Labrador Retriever

Those who have followed this blog for any time know the struggle I have had getting pet hair off my carpeting, floors and furniture. It has been a hot topic for me.

This blog contains Amazon affiliate links. ❤️ This is NOT a sponsored post. It is simply my unsolicited story.

I love my dogs and I love their fur–when it stays on them. I do NOT love dog fur when it is on everything else. So, I have been on a quest for ☑️ THE BEST PET HAIR VACUUM for a long time – and I finally found it! This is the wonderful one that I own in 2025 and have used, now, for years. Still operates like its NEW!

2025 UPDATE: THIS ONE has LED lights added so you can really see everything that needs to be picked up! Interested in the one with a SELF CLEANING BRUSH ROLL? Click here!

2025 BEST Pet Hair Vacuum I have ever used

Before I found this amazing vacuum, I did get a couple of tools that truly helped minimize the problem. I bought a Furminator -which is great for grooming your dog and de-shedding some of its excess fur. I also discovered Arm & Hammer’s Pet Fresh powder for carpets. This product does a really good job lifting the pet fur from the carpet as you vacuum it. The powder deodorizes the carpet, too. Bailey, my most recent dog, is a bit sensitive to products – her eyes react – so I have discontinued using it for her sake. Lexi and Sadie were always A-OK

For the longest time, though, I did NOT have a great vacuum cleaner to use. In fact, the various vacuums I had tried were mediocre, at best. Though they were top filling and “HEPA filtered,” they lost their suction power early in the game. Lint and fur were left behind no matter how many times I passed that vacuum over the same area. Have you ever had that problem? It is so frustrating.

Before I Found the BEST Vacuum, Wait Till You Hear What Happened to the One I THOUGHT I Liked!

Next, in my journey to finding this TRULY best vacuum cleaner, I did find one that I really liked. When the first one became hopelessly clogged with dirt and debris, I bought another of the same kind because, when it worked, it worked well.

That second one actually CAUGHT ON FIRE! I am not kidding. Blue smoke started coming out and it was seconds from flames, I am sure of it. I unplugged that baby really fast and never tried to use it again. In fact, before discarding it I cut the cord to render it inoperable. I didn’t want someone taking this dangerous vacuum cleaner out of the garbage, thinking they’d found a treasure. Having learned my lesson, I never bought another one of that unnamed brand of vacuums again.

The Best Vacuum For Pet Hair

So, that is when I started to ask around. I was hearing very good reports about the Shark Navigator Liftaway Vacuum from some of my friends. They told me that they were thrilled with the results. I became very hopeful. This one is the basic model, which I still use.

Then I discovered that my own sister-in-law had one! She hadn’t even used it yet. She was going out of town and wouldn’t be using it for a while so I asked the unthinkable–could I borrow her brand new Shark vacuum for a day? She said “yes.” I love my sister-in-law!!!

I didn’t even have the directions but it was so easy to assemble that I figured it out on my own. I first tried it on my NAVY BLUE carpeting. Well, at least my carpet should have been navy blue. It was covered in white fur from my beautiful yellow lab, Sadie the “fur-making-machine,” so you wouldn’t know what color it really was. Labs shed like crazy! At the time, my floor was covered and EMBEDDED with lots of white dog fur!

So, I vacuumed it. Within moments, the carpet was totally clean. It was the completely restored to that gorgeous navy blue color I loved. Wow! I was excited!

Now, this part really sold me: emptying the canister!

My happiest discovery was the PLEASURE of emptying the canister, which was now filled with dirt, lint and fur. (Got to really test it so I vacuumed till it was super full!) With the flip of two latches and press of a button, the canister released from the housing, and popped open as I held it over a trash can. “WHOOSH” — all the debris swept out into the trash. NO DIRT GOT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE CANISTER. No cloud of dust in the air. Just clean, clean, clean! And the canister opens from top and bottom so nothing gets left inside. It all goes!

yellow lab puppy

Yellow labs make LOTS of fur!

The Shark Upright Navigator Lift-Away Vacuum is:

Lightweight
Easy to maneuver
Simple to use
Thorough in cleaning
Never loses suction
Internally sealed–no dirt escapes it
Stores easily
Empties brilliantly! What a great design!
Various styles available. All are very reasonably priced in a range from about $149.00 to $340 retail.

. …

2025 Update=> This one has LED Lights, HEPA filter and easy to maneuver!

Do you love your vacuum cleaner? What kind do you have? Share your experiences with us in the comments!

The very BEST vacuum cleaner I have ever used for pet hair! #cleaningtips #vacuum #dogs #cats And wait till you empty it! A dream come true. Share on X

Shark NV752 Rotator Powered Lift-Away TruePet Upright Vacuum with HEPA Filter, Large Dust Cup Capacity, LED Headlights, Upholstery Tool, Perfect Pet Power Brush & Crevice Tool, Bordeaux

Enjoy!

