Last week, a rather unfortunate incident unfolded in our home, one that has taken me a while to fully process and articulate. It all began with a routine night of letting our trusty Roomba do its cleaning magic—until it inadvertently stumbled upon a fresh pile of dog waste. This tale of robotic misadventure has taken the internet by storm, showcasing a comical disaster that many pet owners can relate to.
Who wouldn’t want a Roomba? This handy little vacuum cleaner glides effortlessly across floors, navigating furniture and corners with ease. Its near-silent operation makes it the perfect choice for cleaning during the night, allowing you to wake up to a spotless home. That is, unless there’s a pile of dog poop right in its path.
When Jesse Turner, the unfortunate owner of a Roomba, encountered his own “Poopocalypse,” he learned firsthand what can happen when a robotic vacuum meets canine excrement. He warns other Roomba owners to heed this advice: “Never, under any circumstances, let your Roomba run over dog poop.”
The saga unfolded at 1:30 AM, while his family was fast asleep. It wasn’t until his four-year-old son crawled into bed at 3 AM, smelling distinctly of dog waste, that Jesse realized the gravity of the situation. “You walk into the living room and feel a strange grit underfoot, only to find your Roomba perched proudly in the middle of the floor, glowing green as if nothing were wrong,” he recounts.
The horror of the scene quickly jolted him awake. Anyone with a dog knows that even the smallest trace of poop can leave a lingering odor, so the idea of having it spread throughout the house was unbearable. Naturally, Jesse prioritized cleaning his son first, scrubbing the mess off his little feet. However, as he prepared for the inevitable cleanup, he knew what was coming—an overwhelming wave of chaos akin to a freight train barreling toward him.
Most people would likely roll over and go back to sleep, but Jesse couldn’t ignore the disaster unfolding in his living room. “You start cleaning the Roomba, tossing it into the bathtub for a soak. As you disassemble it piece by piece, you can’t help but wonder when you became an adult responsible for a 3:30 AM Roomba cleanup,” he said.
At this point, the situation escalated. The remnants of the dog mess were now smeared up to his elbows, and he soon realized he had forgotten to remove the battery before immersing the device in water. “You find yourself cursing in ways you didn’t think possible, inventing new swear words that would make even the devil cringe,” he humorously adds.
The cleanup got even more intense as he fetched the carpet shampooer, only to discover that the rug—the very source of the disaster—was beyond saving. “That rug is going in the trash, but I still had to shampoo it because I knew my wife would ask if I tried to clean it first,” he laments.
There’s much more to Jesse’s tale, including the countless paper towels used, the steam mop that got brought into action, and a toothbrush that had its own part to play. The best part? He was able to get a full replacement for his damaged Roomba, all because he was upfront about the “Pooptastrophe” that had nearly caused a household meltdown.
If you’re a fellow dog owner or considering home insemination, you might want to check out resources like this excellent guide on donor insemination or learn more about home insemination kits for your family planning. And speaking of family, it’s important to document milestones, like a child’s first haircut, and you can find helpful tips on that here.
In summary, this story serves as a hilarious reminder of the unpredictability of pet ownership and the lengths one will go to in order to maintain a clean home—even at the most inconvenient of hours.