Very weird....

... I was listening to a local morning show on the radio. They have a bit that they call "the website of the day"....then they interview the person in charge of the site.

http://www.vipfibers.com/

this is just weird....

Yuck! No offense to animal owners at all...I just think this is odd.

[migirl]

Eww... The idea of a blanket made out of my pet's "fibers" is just too creepy for me.

[Auspicious]

That makes the submissive guy in the chicken suit look positively sane. At least he was just kidding! 8O

[PrincessFiona]

Okay..as weird as it is (I don't think it tops that frightening chicken, btw) as the owner of an australian shepherd, I have actually had that thought myself...not that I'd acutally do it...BUT...whenever I brush her I get this very thick, down-like material. This winter I was joking to my husband that it would make great comforter filler...seriously....it is very, very soft...when it's brushed out it's almost like cotton...

I wouldn't do it because ....well...she's our dog...but I do admit having given the idea some thought...

kris

Well this certainly is strange. I don't have any pets either so maybe I just don't understand. I wonder what this would do to allergy sufferers, I can never remember what exactly it is that causes the reaction. Anyway, I think they should team up with dog groomers, they probably just throw away miles and miles of yarn every day...

[SueC]

Yeah, I have to admit that idea has crossed my mind as well. We have a Golden Retriever who sheds like crazy. I did use some dog hair as filler for a Barbie doll pillow that I was sewing for my daughter. I'm pretty sure that Barbie doesn't suffer from allergies so I think it turned out OK, but that is a good point regarding allergies. It would be sheer torture to make my husband sleep on a pillow made from cat hair--he is terribly allergic!

I'll admit I did shiver a little when I saw "pets that make great yarn" and saw my dogs listed. I put their hair on bushes so that birds can make nests with it, but I figure I've already got so much dog hair on the bed that it qualifies as a blanket, so I'll pass on their services.

Not quite as bizarre as the guy in the chicken suit, but definitely in the "what will they think of next" category.

*dies laughing*
OH man, that is gross yet still incredibly entertaining. Must mean that I'm still 12 inside.

I have thought about the same gross idea with my cats fur but I would NEVER do it because that's just too weird for me.

[PrincessFiona]

Well, it isn't that much different than shearing sheep to make wool for sweaters or using goose down to stuff comforters It just seems odd because they are our domesticated buddies.

kris

[Rapunzel]

Well, it isn't that much different than shearing sheep to make wool for sweaters or using goose down to stuff comforters It just seems odd because they are our domesticated buddies.

kris

True!

I don't know how many of you have gone near live sheep - but they are gross (particularly their smell)!

I think it is weird to those in our society because to some extent we attribute human characteristics to the animals we most commonly use as our pets (anthropomorphism). We even see a lot of Americans (my husband and I included) referring to their pets as "part of the family" or as their children. I think that because of this we react to that website in the same way we would react to the idea of shaving our kids' heads and making rugs or sweaters out of the hair.

Jennifer

[PrincessFiona]

I think that because of this we react to that website in the same way we would react to the idea of shaving our kids' heads and making rugs or sweaters out of the hair.

hey...now that would make an interesting rug/blanket for the kid's memory boxes

kris

This is too funny.
I have heard of people using pet hair for weaving before. One of my MIL's coworkers did this and was expressed a passing interested in our abundant supply of Labrador hair.

I'm sitting on a freakin' gold mine! Er...or dog hair mine....

[Michele]

I've actually seen sweaters and such close up. They aren't that bad....I even watched the lady spin the hair into yarn. It was neat.

People are usually allergic to the dander, not the actual hair fibers so I suppose if you washed the hair really well, it'd be fine. Sheep are disgusting and we do wear their hair!

[Auspicious]

If I had a sheep that lived in my home with my family, I don't think I'd be too interested in wearing it's wool, either. For me the squick factor in this comes from wearing the fur of an animal that's in my "domestic" realm rather than my "livestock" realm.