You be the judge: should my flatmate stop washing her dog in the bath?

I’ve seen bits of dog hair and mud in the shower after Roodle has been washed

Let me start by saying that I love Roodle, my housemate Rhea’s dog. He’s a puggle (a cross between a beagle and pug) and cute and playful, and barks only when he’s excited.

I just take umbrage with the fact that Roodle and I share a bath. We don’t wash at the same time, but Rhea likes to bathe him in the same bath that we humans use, which I’m not a fan of.

It started in lockdown, when Rhea couldn’t take him to the groomer. She asked me and our other housemate, Tunde, whether we’d mind if she washed the dog in the bath. We didn’t have a problem with it, given the circumstances. But it has continued, and I don’t think it’s hygienic.

We have a small tub with a shower head attached, and now I know Roodle has been washed in it, I just don’t feel like taking a bath. I think: how clean is this bath if a dog’s just been in here, having all its dirt washed off?

I told Rhea this and she said, “Oh well, I wash it down afterwards.” But she only rinses the bath; she doesn’t scrub and bleach it. I have seen bits of hair, dirt and mud in the shower after Roodle has been bathed and I just think: yuck. I end up scrubbing the shower down myself with disinfectant. Rhea should be doing that, not me. I used to love baths, but now I shower instead – sitting in dog hair doesn’t appeal.

Tunde agrees with me, but I’m the one who usually raises this issue. I like things to be sparkling in our flat. The dog doesn’t make too much mess other than that, but it’s still a dog. There are traces of dog hair on our sofa, and bits of dog food around the place. I do think there should be a distinction between where dogs and humans wash, eat and sleep. Roodle goes on the sofa occasionally and I don’t say much, because he is quite clean. Rhea sometimes has Roodle in her bed – that’s her business.

Roodle brings us all joy and I’m grateful. My other friends tell me: “Wow, you get all the benefits of being a dog owner without responsibility.” This is true. I just don’t want to bathe where he bathes.

The defence: Rhea

I can’t afford to take him to the groomer – and he’s a very clean, short-haired dog

I get what Caoimhe is saying, but it’s a bit of an overreaction on her part. Any one of us, when we wash, is going to leave some residue in the shower. A bit of skin, hair – whatever.

We live in a shared house, so we all do our bit and tidy up after ourselves. But I often shower after Caoimhe and can see that she hasn’t scrubbed it down after herself to the point where it’s sparkling clean. And I don’t get annoyed. You’ve got to be a bit lenient.

My point is: we all share one bathroom, and unless everyone disinfects the shower after they use it, I don’t really think it’s necessary to do so after washing Roodle. He doesn’t have scabies or fleas. I will clean and rinse the shower, but I don’t always disinfect it.

Roodle is washed with special shampoo and he’s in there for about 15 minutes. He’s a very clean, short-haired dog. I don’t think military-grade cleaning is necessary. We had house meetings about this and Tunde, our other flatmate, seemed more chill. Caoimhe is a bit of a neat-freak, but I know she loves Roodle, too.

Caoimhe, Tunde and I have lived together for four years. I already had Roodle, so they accepted me with a dog. During lockdown I had to wash him at home and everyone was fine with it. But in the past year, Caoimhe has suggested I take him to the groomer for baths, or do it outside. I can’t afford to pay for something I can do myself at home (a wash and groom costs £30) and we don’t have a garden, so that’s not an option.

Honestly, there have been very few problems with Roodle and me in this flat overall. I’m grateful Caoimhe has looked after Roodle in the past when I’ve gone away, and walked him when I was sick one time. But she is quite anal about this shower issue. I only wash him about once every eight weeks.

I’ve started to time it so I bathe him the night before the cleaner comes, so it’ll be properly washed down the next day. That has helped with Caoimhe’s complaints. Of course, she needs to feel at ease in our home, but I can’t go back to paying for Roodle’s baths.

The jury of Guardian readers

Should Rhea stop washing Roodle in the bath?

Given the expense of professional dog cleaning, it seems unreasonable to ask Rhea to stop using the bath. The infrequency plus the way Rhea times the baths with the cleaner’s visit seems considerate. Although, as a trade-off, Rhea could agree to disinfect the bath.
Jenny, 30

If the bath was sparkling clean after Roodle had been washed my decision might be different, but I don’t think it’s fair on a rent-paying tenant that the bath is not adequately cleaned after an animal’s bath. I accidentally bathed in someone’s foot skin once, and it really soured my feeling about that flat.
Laura, 43

If you move in with somebody who owns a dog, you must accept that common areas will be lovingly tainted with fur, mud and slobber. It seems Rhea is being as conscientious as possible. Rheanna, 32

If Caoimhe isn’t disinfecting the tub after her own baths, she doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Dogs aren’t unhygienic if you keep them clean, which Rhea is obviously trying to do. Someone ought to remind Caoimhe that taking a bath is just stewing in your own filth anyway.
Victoria, 39

I look after dogs in my home and sometimes a bath is unavoidable. In a shared house, I’d expect everyone to clean it properly after use. Given that Caoimhe accepted Rhea and Roodle as housemates from the outset, her desire for a “sparkling” flat is unrealistic. She should accept “clean enough”, or move.
Gill, 61

Now you be the judge

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Last week’s result

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