[]
Image has pretty much decided that she's over delayed
gratification and that peeing outside isn't worth the
trouble, so on top of her lack of control over her pooper
she's also started peeing in the house. I've been trying to
stay on top of it with a mop and bucket and enzyme cleaner
but I've been pretty sure that I've been missing spots so I
decided to get a blacklight to track the stuff down.

I found one on eBay (a bunch, actually) that looked
identical to Petsmart's but half the price, and it arrived
yesterday. It's a small handheld unit and, as it turns out,
pretty low-power, and it requires near darkness to work.
But when it does, holy cow. Dog effluvia in places you'd
never expect. For example, lots of small spatters of doggie
biological material on walls, from, I'm guessing, dog
sneezes, snorts, and head-shaking.

It worked well on hard surfaces; carpeting is more of a
challenge. You really need to get very close to the
carpeting to see anything. It may be worth popping for a
bigger unit. But for $10 it's actually pretty handy.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

(Melinda Shore) said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

But when it does, holy cow. Dog effluvia in places you'd
never expect.

I don't think I want to know.

A la "The Office" in a motel room with a black light: "I hope
that's urine."

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

On 27 May 2009 12:42:00 -0400, (Melinda Shore) wrote:

Dog effluvia in places you'd
never expect. For example, lots of small spatters of doggie
biological material on walls, from, I'm guessing, dog
sneezes, snorts, and head-shaking.

and then

You really need to get very close to the
carpeting to see anything.

I do believe that there are times when ignorance can be fairly
blissful.

"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
[]
Image has pretty much decided that she's over delayed
gratification and that peeing outside isn't worth the
trouble, so on top of her lack of control over her pooper
she's also started peeing in the house. I've been trying to
stay on top of it with a mop and bucket and enzyme cleaner
but I've been pretty sure that I've been missing spots so I
decided to get a blacklight to track the stuff down.

I found one on eBay (a bunch, actually) that looked
identical to Petsmart's but half the price, and it arrived
yesterday. It's a small handheld unit and, as it turns out,
pretty low-power, and it requires near darkness to work.
But when it does, holy cow. Dog effluvia in places you'd
never expect. For example, lots of small spatters of doggie
biological material on walls, from, I'm guessing, dog
sneezes, snorts, and head-shaking.

It worked well on hard surfaces; carpeting is more of a
challenge. You really need to get very close to the
carpeting to see anything. It may be worth popping for a
bigger unit. But for $10 it's actually pretty handy.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

I am unaware of how this works. Does the blacklight "see" all biological
material? So, if I dropped my steak, would the juice would show up? Or if
a mouse peed on the carpet, I would see that too? I have a feeling that if
I could see the "tracks" of all the animals that have walked through my
house, I'd have to move. We have three or four rats try to take up
residence every year, and I don't want to know where they walk when I'm not
here. *shudder*
--
Phyrie
Kiba the Cav's Pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phyrie/...758930/detail/

In article ,
Phyrie wrote:
I am unaware of how this works. Does the blacklight "see" all biological
material?

I don't know how it actually works, or what the limits are.
It's the canonical tool for finding urine (which is why
Petsmart sells them [overpriced]), and if you've seen police
procedurals on TV they use them for finding blood and
semen. I don't know if it would be useful for finding, say,
rat poop. But I've got some don't-shoot-me clothes (blaze
orange) for when we're training during hunting season and
boy were those vivid! It took a moment to figure out what
was glowing so crazy-bright.

I was in high school in the early 1970s and have fond
memories of blacklight posters and all that.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

In article ,
(Melinda Shore) wrote:


I was in high school in the early 1970s and have fond
memories of blacklight posters and all that.

I had a Led Zeppelin one. Don't ask me why. I don't like them!

I *do* have a blacklight though, bought to find cat urine and bring to
homes. A little scary.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

(Melinda Shore) said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

I was in high school in the early 1970s and have fond
memories of blacklight posters and all that.

Same here. Iron Butterfly posters were the best. My blacklight
showed no protein stains in my bedroom (that could be taken both
as a good thing and a bad thing).

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

In article ,
Rocky wrote:
Same here. Iron Butterfly posters were the best. My blacklight
showed no protein stains in my bedroom (that could be taken both
as a good thing and a bad thing).

Is it actually protein that glows under the blacklight, or
are you using "protein" as an umbrella term for "animal
juice?"
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
I was in high school in the early 1970s and have fond
memories of blacklight posters and all that.

Ah, yes, mine was a huge stoned rabbit, done in black velvet. The occupants
of the room were often in the same condition (stoned, not in black velvet).
The lamp was a big, plastic mushroom with a blacklight bulb in it. Good
times....
--
Phyrie
Kiba the Cav's Pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phyrie/...758930/detail/

(Melinda Shore) said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

Is it actually protein that glows under the blacklight, or
are you using "protein" as an umbrella term for "animal
juice?"

Animal juice. I have no idea why some stuff glows under
blacklights - I don't think that my Iron Butterfly and Led
Zepplin posters contained animal juice.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.