Knitting in the dog hairs

It's a running joke in our house that when I knit a shawl or scarf for either of my teenaged children, they're not just wrapped in wool, they're (they now say it in stereo without my prompting) "wrapped in love." Both then make loud gagging noises.

As corny as it sounds, it's true: my projects are labors of love. I love knitting and I love giving them to those I love. Recently I discovered that more than just my affection was included in my knits.

As I was weaving loose ends into the soccer-scarf-that-never-ends, I found myself picking out dog hairs which had gotten knitted in along with the soccer pattern. We have a wonderful golden retriever named Max (see photo). He sheds, of course; long, slightly wavy golden hairs which float everywhere in the house no matter how often I vacuum. It's inevitable that they'll end up in any long-term project I undertake (including my manuscripts since he sleeps beside me as I work at the word processor).

After weaving and picking for a few minutes, I stopped because it occurred to me that I should leave those little reminders of Max in the scarf. He's quite old so we won't have him around much longer. (Yes, I'm wiping away tears just thinking about it.) Even more important, he adores every member of our family with all his heart and soul. So I figure those hairs are just adding more love to everything I knit.

Does anyone else knit in their pet's fur or am I the only lunatic?