# Welcome home, Jolene!



## LWalks (Feb 7, 2021)

Finally brought our sweet girl home today! She’s SO little…around 3 lbs and 10 weeks tomorrow. Charlie was just a bigger pup generally, and we brought him home at 11.5 weeks, so she seems extra tiny to us.

The good: She cried for the first few minutes of the car ride to the airport, but then settled in. I talked to her the rest of the trip to reassure her, and she was fine for the rest of the 40 minute drive. She was a champ at the airport and settled right in and passed out for the whole flight. We had planned to bring her right home, but she was crying A LOT in the car, and I hadn’t been able to get her to go on a pee pad at the airport. So we went to the cell phone lot and put down a pad, and she immediately pooped and peed a minute later. She then settled in for the car ride, and didn’t seem to have any car sickness and really likes her Sleepypod Air. So much so that I think we’re going to use it as our ‘crate’ at least for a couple of nights, while doing some crate games w the plastic one.

She and Charlie are doing well so far. They are both very interested in one another and he’s been quite tolerant. No playing yet- I actually think he wants to, but she’s a little intimidated by him when he’s excited- he is close to 6x her size! 

She’s also been doing surprisingly well with pottying in our spot in the back yard. We’ve taken her our three times, and she’salways gone within 30 seconds! Hasn’t shown any interest in the potty tray yet but we will see how she does tonight (putting her in an xpen next to our bed, with the sleepypod open and potty tray). 

The noisy: 
She is a very vocal little thing! Her schedule is completely off today, and she’s definitely a bit overwhelmed by all the newness (I don’t blame her, she’s a baby who has spent her entire life with her mom, other adults, 8 siblings, and 5 half siblings!) and I’m really trying to discern ‘want’ versus ‘need’— for example, she was making a lot of noise in her pen when we were eating dinner, so we just ignored her, whereas another time it seemed different so I took her out (and she went) but also recognize that it’s a lot for a little one. So I’m erring on the side of more comforting, especially when it seems more like she’s actually upset, not just trying to get attention….but it’s SO hard to tell! She seems to be comforted when I talk in a soothing voice, so I’ve done a lot of that (lots of counting to 100 and back, in English and Spanish, because I cannot think of a thing to say after a few minutes!) I am super aware of not wanting to reinforce bad behavior, but she also doesn’t trust us yet, so I want to build that trust with her. Any tips for how to differentiate between beatones and actual distress when you’re still getting to know them?


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

Congratulations on the new addition! She is precious!


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## Ditto's Mom (Apr 29, 2007)

Congrats, what a cutie!! Sounds like she's a little, smarty pants.


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## Mando's Mommy (Dec 8, 2020)

Congratulations! Jolene is adorable!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

LWalks said:


> Finally brought our sweet girl home today! She’s SO little…around 3 lbs and 10 weeks tomorrow. Charlie was just a bigger pup generally, and we brought him home at 11.5 weeks, so she seems extra tiny to us.
> 
> The good: She cried for the first few minutes of the car ride to the airport, but then settled in. I talked to her the rest of the trip to reassure her, and she was fine for the rest of the 40 minute drive. She was a champ at the airport and settled right in and passed out for the whole flight. We had planned to bring her right home, but she was crying A LOT in the car, and I hadn’t been able to get her to go on a pee pad at the airport. So we went to the cell phone lot and put down a pad, and she immediately pooped and peed a minute later. She then settled in for the car ride, and didn’t seem to have any car sickness and really likes her Sleepypod Air. So much so that I think we’re going to use it as our ‘crate’ at least for a couple of nights, while doing some crate games w the plastic one.
> 
> ...


Awww... She's adorable! Congratulations! She's WICKED cute! I think that for the first couple of days, you are right to just assume she needs reassurance. After that, I think you will be more able to determine "want" from "need", so it will become more clear! You can still somewhat attend to her needs and start to let her understand that yelling isn't the answer, by trying to wait until she STOPS yelling to go check on her!


Using the Sleepy Pod open in the pen, as a bed is fine. I would NOT use it as a closed crate for a young puppy at home, because you don't want a puppy to learn that they can chew on a soft crate.

Rather than just counting (in ANY language! LOL!) try humming quietly, and make sure you stop and JUST be quiet near her too. You WANT her to be able to settle and be comfortable with just your quiet presence too! I'd be careful about letting her think that a constant chatter is "normal".

