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Sunday, March 14, 2010

This 'n That

Nothing much accomplished today. We had Friday and Saturday night dinners out with friends, compounded by "Messing with Time" and some idiot (Husband) who made an appointment for which he had to leave home at 7:30 am this morning. The dogs don't understand that I am tired and don't feel like going for a walk, so we were out and about before anyone's Sunday newspapers hit their driveways. I have lounged around and watched some recorded shows on TV this afternoon, with a view of passers by stopping to inhale the perfume of my freesias out by the edge of the sidewalk.
Speaking of perfume; a certain big hairy beast is less smelly today. This is Boomer's pre-grooming photo, in the tub at the do-it-yourself dog wash. For this achievement alone, I deserve a rest today. "You're kidding?" he says when shown the steps up to the tub. "Forget about it!" he says when I try to brush him. "Owwwhoooo!" he says when I turn on the water. We don't even attempt to dry him with the blow dryer. It is amazing how much thrashing and snapping one dog can manage, despite being tethered to the wall. All in all he was very good (much improved, as everything is relative) and I remembered to cover my car seat with a blanket for the ride home. He is silky smooth and lavender scented, for a day or two.

18 comments:

  1. Ah, what could be more huggable than a lavender scented long-haired collie ? (once dry of course, which I guess must take a while)

    Some days are just like that I guess... sigh...

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  2. M-m-m-m,lavender...then again, maybe that was what the boy was protesting. Might Old Spice be more acceptable?

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  3. Owen, only six or seven hours in a warm house or in sunshine. Every time you touch a wet dog the hairs transfer and stick to hands, lips, clothes.

    Jean, Lavender is the best against the residual skunk from a few weeks ago.

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  4. I don't know.... you girls and your wee doggies!

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  5. A self-service dog wash???
    Wow... what a fantastic idea! Would be perfect for dear Cholmondesley, the English Mastiff, after he decides to bound across the fields of freshly manured soon-to-be-sowed sweetcorn, in pursuit of rabbits! (You can almost see the rabbits falling over laughing, it's rather humorous.) He weights something around 90kg, so what he loses in speed, he makes up for in sheer bulk.

    I'll point out this pongy-dog thing is a far too frequent occurrence in Springtime. He gets jet-washed down outside with warm water, usually. But I like the idea of a dog wash.

    (Actually took him to a car wash once, which he loved, that drew a small curious crowd. They applauded, when I finished.)

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  6. I have always wanted a collie dog. Always. I'll come and bathe him myself if I can have a loan every now and then.

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  7. The advent of self-service dog washes put an end to showering communally with my Belgians, one of whom didn't mind, while the other could barely approach a water bowl, never mind a bath.

    Boomer looks pretty happy in that photo, although it's obviously the 'before' version. Actually he looks hopeful, as in 'if I look hopeful, then you won't actually do this to me'.

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  8. That's the thing about dogs as much as I love them. They smell so nice for a few days after a bath and then not so nice. I guess we just have to love their natural scent.

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  9. You do deserve a break! A self-service dog wash at our house consists of throwing one dog and then the other into the shower with my husband. I don't think he appreciates it all that much but it is certainly efficient. ;)

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  10. Dogs can end up of the whiffy side can't they? Mind you, if we can smell them, think how much they must smell to each other and yet they don't seem to mind.

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  11. Jimmy, They are sometimes called Scottish collies. Boomer is taller than the breed standard (more Borzoi) and weighs 80 lbs. Easier to lift down than lift up.

    Kitty, I hope your knees are insured against the momentum of your four legged mountain.

    Steve, what a shame you are so far away. Boomer is my remaining foster fur-child. He would love a home with you. I am keeping him groomed to increase our odds of attracting new parents.

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  12. Deborah, Boomie avoids wet stuff whenever he can, except his water bowl for which he could use a snorkel and flippers. He is a big, messy drinker. I have a huge stainless steel salad bowl on a doubled over bath towel. The look on his face is due to the liver treats I was using to bribe him.

    TechnoBabe, I use a lot of de-tangler and spray on conditioners so the dogs don't usually smell bad. Boomer did get too close to a skunk a few weeks ago and the perfume from that reasserts itself every time he gets wet in the rain. It has been raining a lot recently.

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  13. Shattered, It is much easier to brush a dog like this when he is at table height in front of you. In addition, most of the hair stays there.

    Argent, My old, deaf girl does so much by smell alone. You can't sneak into the house without her knowing, even if she is fast asleep and in another room. After a few seconds she comes to see us.

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  14. I have to agree, that is really the cheesy-ist smile I have ever seen on a dog.... I'm sure he thinks if he smiles just right you'll forget the bath and take him out for ice cream instead.

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  15. @eloh, I think you nailed it. "Cheesy Smile" is the perfect description of that look. He is like one of those handsome bad boys from our pasts, used to wheedling his own rapscallion way. There is a potential adopter on the horizon. I like her a lot but she also has a Lhasa Apso puppy and Boomer has quite a well developed prey drive with all things small and fluffy (with anything that moves, actually). He might not realize it's a dog. We can't risk it.

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  16. I swear I have fallen in love with Boomer. He looks so happy and so very pleased with himself (I do hope he was pleased with your hard work that made him this happy).
    If only he liked cats...if only we didn't have Sequoias with stickery foliage that would be even worse hell in Boomer's coat than it is in a shaved Old English Sheepdog's and a clipped Standard Poodle's coat...if only....

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  17. Lydia, Boomer is a big, funny, demanding, pain in the ass. I have to get a photo of the groomed version, before it deteriorates. He looks almost civilized. He's another reason I have nothing left over at the end of the day. Tired dog equals good dog etc.

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  18. *chuckles silently in case of a beating :-)

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