    Booger learned within a few months that shoes are off limits. Between a combination of my reaction when catching him with my shoes & apple bitter, he has not chewed a shoe in about a year. (Although he will ocassionally get a nice smelly one, put it in his "pile" & rub his face all over it. And he still looks guilty if you catch him rubbing his face on it.)
    Lola, however, REFUSES to leave shoes alone. As a restaurant manager, I invest heavily in work shoes. I pay $150 a pair for simple black shoes that go with all pants, are usually slip resistant, very comfy for working long hours on your feet. Lola got my old, ready to be replaced work shoes shortly after coming to live with us. Lesson learned... I made sure to keep my shoes up high. I did very well for a few weeks. And one day I forgot and left the shoes by the door & she got them. 2 pairs down. I got a third pair, and I have done a GREAT job of leaving them high up. Until today. I'm ready to skin her & use her hide to make my next pair, except she's not black & isn't very big so she'd probably only make one shoe.
    GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, I got frustrated, but I didn't catch her with it so I couldn't do much about it. She knew I was upset though, because she came up to me, head down, tail wagging, and then got right next to me & looked up at me as if to say "I can't resist your shoes & you can't resist my puppy face! You know you can't be mad at ME!!!"
    As I type this, she is curled up in my lap like the little "angel" she is.
    ARGH!!!! I can't afford her anymore! She's too expensive to keep in treats.

    Two of my daughters work{ed} in the food industry – the oldest worked for a few years as a kitchen aid in a nursing home, in the hospital cafeteria, and in a deli. Elena now works as a kitchen aid in a retirement apartment complex.

    BOTH learned the hard way -- despite their mother's warnings -- that Food Service shoes do NOT survive long with Basenjis in the house.

    I mean, shoes are hard enough to resist, and then you go and bring them home all smelly like FOOD? Makes them absolutely irresistible!


  • Darren has leather work shoes. BOTH dogs greet him at the door every single night without fail to rub themselves all over those shoes; they stick their faces way deep inside, they roll, they rub, but they never even attempt to chew.


  • @JazzysMom:

    Two of my daughters work{ed} in the food industry – the oldest worked for a few years as a kitchen aid in a nursing home, in the hospital cafeteria, and in a deli. Elena now works as a kitchen aid in a retirement apartment complex.

    BOTH learned the hard way -- despite their mother's warnings -- that Food Service shoes do NOT survive long with Basenjis in the house.

    I mean, shoes are hard enough to resist, and then you go and bring them home all smelly like FOOD? Makes them absolutely irresistible!

    I know its unfair to tempt them…. and normally I take the shoes off, go straight upstairs & put them on a table out of reach before I even pet them. But yesterday I was tired & I guess just not thinking... and it only takes one time & she gets them!!! I guess the good news is... I had tried a different style of shoe & didn't LOVE it, so I think this encourages me to go back to my old favorites... I'm trying REALLY hard to find the silver lining so I don't turn her into a handbag and a stew. 😃


  • Trixie will be two in December and she is not picky in the least when it comes to shoes. She will chew up any shoe left out. Just ask my three kids who refuse to put shoes away. When she gets one I say sorry but everyone knows how she is. (including me and her dad! shame on us as we have been guilty in the past).

Suggested Topics

  • 9
  • 3
  • 2
  • 13
  • 3
  • 14