Over all, it sounds (and looks!) like things are going great! And she couldn't be cuter! 💗


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Oh my gosh how adorable! Welcome to Jolene (love that song too!).


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Welcome to your sweet baby girl Jolene! She is adorable!  That is such a cute picture of Jolene holding Charlie's head. 😁


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## LWalks (Feb 7, 2021)

krandall said:


> Awww... She's adorable! Congratulations! She's WICKED cute! I think that for the first couple of days, you are right to just assume she needs reassurance. After that, I think you will be more able to determine "want" from "need", so it will become more clear! You can still somewhat attend to her needs and start to let her understand that yelling isn't the answer, by trying to wait until she STOPS yelling to go check on her!
> 
> 
> Using the Sleepy Pod open in the pen, as a bed is fine. I would NOT use it as a closed crate for a young puppy at home, because you don't want a puppy to learn that they can chew on a soft crate.
> ...


Thank you! She’s settled down a lot already today— I think she was so overtired and overwhelmed last night, so we’re starting to see more of her personality (she is absolutely fearless it turns out, and thinks she’s part cat, as she wants to climb on everything!) She slept until about 6am and then woke us up to go out, despite having the potty tray in the pen w open bag. We put her back to bed so she wouldn’t think she gets to dictate when the day begins, and she cried for a couple of minutes and then went back to sleep. Good girl! Funny thing is she hasn’t shown any interest really in using the tray at all, other than to lie on, and I tried a potty pad but she only wanted to shred that 🤣 so thinking we move her to a closed crate tonight since it seems like she’s going to let us know, and she can make it like 6-7 hrs which isn’t bad for 10 weeks! 

Charlie thought she was fine last night but now is wondering when she’s leaving! He’s fairly tolerant but doesn’t hesitate to growl when she’s not getting the hint. So of course now she’s trying REALLY hard to win him over. Pic below of an example. (I ended up moving her right after because he eeally

She’s had super soft poops (I’m spoiled by Charlie’s very well formed ones) and we’ve already had to do one butt bath, so hoping it’s just stress related from her travel yesterday and will solidify!! @krandall whats the stuff you swear by for butt baths? Was it best shot? I have that saved in my Amazon cart and I think it was because you’d recommended it a while ago.

Finally, she is NOT into treats right now. She’s been eating at mealtime (3x day— which is kibble softened w water) but not showing interest in her kibble as a treat or one of the several varieties of treats I’ve tried, both soft and hard. I’m _hoping_ this will be short lived as I’ve read a few things that sometimes they’re not particularly into treats at first, but I’ve got to find some good thing to keep her occupied that don’t revolve around food. No interest whatsoever in a Kong. She’ll chew a bully stick for a minute but loses interest. Tried some baby food which she ate, but wasn’t excited about. Need to keep this girl busy while we are on work calls! 😊


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Yes, Best Shot spray:









Amazon.com: Best Shot Pet ONE Shot Dry Clean Spray, 32 oz


Find Best Shot Pet ONE Shot Dry Clean Spray, 32 oz and more at Amazon.com



smile.amazon.com





NONE of my dogs have been interested in Kongs.

Ducky (and all my other puppies, even when they ere all in the litter) liked this, though! Withhold lunch, and feed it to her in this:



Amazon.com


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## LWalks (Feb 7, 2021)

krandall said:


> Yes, Best Shot spray:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks! I will give it a try!!


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## PinkDaisies (Jan 2, 2021)

Oh my goodness! She is adorable. I hope things keep going well. Charlie is so precious.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

LWalks said:


> Thanks! I will give it a try!!


Oh, and mix a bit of canned pumpkin into her food!


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## LWalks (Feb 7, 2021)

PinkDaisies said:


> Oh my goodness! She is adorable. I hope things keep going well. Charlie is so precious.


He’s definitely now wondering when she’s leaving!! We’re trying to make sure he has plenty of space and still lots of time and attention…. But she is trying sooo hard to be friends with him and he finds it all very annoying! He’s a sweet boy though and I know that with consistency and patience well help them build a good relationship!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

LWalks said:


> He’s definitely now wondering when she’s leaving!! We’re trying to make sure he has plenty of space and still lots of time and attention…. But she is trying sooo hard to be friends with him and he finds it all very annoying! He’s a sweet boy though and I know that with consistency and patience well help them build a good relationship!


LOL! Kodi was exactly the same! He enjoyed Pixel the first night. The second day he was a bit puzzled that she was still there... after that he was like, "I had NO IDEA that you intended to KEEP this thing!!!  send her back!!!" LOL!


