Found this on the Dodo and thought it was clever and funny. The pictures are the best. The main point for me is the fact that when you share your life with dogs, your creative muscles sure get flexed. I know I’ve had many moments of inspiration and ingenuity in the midst of sheer exasperation. I’m hoping that one of these days I’ll actually come up with a money-making idea that I can patent and get rich from… Here’s to hope!
And now, here’s an idea that some of you might find helpful. It wouldn’t work with my greyhounds, but for those of you with small dogs, I think it’s quite brilliant:
All it took was an old purse and an X-Acto knife 😂
This little dog named Oliver is lucky to have a dad like Patrick Peifer. Since rescuing Oliver from a bad situation last year, Peifer, along with his wife and kids, have gone above and beyond to make their pup feel loved.
“We’re just happy to have him,” Patrick told The Dodo. “He’s been a wonderful addition to our family.”
It’s fair to say Oliver has it good.
Like any devoted dog owners, Patrick and his family wouldn’t ever want to make Oliver upset or uncomfortable. But when it came to giving his nails a routine trim, doing so seemed unavoidable. The first time Patrick tried, it turned into an ordeal for everyone involved.
“It required one person to hold him still, and one person to do the clipping,” he said. “Oliver really does not like being physically held against his will, so it was not that easy.”
So when it recently came time to give Oliver another trim, Patrick got creative.
“I knew that I would need something that would limit his mobility without being physically restrained by another human,” Patrick said.
After finding some products on the market to be overpriced, Patrick figured he could whip up one himself. A lady’s handbag seemed like the perfect thing to start with, so he asked his wife for advice. (Wisely, she promptly directed him away from the contents of her own closet.)
“She suggested I look for one at the Goodwill,” Patrick said. “I paid $8 for it. Using some of my wife’s sewing equipment, I removed some stitching and then cut four holes for the legs, and one for his head with an X-Acto knife. I realized it would be easier to get him in the purse if I cut it down each side so that it could lay flat on the floor. I just stood him up on top of the flat, opened up the purse with his feet in the holes, and then grabbed the handles and lifted him up.”
Patrick describes his creation as “sort of like a dog soft taco.”
Sure enough, the clever solution took all the drama out of nail trimming. This time around, Oliver was chill as could be as he dangled there, suspended in his custom dog purse.
“He handled it well. He was very calm while hanging there. No fuss from him as I clipped his nails,” Patrick said. “I made sure to give him nibbles of his favorite treat (string cheese) for every nail I finished.”
Patrick says other pet owners who might take inspiration from his idea should do so with their pup’s safety and comfort as the first priority — noting that a dog’s size and temperament are major considerations.
“It worked well for me because Oliver is pretty small, and I knew he probably wouldn’t freak out,” he said. “You have to know your dog, and it obviously would not work for a larger dog.”
Patrick is already planning to make adjustments to his design, so Oliver’s next trim will be even more comfortable than the last.
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So how many of you have dogs who hate getting their nails trimmed? I can do Picasso’s with no problem, but just let Luca see those clippers and he flies off the couch and runs away as fast as he can. I actually have to take him to the vet to let them do his nails. He just flat out won’t let me. And he never has.
Any of you ever come up with brilliant problem-solving ideas and implemented them for your dogs? If so, please share in the Comments section.
Angels Bark 
Hi, Michele!
Patrick came up with a great idea. I am a bit surprised that Oliver didn’t fuss when suspended in a harness. If Oliver was rescued from a “bad situation” then it is likely that he was abused and grew fearful of human hands. This article brings back memories of our Toto. She hated it when you tried to restrain her with your hands, pulled back if you tried to hold onto her paws, jerked away if you tried to clean her ears, and hated bath time. We always had the groomer clip Toto’s nails. Sometimes the woman was too aggressive and Toto was returned to us bleeding. We were not happy about that. Thanks for sharing this cute piece, dear friend!
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Awwwwwwww!!!! I love these stories of humans getting creative in order to save their four-legged ones from discomfort or anxiety. Thanks for sharing, Michele!
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That is too funny and ingenious! My Katie didn’t like her nails being trimmed especially after my ex nicked the quick. (is that how one spells that??) Our Wallace, we get his nails done by someone else because i just don’t trust myself
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What a great idea for smaller dogs, when needed Michele.
My Odin doesn’t need his nails to be cut, maybe because we walk a lot and have stones instead of grass in our garden in Spain. He decide for himself together with the old cats, if they wish to be inside or outside, when I’m home. When I’m out, all are indoor.
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Hahaha! What a brilliant idea! 😀 Wish I’d thought of something similar when our Dalmatian was alive. She hated getting her nails cut and would put up quite a fight.
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Clever idea! We don’t have a dog here but I have a friend who takes her dog to the groomer to clip his nails. This would save her some money!
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This is hysterical! Now, we need one for brushing a dog’s teeth.
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That is a great invention, he should patent it 🙂 I wonder if it would work on cats, they are not fans of getting their nails done either.
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