Saturday, May 10, 2003

Toronto Star
CONDO LIVING

Spray helps pet zones smell sweet. Doggone it - spring is here Product passes sniff test

By Valerie Hauch

Sunny loves to sniff and roll around her favourite leash-free zone in the Beach and gets smelly in the process. SeaYu Petrotech Odor Eliminator worked when sprayed on Sunny's cushion and carpet area where she sleeps.

In spring, the Earth awakens, softens and becomes a redolent, irresistible attraction to dogs who are driven by those big, wet, black buttons on their faces. Our dog, Sunny - the hairy result of a romantic interlude between a collie and Shepherd-cross - is never happier than when allowed to sniff around a favourite leash-free zone in the Beach where she invariably finds some lovely (to her), stinky bit of ground to roll around in. Her days on this planet being numbered due to an advanced age, we tend to hold our noses and indulge this canine quirk and clean her off at home. However, anyone with a long-haired dog knows that brushing and washing will not, cannot, remove all odeur de chien. We found that, especially in warmer weather, a certain - shall we say, piquant aroma - tended to cling to areas she frequented and lay upon, occasionally leading to perplexed, pained looks on the faces of household visitors and disconcerting commentary. "Ewww. What's that smell?" is how one of my son's 11-year-old friends put it one day as he sat down near the dog's floor cushion. We live in a house, but animal odours in smaller spaces, like condos, can be even more provocative. It was evident that something needed to be done about the dread effects of "doggie smelly belly." We decided to try a product called SeaYu Petrotech Odor Eliminator, which promises to eliminate odours, not mask them. It comes in a non-aerosol can in two versions. One delivers a mist spray good for a big area, like the dog cushion, while the other is a direct spray, for where a pet has a urinary accident on a rug, for instance. The product's Web site (www.Sea-Yu.com) tells how it works. The patented formula can be used on any hydrocarbon-based odour sources, such as animal and human urine, cat and skunk spray, smoke, decayed food and organic materials. The spray apparently "encapsulates" the smell, accelerating "the biodegradation process of the odour." I don't know about that, but it does work. Spraying our dog's cushion and the carpet area where she sleeps did eliminate the smell. It was also effective on deodorizing the cat's litter box, always a Herculean task. The maker, SeaYu Enterprises, Inc. of San Francisco, says the product is all natural, non-toxic and non-carcinogenic. It's not cheap. A 16-ounce can costs $12.95 and is available by mail order through Pet Supply House Ltd. in Guelph (www.petsupplyhouse.com).

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