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

While you’re waiting for the spray, conditioner works really well for butt baths, IMO. It makes everything slide out easier. If it’s really bad I’ve used conditioner to get the majority of it out, a dab of diluted shampoo to clean the coat, followed by a tiny bit of diluted conditioner in a spray bottle to rinse. But at that point it usually demands a full bath. Waterless bath sprays are really nice to have around, but for me they work best in a pinch, if I can use conditioner it’s my first choice. I don’t think I’ve tried best shot, I’ll have to put that on my list so I don’t forget when I run out of what I have. It lasts a really long time now that Sundance rarely has tummy issues. But I’ve noticed a day or two after something stressful, like his last vet appointment, he often has soft poop. He had a lot of poop problems and diarrhea as a puppy, and there were several times we were about to get in the car and I realized he had poop on his butt, and the waterless bath was really helpful.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> While you’re waiting for the spray, conditioner works really well for butt baths, IMO. It makes everything slide out easier. If it’s really bad I’ve used conditioner to get the majority of it out, a dab of diluted shampoo to clean the coat, followed by a tiny bit of diluted conditioner in a spray bottle to rinse. But at that point it usually demands a full bath. Waterless bath sprays are really nice to have around, but for me they work best in a pinch, if I can use conditioner it’s my first choice. I don’t think I’ve tried best shot, I’ll have to put that on my list so I don’t forget when I run out of what I have. It lasts a really long time now that Sundance rarely has tummy issues. But I’ve noticed a day or two after something stressful, like his last vet appointment, he often has soft poop. He had a lot of poop problems and diarrhea as a puppy, and there were several times we were about to get in the car and I realized he had poop on his butt, and the waterless bath was really helpful.


Not butt bath related - but I've been using burt's bees waterless shampoo (a spray) for Perry for the last 3 months since he couldn't get a bath. The good news is that it's not smelly - pretty odorless - and has helped. No substitution for a real bath, especially over this period of time (fingers crossed we get the bandage off tomorrow so I can give him a bath!!!) but it's been great overall.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> While you’re waiting for the spray, conditioner works really well for butt baths, IMO. It makes everything slide out easier. If it’s really bad I’ve used conditioner to get the majority of it out, a dab of diluted shampoo to clean the coat, followed by a tiny bit of diluted conditioner in a spray bottle to rinse. But at that point it usually demands a full bath. Waterless bath sprays are really nice to have around, but for me they work best in a pinch, if I can use conditioner it’s my first choice. I don’t think I’ve tried best shot, I’ll have to put that on my list so I don’t forget when I run out of what I have. It lasts a really long time now that Sundance rarely has tummy issues. But I’ve noticed a day or two after something stressful, like his last vet appointment, he often has soft poop. He had a lot of poop problems and diarrhea as a puppy, and there were several times we were about to get in the car and I realized he had poop on his butt, and the waterless bath was really helpful.


Although this is a "waterless shampoo" for other purposes, for poop removal, I use it in an "off label" way. LOL! I put the dog's rear in the sink, spray it on liberally, then spray it off with the spray attachment from the sink. The poop just SLIDES out of the hair, no matter HOW tightly it was attached. I don't know how it makes it so slippery! (it would probably work well for plant material stuck in the coat too)

I don't try to do this without water! It just saves having to pull all the poop out with your fingers! 

The conversations we have on this forum are just... 🤪


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## LWalks (Feb 7, 2021)

Melissa Brill said:


> Not butt bath related - but I've been using burt's bees waterless shampoo (a spray) for Perry for the last 3 months since he couldn't get a bath. The good news is that it's not smelly - pretty odorless - and has helped. No substitution for a real bath, especially over this period of time (fingers crossed we get the bandage off tomorrow so I can give him a bath!!!) but it's been great overall.


Fingers crossed about getting his bandage off!!


