Dogs that smell like corn chips

In Dogs I Have Met, I write at one point about how when Brando was younger, I thought he smelled like Christmas cookies. But most people seem to think their dogs smell like corn chips. I mentioned this to my newly dog obsessed friend Elizabeth Crane and she thought I was crazy--and then confessed that her dog Percy had paws that smelled like corn chips. I was reminded of all of this today when I got an email from a reader who gasped at that passage, because she is obsessed with dog paws and their corn chip smell.

Elizabeth has a new book out today: You Must Be This Happy To Enter.
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Anonymous said…
Dogs who live in carpeted dwellings smell like corn chips. We do have a dog who has corn chip smelling paws, but that was after she ate the bag of corn chips. If we could only do something for their catfish smelling breathe. Try Altoids, mint flavor.
10:11 AM
Ken Foster said…
My dogs don't have carpeting. And neither does Percy. Hmmm. The mystery deepens.
10:14 AM
Anonymous said…
My dogs smell like coffee and chocolate.
11:35 AM
MHaus said…
My Parker's paws have always smelled like Fritos. I have hardwoood floors, so I don't know about the carpet connection.
8:22 PM
Anonymous said…
I was told years ago that it was "a pit bull thing" but I'm not sure if it is... maybe I'll do an experiment next time I'm bathing/grooming dogs at the shelter (AFTER they're cleaned up of course :-p)

And yes, for the record, trap Jack's paws also smell like corn chips :)
2:38 PM
Anonymous said…
I have four dogs. A pit bull, a lab, a shar pei mix, and a husky mix. They ALL have Frito paws! Well, except for the lab.. her paws are sometimes more eau de Doritos. No carpeting here either.
7:41 PM
Anonymous said…
Fritos. Definitely Fritos.

Am here to caution against mint Altoids. I actually tried this once. The results? Refreshingly minty doggy breath, followed by projectile vomiting.
9:58 PM
Anonymous said…
We have two wiener dogs, who both have the eau de Frito, especially when they're sleepy and toasty. And we have pergo floors and rugs, so I'm not sure if that's it or not.
The weird thing is, when our dogs start smelling like corn chips, it has a sedative effect--on them and on us. They've been known to send an entire room of movie-watchers off to the Land of Nod.
11:03 AM
Kris said…
I have no clue my dog's paws smell like. She's not big on having her feet touched, because it usually means the nail clippers are coming out. I'll have to take a whiff soon and see if they smell like corn chips.
8:29 PM
Elizabeth Crane said…
This is so funny. I came back to say that our newest discovery is that Percy's tummy smells like something different every day. The other day it smelled like cupcakes and flowers. Last night it smelled like a wood fire.
8:16 AM
ensie said…
My pit mix (that we adopted from a rescue organization that saves dog in Tijuana) smells like maple syrup, but I've heard the corn chips thing a lot!
4:59 PM
zzyzzx_road said…
Oh yes! My mini-schnauzer starts to smell like corn chips when he gets on the dirty side of bath-time. I don't think it's paws though. I smell it comes from his neck area. Smells good.

My daughter's sheltie doesn't have the same dirty smell at all...he just smells like a really stinky dog that needs a bath. Phew!

An odd thing that my mini-schnauzer likes to do is smell breath. He's a nut about this. He does this with everyone he likes. He's not a licker, so won't lick faces, but he does enjoy a good breath sniff. Pretty funny.
7:46 PM
claire teschel said…
This is great! My lab mix Gann smells like Fritos and maple syrup. I always wondered if I was just imagining it. I'm glad to hear other pups have the same issue.
1:59 PM
Anna said…
Someone thought I was completely crazy for thinking that my dog's paws smelled like corn chips. This post makes me feel so much better.
7:36 AM
Isaac J. Moore, Jr. said…
I have a chiquaqua/pomeranian mix named "Chyna". Due to the fact that she smells like Fritos between washings, I nicknamed her "Corn Chips". Now, she responds to both "Chyna" and "Corn Chips".
6:53 PM
Chapps said…
Well, my dog now smells like maple syrup after running down into a canyon off Griffith Park (L.A.) into all of the fresh, green growth. I came home last night and the whole place smelled like sweet maple syrup.

Took me a bit, but when my dog jumped up and kissed me, I noticed that it permeated her coat. It was most noticeable around her head (the part that smashes through all of the plants), and even on her breath. It's already wearing off a bit after a day, but I'll bet that it'll come back again if she goes back into the brush. I've heard that it might be the flower of the plant Gnaphalium californicum, which is blooming right now in the California hills. Either that or sugar maple ...
6:42 PM
Anonymous said…
My chihuahua smells like cheetos. No matter how many baths i give it, within a day she smells like cheetos again. My wifes last chihuahua, god rest her soul, smelled like fritos. Why do these dogs all smell like corn chip products?
11:21 PM
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