I Miss My Dog

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Our neighbor may be getting a 12 week old puppy named Ivy. She looks like this. A beautiful black lab — except no white on her. Just as cute as this little lady is, though. Adorable!

Seeing her picture reminded me of how much I miss my dog, Lexi.

Lexi was our 135 pound, awesome English yellow lab. What a sweetheart. When she’d come up to me and gaze into my eyes it was like she could see into my heart. There was strong communication there.

When Lexi joined our family, she was probably 4 years old. Her age was an unknown because she had been held captive in a puppy mill. Living in something like a chicken coop, she gave birth to litter after litter.

Her owners looked at dogs much differently than you and I. Dogs came under the category of cattle or other farm animals and that’s how they treated her. They didn’t give her a name or record her birth-date. She had never been on a lawn, in a house or even played with a toy. She ate out of a trough. So, when she was rescued, along with the other adult dogs they had, she was in the Letter L group. Our son was the one who named her Lexi.

Lexi was rescued by a wonderful organization – Rudy’s Rescue. Previously, I had been in touch with them, expressing our desire to adopt another yellow lab like Blondie. Oh, I knew the next one wouldn’t be exactly like her but I was hoping and praying to find one a lot like her.

Blondie’s Story

Our first lab, Blondie, had died at 10 years old. We missed Blondie terribly.

We had her from a pup and saw her through 5 years of diabetes that included her going blind in one horrible day! That is a whole nuther story but suffice it to say that we were able to get her surgery and she regained her sight!

After years of caring for her needs meticulously, we were knit so close with her. Her loss was huge. I’d “see” her everywhere. In her favorite napping spot. Outdoors. Indoors. In my dreams.

Lexi’s Story

Amy is the name of Lexi’s rescuer. Her group became aware of this puppy mill and the horrible conditions the dogs were living in. She saw Lexi in the chicken coop and, over time, negotiated her release, along with the other adult dogs (the pups were sold, I assume.) She knew of my search and sent me a picture saying “this may be the one.” I could hardly wait to meet her. She was the one. Lexi and Blondie could have been twins.

It took Lexi a long time to become a “real dog.” She was so traumatized that she was in shock, I think. Her eyes were glazed over and she cowered in her crate, where she felt safe. She took to our youngest son, Zack, right away.

The first time she barked, I cried. Finally! She sounded like a dog! A couple of weeks later she began to trust me and it was another 2 years for her to warm up to anyone else in the family, including my husband. That was a long, hard wait for him. He missed Blondie as much as I did. When she finally felt safe with him, he became her best buddy. She loved him dearly and had to have “daddy time” every evening. She insisted on it, bumping his arm whenever he stopped petting her. She wanted more!

Fun “Lexi” story: Lexi, the Skunk and Me

Big girl Lexi with her new little pal, Sadie

Sadie’s Story

Sadie: so tiny!

Next, we got a puppy. Sadie. Another yellow lab. Sadie made all of our lives complete. Lexi was the mommy. Sadie followed her like a little puppy should. They slept together. Guarded the house together. Played together. It was perfect.

Big Lexi napping in her crate with puppy Sadie

Lexi and Sadie taking a little snooze.

But, in January 2015, the inevitable happened.

Lexi died of cancer.

Lexi got rectal cancer. I should have known something was wrong long before I did. She’d groan a lot but I attributed it to old age. Eventually, the problem became visible and the doctor confirmed she had cancer. We kept her comfortable with pain killers and babied her as best we could. Eventually, it became obvious that she shouldn’t have to keep on going like that. It was time.

She was in so much pain, her breathing labored. I had to do the very thing I did not want to do: make the appointment. Saying goodbye was going to be hard but it couldn’t wait.

I set it for 3:00 pm that day but I prayed. “Lord, she feels safe here with me. Please take her here before we have to go.” And, softly petting her head, I told Lexi it was OK to go. I would see her again. She lay right at my feet in the kitchen and breathed her last. God answered my prayers and she was gone. I will always be grateful for that.

Sadie isn’t quite the same, now. She misses Lexi, too. I think Lexi’s strength was her security. She could boldly bark at strangers, and hide behind Lexi. That type of thing. It is as if part of her personality left with Lexi.

We do have our sons dogs, Murphy & Troy, come for playdates – which she loves – and my granddogs, Indie and Bear come over and my brother’s dog, Jake, comes by, too. But seeing Ivy’s picture today reminded me that we have a puppy-sized hole that needs to be filled. Not just now, not yet. But someday soon, I hope.

Enjoy!

Note: this blog includes affiliate links ⇒ what that means

Hide-A-Squirrel: Fun Interactive Toy That Makes Your Dog Think

The Best Vacuum For Pet Hair I Have Ever Used

Before I Found the BEST Vacuum, Wait Till You Hear What Happened to the One I THOUGHT I Liked!

The Best Vacuum For Pet Hair

Now, this part really sold me: emptying the canister!

The Shark Upright Navigator Lift-Away Vacuum is:

I Miss My Dog