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## LWalks (Feb 7, 2021)

krandall said:


> Although this is a "waterless shampoo" for other purposes, for poop removal, I use it in an "off label" way. LOL! I put the dog's rear in the sink, spray it on liberally, then spray it off with the spray attachment from the sink. The poop just SLIDES out of the hair, no matter HOW tightly it was attached. I don't know how it makes it so slippery! (it would probably work well for plant material stuck in the coat too)
> 
> I don't try to do this without water! It just saves having to pull all the poop out with your fingers!
> 
> The conversations we have on this forum are just... 🤪


The stuff sounds like magic. Mine should be here any day now.... though I think JoJo may be getting her first actual bath relatively soon. She discovered yesterday a deep love of digging in our mulch while doing zoomies in the yard... She is hilarious, and a handful! Making me realize what an unusual puppy Charlie was as he was sooooo chill


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

LWalks said:


> The stuff sounds like magic. Mine should be here any day now.... though I think JoJo may be getting her first actual bath relatively soon. She discovered yesterday a deep love of digging in our mulch while doing zoomies in the yard... She is hilarious, and a handful! Making me realize what an unusual puppy Charlie was as he was sooooo chill



See, I think I am, in a way, lucky that I got my "easiest" puppy last! Ducky seems like a "miracle puppy" to me! If I'd had him first, I would have sent the other three packing! LOL! (well, maybe not Pixel... She was easy compared to Kodi, the "Border Collie puppy" and "Miss Pandamonium" too! LOL!)


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

krandall said:


> See, I think I am, in a way, lucky that I got my "easiest" puppy last! Ducky seems like a "miracle puppy" to me! If I'd had him first, I would have sent the other three packing! LOL! (well, maybe not Pixel... She was easy compared to Kodi, the "Border Collie puppy" and "Miss Pandamonium" too! LOL!)


You are lucky - because when you've experienced "easy" puppies or dogs, you have unrealistic expectations of any that come after. Speaking from experience - yes, but not mine, hubby's . As I've mentioned before, hubby's experience with dogs was limited before we got Perry - and basically all that experience was with "easy" / laid back/ minimal issue dogs. So he agreed to get Perry who was NOT what he was expecting  (which we have discussed multiple times since then)


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Melissa Brill said:


> You are lucky - because when you've experienced "easy" puppies or dogs, you have unrealistic expectations of any that come after. Speaking from experience - yes, but not mine, hubby's . As I've mentioned before, hubby's experience with dogs was limited before we got Perry - and basically all that experience was with "easy" / laid back/ minimal issue dogs. So he agreed to get Perry who was NOT what he was expecting  (which we have discussed multiple times since then)


At least both Kodi and Panda were both very sweet, friendly dogs, easy to get along with, both in terms of both people and other dogs. They just both required a LOT of "staying on top of" and training, (which, admittedly, is EXACTLY what I asked for, and exactly what I wanted!) 

What has surprised me, at least SO FAR with Ducky is that he is so laid back and relaxed around the house, and STILL easy to amp up and ready to work when we are training. I ALMOST didn't keep him, because I was afraid he was so low key that he would be hard to train. He's not. At all. So I don't know if I have short-changed the "quiet puppies" in the past, or whether he is just exceptional. ...Or whether he will get harder to motivate as he gets older... Time will tell!

But if Jelly Bean (Boo) hadn't worried me that his bite was going off (false alarm... by 8 weeks, his bite was FINE, and it has stayed fine!) I would not have kept Ducky. I am SO glad that I did. Boo is adorable. But even HEARING about his antics exhausts me! LOL! HE is a WILD CHILD!!! LOL! Sweet, outgoing, adorable and friendly, but takes after his mom in every way!


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## LWalks (Feb 7, 2021)

krandall said:


> See, I think I am, in a way, lucky that I got my "easiest" puppy last! Ducky seems like a "miracle puppy" to me! If I'd had him first, I would have sent the other three packing! LOL! (well, maybe not Pixel... She was easy compared to Kodi, the "Border Collie puppy" and "Miss Pandamonium" too! LOL!)


He really does sound like a miracle puppy… like Charlie minus the neuroses lol 😊 JoJo does seem very smart and learning that, for example, screeching gets her nowhere, and that Charlie doesn’t appreciate when she jumps on his head. Lol. Good thing she’s adorable!! (And to think, the breeder actually recommended against several other pups because they were too crazy lol! Good thing!)


