Household boundaries: When sanitary means sanity

I have a steadfast theory on bathrooms: there are two things that don't belong in this very private space. Item No. 1 is food. This rule was reinforced while I was living with my sister. I nearly had a fit of disgust every time I saw a plate... yes, I kid you not... a plate decorated with little crumbs and smears of ketchup situated on the sink of my sister's bathroom. Simply stated, where things come out, things don't need to be coming in. It's a rule of thumb that just makes sense. There are specific rooms where eating is acceptable in the home - the area where your toilet resides is not one of those rooms.

Thing No. 2, and the subject of this blog, is animals. Call me crazy, but if I see a fly in a bathroom, that fly is destined for a swift death - or I'm not in there. It creeps me out to no end when an animal is around when I shower. Our most loyal dog Ellie will sneak in and lie on the bathmat while I'm showering, which I used to think was a weird mix of endearing and creepy. Now it's just gross and creepy.

Below: Do you really belong there, or is Mom letting you get away with it?

Animals, even the ones we love the most, are not the best models for personal hygiene. If their feet have been in dirty places, they are dragging dirt and germs into spaces where you are meant to get yourself clean for the day. Linus drops drool, sheds hair and carries along whatever germs he's picked up from the outside wherever her roams. He doesn't wash his hands or carry antibacterial soap, although, wouldn't it be nice if he did?

Now, generally, I am a pretty lax pet owner when it comes to pets in my spaces. Our pack currently has reign to jump on the couch, go to the basement and even cuddle on the beds for short periods (that's excluding Dad's bed). I'm not worried about kisses on faces or paws pattering through the kitchen. If I lived so uptight that I couldn't allow my dog to enjoy the space we share, then he wouldn't be a true member of the family.

With that said, I am fully aware that dogs should have boundaries in the household. It's something, now that we have a new living space, I need to consider to keep the human side of our family happy. We had a rude awakening after we hired a cleaning lady to thoroughy sweep our hunter green living room carpet last week. That very afternoon, Linus jovially entered and romped like a rolling pin across the carpet. As cute as this was, I dreaded being a witness as he painted the carpet with bits of creamy hair. Further strife ensued when all three dogs bombarded the kitchen to get a shot at some drippings as I loaded dishwasher. Dad has ZERO TOLERANCE for this: he kicks, yells and shoos them out of there. I'm beginning to be convinced, new boundaries need to be set for those spaces where our animals become nuances.

For sanity and my sanitary reasons, I am going to do a series of blogs on how to monitor your dog's boundaries in the home. My first question to readers is: Where, in your home, is off limits to your dog? Where do dogs NOT belong?