Help me stop accidentally hurting my dog

I wear UGG boots in winter because it’s fucking cold.

I also wrap myself in a blanket on the couch, and have a lovely area rug so I don’t have to walk on a cold floor. All these things are necessary to survive the winter; my house isn’t well insulated.

The problem with all this, is that I build up a static charge. So when I go to pat my beautiful sweetheart of a dog, I zap him. It’s audible and I’m sure, quite unpleasant. Often on the head. He obviously doesn’t like that, I think he’s taking it personally, and I feel awful. It completely cancels out the affection I’m trying to show him.

So the question for the Lemmy community is:

How do I discharge the static before I pat my dog? I have started shocking my partner (which he doesn’t like, but accepts over the alternative), before patting my dog. But as he’s out tonight, I have no human vessel to offer as tribute?

What can I touch in my house before patting my dog so that he doesn’t receive a shock?

Edit: standard Australian house and furniture

Another edit: I’m all the sheets to the wind so the engineering advice is not sinking in. But I’m loving the immediate response that I’d never have gotten on Deaddit.

Again: I can’t stop giggling at how helpful everyone is being and how short m, drunk and silly I am, in a house with apparently no metal

And again: I should probably take me and my baby to bed now, but a big thank you to everyone who replied. You’ve all been lovely. Lemmy is really a different space to ask these questions! I’ll be trying out many of your suggestions over the weekend; big thanks from me and my boy x

Final: thanks to everyone who responded. I did try the kitchen tap again last night and this time it worked! Mustn’t have built up enough charge when I tried the night I posted. I will still primarily zap my partner’s leg as it’s usually closer and doing it makes me laugh. It’s important he understands where he fits in the household hierarchy as well. I also learnt that American houses are very different (screws and radiators everywhere!) so that was interesting too.

FooBarrington,

Get a second dog which you pet before the other one?

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

I think this is my favourite suggestion

TWeaK,

Touch a radiator. Radiators should be earthed. You can also touch the screws on light switches and sockets, or your sink or stove. Any earthed metal, metal appliances (eg kettles and toasters) should work also. They have to be plugged in, but don’t need to be on.

jasondj,

This is it.

Also a humidifier may help. Static builds up more in dry air.

Skymt,

Touch it with a key or something conductive to avoid getting zapped yourself.

thepreciousboar,

If you really don’t have anything metal in your house (metal sinks or any appliance with an outer metal shell that should be grounded), grab an extension cord, cut it and completely remove any cable that is not the yellow and geeen one, that is the earth cable (assuming in Australia that is the correct color scheme), expose that wire and touch it to discharge. Make sure the other cables are in no way exposed. If yoy want to be extra safe, buy a plug and only connect the earth cable.

/s of course, don’t do that unless you know your way around AC power

klingelstreich,
@klingelstreich@feddit.de avatar

I’m so nervous reading this

Maalus,

No point in being nervous. You can just touch the earth prong on a plugged in extension cord, the cutting part is pointless unless you plan to stick something metal down one hole.

thepreciousboar,

On australian sockets the earth is not exposed, so not as easy

Rescuer6394,

touch a wall with the palm of your hand for a couple of seconds.

ChaoticEntropy,
@ChaoticEntropy@feddit.uk avatar

On the plus side, your dog must be convinced that you are a wizard. You need something to ground yourself on.

adj16,

I have no advice for you, as I live in a very humid place without very much risk of static shocks. I just want to say this question and post are hilarious.

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

Haha I admit to using a ragebait headline for attention

Chainweasel,

There might be a solution in their comment though, do you have a humidifier?

sp00nix,

This is the way. My last place was so dry, I would get zapped touching the metal frame in my desk and reboot my PC. I installed a humidifier into the central heat, no more zaps!

MrGerrit,

If by any chance you have wall sockets with the ground connection exposed, you could touch that before petting the good boy/girl.

https://feddit.nl/pictrs/image/1eb7d605-2ee4-4d76-8c88-4bd413432c88.jpeg

AlgeriaWorblebot,

Not in Australia, but good suggestion in some other countries!

OADINC,

Same thing for radiators and their supply/return lines. Those should be grounded as well. Also the sink.

MidnightAppetite,

I am not well versed enough in electrical engineering to say if this is actually safe, but telling someone to stick their electrically charged fingers in a plug socket is probably the most hilarious response in this thread

azertyfun,

Static electricity is unrelated to the danger of a socket.