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

krandall said:


> Although this is a "waterless shampoo" for other purposes, for poop removal, I use it in an "off label" way. LOL! I put the dog's rear in the sink, spray it on liberally, then spray it off with the spray attachment from the sink. The poop just SLIDES out of the hair, no matter HOW tightly it was attached. I don't know how it makes it so slippery! (it would probably work well for plant material stuck in the coat too)
> 
> I don't try to do this without water! It just saves having to pull all the poop out with your fingers!
> 
> The conversations we have on this forum are just... 🤪


That’s pretty much exactly how I use conditioner, and why I like it better! I avoid the sink sprayer if it’s just a butt bath, but I warm wipes with water and use warm water in a spray/mist bottle. I hate that feeling of trying to use the wipes to pull it out with my fingers, even if the wipe is actually touching the poop. I’ll probably like best shot if it works like that! I wonder if the other waterless bath products I’ve tried would do the same with a little more water. None of them have been slippery.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

Melissa Brill said:


> Not butt bath related - but I've been using burt's bees waterless shampoo (a spray) for Perry for the last 3 months since he couldn't get a bath. The good news is that it's not smelly - pretty odorless - and has helped. No substitution for a real bath, especially over this period of time (fingers crossed we get the bandage off tomorrow so I can give him a bath!!!) but it's been great overall.


I didn’t know they made one. I used the Burt’s Bees baby wash on my kids when they were little because I loved the smell of it so much. It’s very light and natural, unlike most baby powder smelling products. They didn’t smell like baby shampoo fragrance, but if I smelled their heads a day later they still smelled clean, not like an identifiable shampoo fragrance or like sweat.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> I didn’t know they made one. I used the Burt’s Bees baby wash on my kids when they were little because I loved the smell of it so much. It’s very light and natural, unlike most baby powder smelling products. They didn’t smell like baby shampoo fragrance, but if I smelled their heads a day later they still smelled clean, not like an identifiable shampoo fragrance or like sweat.


Yeah, that's a great way to describe it. I can't deal with smells (even the CC Pro-line fair shampoo is a little too smelly for me - though I can handle that one since it fades pretty quickly) so I was afraid of the waterless shampoos since most were advertised with the scent being a selling point. the Burt's Bees one doesn't have a scent, per se, but it just smells clean. It also keeps Perry nice and soft. Last week when we were at "work" everyone kept commenting on how soft he was - despite 12 weeks without a bath!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> That’s pretty much exactly how I use conditioner, and why I like it better! I avoid the sink sprayer if it’s just a butt bath, but I warm wipes with water and use warm water in a spray/mist bottle. I hate that feeling of trying to use the wipes to pull it out with my fingers, even if the wipe is actually touching the poop. I’ll probably like best shot if it works like that! I wonder if the other waterless bath products I’ve tried would do the same with a little more water. None of them have been slippery.


Oh, this stuff works WAAAAY better than conditioner, and WAY better than any other waterless cleaner I've tried too. (and, with show dogs, I've tried a LOT of them!  )

..It also smells really nice. Minty. Oh, and it's even good at getting white beards clean when the dog is eating pumpkin! How would I know THAT!?!?


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

I just ordered a bottle of Best Shot. Wish I had it a couple of days ago as I was trying to clean her butt from a clinger that refused to drop. Hope it works!


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## Mando's Mommy (Dec 8, 2020)

Melissa Brill said:


> Perry loves loves loves the hedgehogs - the "log" for them isn't that great (much smaller than the squirrel log), but he pulls them out too fast anyway so he just plays with the hedgehogs. I cut the ears and "feet" off before I give them to him (they provide too much leverage and hasten the destruction process) and then just sew tears as he makes them, but the hedgehogs are mostly round so he has a harder time getting a good enough grip to really tear them apart.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





krandall said:


> Oh, this stuff works WAAAAY better than conditioner, and WAY better than any other waterless cleaner I've tried too. (and, with show dogs, I've tried a LOT of them!  )
> 
> ..It also smells really nice. Minty. Oh, and it's even good at getting white beards clean when the dog is eating pumpkin! How would I know THAT!?!?


It cleans pumpkin face? I’m adding it to my Amazon cart as I type…


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## LWalks (Feb 7, 2021)

Jackie from Concrete WA said:


> I just ordered a bottle of Best Shot. Wish I had it a couple of days ago as I was trying to clean her butt from a clinger that refused to drop. Hope it works!


Jolene decided to step in her poop outside (and of course it was a soft one) and I was SO glad I had this handy, and that she is small enough to hold in one hand, because Rob isn’t home! Held her over the sink, sprayed, and rinsed. She was not happy about the whole thing, but it was infinitely better than attempting to get it clean with wipes!! Stuff is magic!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

LWalks said:


> Jolene decided to step in her poop outside (and of course it was a soft one) and I was SO glad I had this handy, and that she is small enough to hold in one hand, because Rob isn’t home! Held her over the sink, sprayed, and rinsed. She was not happy about the whole thing, but it was infinitely better than attempting to get it clean with wipes!! Stuff is magic!


Yay! Glad it helped!


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