• by P.J. Bednarski  @pjbtweet, September 28, 2020

Procter & Gamble is now marketing  Bounce Pet Hair and Lint Guard dryer sheets that it claims will help keep dog and cat fur from clinging to clothing. Apparently, shedding is a problem that keeps some people from adopting pets.

The brand says the new fur-fighting sheets have  “3X more hair and lint fighting ingredients than the leading dryer sheet” — which, as an asterisk on the press release points out, is the regular Bounce sheet.

Bounce is teaming with North Shore Animal League America, the nation’s largest no-kill rescue and adoption agency based in Port Washington, NY, to help the adoption cause during Adopt A Shelter Dog Month.

“When it comes to pets and clothes, shedding is one of the biggest challenges for pet owners,” said Shivani Kanneganti, North America fabric care senior brand director, explaining that the new dryer sheets may lessen objection in some homes. 

Pet adoptions are reportedly at an all-time high as more Americans spend more time at home because of COVID-19 restrictions. 

Throughout October, Bounce Pet is sponsoring adoptions at participating North Shore Animal League America shelter partners nationwide. The brand will pay up to $25,000 in adoption fees, part of its, “Bounce Home with Your Adopted Pet” program. Up to 500 approved adopters will receive $50 off their adoption fee as well as samples of Bounce Pet Hair and Lint Guard.

As the coronavirus crisis deepened, getting a dog became as hard as it is to now buy a bicycle in some parts of the country. The Washington Post last month compared the current pet adoption frenzy to  the “Cabbage Patch Kids craze of 1985” and The “Tickle Me Elmo mania of 1996.”

According to a 2012 survey of people who have never had a dog, 30% said both “cleaning” and “lifestyle” were their top objections. And shedding shows up on a lot of informal lists of reasons that dogs aren’t a total blast. 

So there are a number of supplements on the market that claim they can at least minimize shedding with products that promote a healthy dog or cat coat.  Still, pets are supposed to shed.