Furthermore, all the exposed conductors on a socket built in the last 50+ years should be ground. Otherwise people (especially children) would kill themselves all the time. Modern plugs won’t even allow you to reach the live wire without pressing against both holes at once.

However North American plugs have an enormous design flaw, where half plugged-in appliances can expose current on the exposed pins of the plug (which is why modern plugs have a partial rubber coating).

Mothra,
@Mothra@mander.xyz avatar

I remember getting zapped like that when I was a child, unplugging an old lamp that didn’t have the coating on the plug. It was just a scare fortunately.

rbesfe,

You don’t need to be versed in electrical engineering to know the basic fact that electrical sockets are impossible to hurt yourself with just by sticking your fingers near the holes

Wea,
@Wea@lemmy.world avatar

Can you touch the wall with your full palm before touching your pup and see if that helps?

riku12124,

Do you have a desktop computer? If so, and you know where the power supply is, you could touch the metal grate on that. The power supply will be earthed due to requiring a ground, and the cage itself is properly made so maintenance can be done safely by connecting an ESD wrist strap to the power supply cage.

If you don't feel or hear a shock, you have not discharged.

If you have more patience, you can wash your hands for 2 minutes and you wouldn't be statically charged. Though, that may be really cold as an after affect.

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

Computer is so far away and dog is so close and gorgeous

Cold water on this skin? No thanks. I’ll set myself on fire instead … At least I’ll be warm for the rest of my life

Thisfox,

You could just use the hot tap as well as the cold one.

quindraco,

Anything conductive and grounded. For example, a lamp with a steel or copper body.

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

Hmm all cheap lamps in this basic bitch’s house

Thisfox,

Yeah they might be cheap, but there is a grounding law here in Australia, so legally those cheap Canberra lamps are required to have a ground. Personally I would recommend your front door, but knowing Canberra your pot plant might be more accessible.

krigo666,

Simple, just touch the ground. That’s what your dog conducts to. Just take the dog out the equation.

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

I like him in the equation though?

What ground? The floor? Carpet?? Do I have to go outside? It’s raining

Papanca,

This sentence made me lol!

On a more serious note: when i remember to do it, i take my keys - which are always in my pocket - and touch a metal door knob with them.

Papanca,

Or the tap

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

Tap didn’t work, but I have metal door handles… But my keys aren’t usually in my pocket when I’m drinking on the couch watching Germany defeat USA in the basketball

elxeno,

Whatever the dog is standing on when it gets shocked, if u touch that u discharge directly instead of going though the dog.

mayonaise_met,

You’re in Australia right? Can’t be that cold, just tough it out.

Just kidding, personal heating is a very good solution to being cold. It’s much better for the environment and your wallet than heating your house/room.

I use electric blankets though no UGGs. Except rare occasions, my cats don’t get zapped. Have you tried going without and see if it makes a difference?

loaExMachina,

You can touch a sink to discharge!

NorthWestWind,
@NorthWestWind@iusearchlinux.fyi avatar

Hold your key’s metal part and touch some other metal that is earthed to discharge yourself.

By holding the key, you provide a way bigger surface area for transferring the charge, so it won’t hurt you.

Sacha,

Oh man, I feel this one. I moved to a colder climate with my cat in winter and every time I pet her, if I got close to her ears… zap. She was always like ??? About it.

One day it just stopped happening one day and I’m not sure why. So I don’t really have any advice.

You could try rubber soled footwear instead?

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

UGGs are the key to survival in a Canberra winter climate I’m afraid.

Sacha,

Do you have access to those super thick insulated socks? Could allow you to wear those house slippers with a rubber sole.

I live in Canada and those socks are too hot in the dead of winter for me.

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

I should’ve mentioned I’m super unco with bad knees, so the stability of the UGGs is one of the only reasons I’m upright/not dead

Sacha,

Ah! Darn. I’m sorry.

Hope you figure something out!

Sacha,

Ah! Darn. I’m sorry.

Hope you figure something out!

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

You’re great. Have an excellent (insert your time of day/night)

Lord_ToRA,
@Lord_ToRA@lemmy.world avatar

There are other insulated shoes/slippers that are not UGGs. I have some Sorel slippers with wool lining and leather on the outside.

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