Doggy Days...

As some of you know my pooch Prince, a shepherd/lab mix thought it would be great fun yesterday to roll around in the mud during a rain storm. Lovely. The end result was a mud covered, drenched doggie.

Now no way on God's green earth was he going to run around my house in such a state so it was off to the tub for him. Since the warm days of summer are long gone my only option for doggie baths is to use the tub in the bathroom. Not my ideal choice but there's not much I can do about it.

It took three people to get Prince in the tub and KEEP him in there while being bathed. Myself, my almost twelve year old son Brendan and my oldest son Cody's friend Nick. WE ended up at wet as the dog. Nice. Prince tried valiantly to escape and when that didn't work he took to doing the doggy shake repeatedly. Thereby sending dog scented water all over us and the bathroom. Next time the mutt can stay out on the enclosed porch until Skip gets home and HE can give him a bath.

This morning I decided I needed to give our other dog, Tennessee, a bath as well. While she hadn't taken a frolick in the mud and rain she was still in need of a bath. Tennessee's breed is unknown. Though we suspect, as does our vet, that she is a rottie/cocker spaniel mix. She has rottie coloring and markings but her face, ears and body type resemble a cocker spaniel. Her also kinks up like a cocker spaniels when she's wet.

I gathered my doggie bath supplies, took them up to the bathroom and then came back downstairs to get Tennessee. She happily followed me up the stairs thinking, I'm sure, that she was going to get a treat and be allowed to hang out in my room with me. Her compliance ended the minute she saw the direction I was heading.

She stopped dead in her tracks and hightailed it back down the steps. I chased her down, laughing the whole way, because it was just so comical to see her running and looking back at me nervously.

I led her back upstairs, into the bathroom and lifted her into the tub. I knew she would never get in on her own.

I have to give the poor thing credit. She stoically endured the scrubbing while looking at me with those sweet puppy dog eyes as if to say, "Alright. I give in. But I'm NOT happy about it." God bless her, she didn't even do the doggy shake until after I'd gotten her out of the tub. And she sat still not trying to escape even once.

I rewarded her good behavior with some slices of cheese because she LOVES cheese. So I think she's forgiven me for putting her through such an ordeal.