If you have ever had a canine in your care that is tall enough to reach the toilet you’ve had the following moment of horror wash over you: Dog trots in the house, you and dog have a fun little reunion full of snuggles and cuddles, you go back to doing what you were doing, you realize you don’t know where dog went, you search for dog, you see bathroom door open, you hear what you think is splashing, you walk in bathroom to see dog, face in toilet, quenching thirst, horror washes over you, you gag, close lid, dog is no longer thirsty and now wants to lap you in the face.

Based on this all-too-common scenario Raise A Paw questions, Why Do Dogs Dig Drinking Outta The Toilet?

Okay, well for one thing dogs don’t know it’s a toilet in the sense that you and I know what a toilet both is and what a toilet is used for. These are animals that do their business in the grass and out in the wide open and will snack on your cat’s feces if given the opportunity so frankly they could give a damn that it’s a toilet.

You see, the Ol’ Throne is made (or typically made) from porcelain. Porcelain is a material that keeps the liquid inside of it cooler for a longer amount of time than your dog’s typical water dish. Additionally, the water in the toilet tends to be fresher as it’s flushed often and new water is brought in. That’s a contrast to filling your pup’s water dish up in the morning and letting it sit all day where it gets warm and stagnant. Seems man and beast alike both enjoy their water fresh.

Of course if you’d rather Fido just drink from his bowl there are things that you can do to make that happen. Purchase a different type of bowl such as a porcelain or stainless steel one instead of a plastic one so the water stays cooler longer or put ice cubes in your dog’s water for the same result. Refrain from putting the dish in the sun and keep it in a spot that’s covered in shade or that’s inside. If all else fails, well, then just keep the lid down. Or if you thought it was funny the time you trained your dog to flip the lid open and now regret it then smarten up and keep the bathroom door closed. If you trained your pooch to open the bathroom door, well, then that dog is a genius and I should hope you’ve put that video on YouTube.

It’s probably best to get in this practice even if it doesn’t gross you out as there is (hopefully) a strong chance that you have cleaned your latrine a time or two and it has chemical residue in it that you don’t want your pet to drink as they can be harmful for a pup to ingest. So as a favor to Man’s Best Friend (and frustrated wives around the world)  just keep a lid on it.

Image: chrissthegirl