I bought a pair of gardening gloves a few weeks ago, the kind that are nylon/cloth on the back of the hand, but have sueded leather palms and fingertips. I really like them, they are comfortable and tough enough to wear while pruning roses. However, today, I got them wet and after an hour or so I was beginning to wonder if my neighbor's dog was in my garden because I smelled a very strong and definite odor of dog. It was coming from my gloves. This makes me extremely uneasy. These gloves (as so much else) were made in China. Is the unthinkable possible? Do the Chinese use dog skin in making gloves? I have had calfskin and goatskin gloves and I have never ever smelled anything like this coming from them, wet or dry. I do know I will not be being that particular brand again. Any comments?

Um, er. China is a nice place. Lots of history.
I personally opt to not buy items manufactured in that country if the same or similar item is available as a US made product.
That being said, I usually look for gloves made of pigskin, deerskin or cowhide depending on the chore/work the gloves are used for.

Have you ever seen the movie/film titled 'Mondo Cane'? It was a 'shockumentary'.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt00...
Here in the US (where I live) we have a whole different attitude towards dogs/canines than in many other countries.
What is normal here may not be normal elsewhere.

It was only about 5 years ago that some fur-trimmed coats were removed from US stores as the fur turned out to be dog. (Sorry. )

I don't know about dog hide gloves, I have purchased some leather gloves and when they got wet, they stuck to high heaven, plus left my hands with a yellow orange stain. I tried my best to wear them out before tossing them, but the odor was just to strong.

I too don't know where the leather was sourced. When it comes to China, nothing surprises me though. The odor could have been caused by chemicals used in the tanning/preserving of the leather. I just don't know.

The Chinese are the folks who paint kids' toys with lead, so yeah, anything is possible.

So, please remember that in China, GMO foods must be labeled, but here in the US, Monsanto spends millions of dollars per year to prevent that from happening. IDK what's going on with your gloves, but apparently in China, they're OK, lead painted toys are OK, but it's necessary to let people know if their foods have GMO ingredients. Extremely powerful info to consider, IMVHO.

I'm not sure what the GMO controversy has to do with gloves. By the way, perhaps there is a label inside the gloves that says what the leather is.

Agreed, it has nothing to do with the gloves, other than in the way I already stated. The Chinese are more scared of GMO foods than lead paint or stinky gloves of possibly questionable origin.

I am not sure the Chinese are afraid of anything, other than their government. The communist government decided on the labeling. They could not care less about what the citizens want or don't want. They do care about what the international community wants though. Just my opinion, but what do I know of international affairs? Little!

Thanks for the info, i need to buy some gloves very soon. I got nail problems because i play all the time in my plants's soil mix.. :/

Regardless of what kind of leather the gloves are made from, if they smell that bad when they get wet I would get rid of them... my gloves seem to always get wet, and I want to enjoy gardening, not deal with something like that on my hands. I would suspect that the odor is from the chemicals used for tanning the leather, and it seems that there would be a possibility of them being absorbed into your skin.

Did you say it was too late to return the gloves? I think it might be important to contact the retailer and, in turn, contact the buyer for that store, to let them know they are importing a 'less than perfect' product. How is the store going to know there is a problem with the merchandise if you don't speak up?

If the leather was improperly tanned you could be at risk...and so could others. Please consider at least contacting the headquarters of the store and file a complaint.

And when you do, take the wet, odorous gloves with you. Apparently, all it will take is one sniff!

Maiden said:Thanks for the info, i need to buy some gloves very soon. I got nail problems because i play all the time in my plants's soil mix.. :/

I never, ever wore gloves to garden until I found the Atlas Nitrile 370 gloves! Now I don't garden without them! http://www.seamar.com/Glove_Ca...

Love them! Also found them locally at Ace Hardware.

Greene, that is an excellent (and obvious, in the "why didn't I think of that" category... ) suggestion !!

Normally I use leather roping gloves when I work in the yard. Had one pair that lasted 10 years! But they don't work for wet work, so I picked up some bright pink Cancer Awareness nitrile coated gloves. http://www.tractorsupply.com/e...
These are fantastic. I wore them while ripping out some Rubus/Blackberry brambles and they stood up to the thorns just fine; no holes. And with the extremely bright pink color, it's is difficult to misplace these gloves.

"with the extremely bright pink color, it's is difficult to misplace these gloves."

That would be a distinct advantage! (my gloves are discards from the railroad that were too small for any of the guys -- I sure don't know what possessed someone to order "small" gloves ! )

Nothing beats "free", Sandy.

drdawg said:And when you do, take the wet, odorous gloves with you. Apparently, all it will take is one sniff!

If you have a gallon or quart ZIPloc bag, consider zipping the wet gloves into the bag a day or two before going to the store. Concentrate their essence!

If the manager questions how it could be too stinky for gardening, open it up right near his face.

I wonder if the leather was simply insufficiently cured? I've read that green hides have an awful stench.

RickCorey, that is a deliciously evil idea and probably will be very effective.

RickCorey said:

If you have a gallon or quart ZIPloc bag, consider zipping the wet gloves into the bag a day or two before going to the store. Concentrate their essence!

If the manager questions how it could be too stinky for gardening, open it up right near his face.

I wonder if the leather was simply insufficiently cured? I've read that green hides have an awful stench.

Great idea about letting the gloves kind of ferment a little before taking them back!

Back in my former life (aka my 1st marriage) we actually tried tanning the hides from a couple of deer... "awful stench" really does not do it justice...