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.

Rescuer6394,

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

scytale,

I always get zapped when touching anything metal during the winter, so what I do is touch the drywall first before touching something I know will trigger the charge. Seems to work for me.

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

I do have walls… I’ll try that

NatakuNox,
@NatakuNox@lemmy.world avatar

Dryer sheets and fabric softener will reduce the potential for stadic electricity in your fabrics.

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

That’s very American advice I’m afraid. Here we just put our washing out until it catches on fire

NatakuNox,
@NatakuNox@lemmy.world avatar

Our air quality is so bad most Americans (even if they have the space for a clothing line) can’t hang their clothes to dry. They’ll come out smelling.

mwknight,

This happened with my cat often enough that once I went to pet him and saw him wince from my hand 😢

So after that I started doing the same things suggested here Try touching stuff around your house to see what discharges you, but also what I got in the habit of doing was tapping my cat on the back haunch before petting him. That discharged me in a much more manageable place for him and then subsequent skritches were still pleasant and appreciated.

I’ve tried for years to figure out how to lower the static electricity in my house, but keep coming up empty. I think it’s the combination of rubber-soled slippers, carpeting and anti-static mats in the office. So at my desk, I have ran a thin sliver of tinfoil along the edge and grounded that, so when I sit it discharges through there instead of my computer.

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

You’re lovely. What a nice modification you’ve made for your and your pet.

I’m just a dickhead drinking on my couch and the UGGs are only for a few months. Then it’s thongs (that’s flip flops for you other colony types) for the rest of the year

squaresinger,

Why do you wear boots on the couch? Or indoors at all?

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

UGGs boots are slippers :)

squaresinger,

Ah, that makes more sense^^ Never heard of that brand or the term.

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

Invented by Surfers I believe. An interesting history with many fights over the IP

local_taxi_fix,

I usually go with the light switch/outlet screw but you said those are covered. There must be grounded metal somewhere in your house. The microwave body, a pipe or faucet, you could even get one of those grounding wrist straps that plug into the ground port on your wall socket.

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

I could try the microwave? It’s very plastic though …

colournoun,

There will be metal parts on the microwave somewhere, and they will be properly grounded into the power socket. Maybe the back panel.

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

Haha I can’t pull my microwave out of its home(?) As a regular thing

local_taxi_fix,

If it’s attached to the wall theres probably bare metal on the bottom, and if not there’s definitely some on the inside when you open the door. Just any bare metal on it.

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.

SatansInteriorDsgnr,

Here’s one similar to the one I had! www.ebay.com/itm/404424220236

qtj,

You can look for ESD heel & shoe straps. They are relatively cheap and help you discharge while walking around or buy shoes that are ESD rated in the first place.

ithas,
@ithas@artemis.camp avatar

I have a metal coffee table that I tap every time I get up. Maybe something similar if not that, like an end table next to your couch?

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

I do have a little table which I think has metal legs. Forgot it was there to be fair… Worth a try!

PhatalFlaw,

Your heat sources are usually grounded, either forced air or radiators, so touch the vent/radiator on the way back with that fresh beer, and that should help.

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

They’re in the ceiling and I’m barely 5 foot tall!

NOT_RICK,
@NOT_RICK@lemmy.world avatar

Increasing the humidity in your house will also help limit the static buildup. Just don’t increase it so much you get a ton of condensation on the windows

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

My asthma could not deal or I’d move to Queensland

Kanzar,

I thought humid was good for asthma. 🫣

pmtriste,

I have a coworker who regularly wears an anti-static wrist strap that he attaches to grounding points on furniture. I’m not quite as staticy myself, so I usually just tap the screw on the light switches when I pass by during high static months. That’s usually grounded.

boogetyboo,
@boogetyboo@aussie.zone avatar

No accessible screws in our light switches

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