Some scrambled, some clambered, while yet others had to be hoisted up , but after numerous delays and false starts the family set off in the Land Rover for a Boxing Day trip to the local town , Montauban - the capital of Tarn et Garonne. With a population of fully 50,000 its sophistication and shopping opportunities act like a flame to we moth like country dwellers. Montauban when we got there and finally found a parking spot was humming. It looked as if the entire population of the departement was out in force to enjoy the glorious sunny weather and the Christmas decorations - every store was seasonally festooned and crowded. 'The font' carefully studied the cheese being cut of huge rounds in the market while others of us enjoyed comparing prices in the wine stores. We had gone with the intent of visiting the paintings in the Ingres museum but somehow a vote was taken and it was decided that this could wait until after lunch. Naturally, after lunch another vote was taken and we came home. Calvin would not have approved of our presbyterian lack of self improvement - the Ingres museum will have to wait until another day.Wilf and Digby overnight developed an extremely unseemly odour - probably as a result of rolling in something completely unmentionable on one their long winter walks.I point the finger of blame at the two cows in the field across the lane. After their morning stroll and assorted helpful comments from various members of the household the two of them went straight into the bath for a thorough , and I mean thorough,hosing down . With a Ryvita as bait they both stoically endured this soaping-up torture with a relative lack of complaint. I ,by contrast , am now suitably frazzled and soaked to the skin . Does anyone out there have a bathtime trick that avoids floors,walls, ceilings and washer getting drenched ?
ha! my trick is take them to the groomer.....:)
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for immediate attention, the hose outside will do...of course only in summer...
No tricks from this front! We simply don't give baths in the winter, and if they smell terrible, we take them to a local 'do-it-yourself' dog bathing facility.
ReplyDeleteOne friend suggested attaching a 'hand shower', like a shower head on the end of a long hose, to our shower. That would probably work pretty well because our shower is completely enclosed so their shaking wouldn't send water flying all over the room!
We have friends that just take their dogs in the shower with them - somehow I have never mastered this technique. When Piper was a puppy, he wanted to climb into my arms as soon as he got wet - that was a real soaker!
ReplyDeleteOh, we couldn't do it if The Songwriter did not take them into the shower with him. He has a special pair of shoes that he wears to avoid being stepped on by a heavy dog whilst in his bare feet. I am afraid that those shoes, and a trusty pair of underwear, constitute his dog washing uniform. He uses a sprayer hooked up to the faucet, and there are glass doors on the shower, so the water is fairly controlled. Fortunately, although both Edward and Apple tend to hide behind the chaise lounge whenever they see "those shoes", once in the bath, with all the warm water and back rubs, they really enjoy it. He towel dries them, then lets them loose to run where I am waiting with a blanket and a blow-dryer. It sounds like a riotous occasion, but really, we've got it down to a smooth process. And there's nothing like a clean,clean dog! Besides, Edward gets depressed when he's not puffied.
ReplyDeleteOur dog hates baths, but gave up the struggle log ago. To avoid a COMPLETELY soaked and splattered bathroom I first put a towel on her and dry her a little bit, just to get the worst of the water, then I....dress her in an old sweatshirt - old absorbs water better than new, or old, buttoned up (just about)flannel shirt. By the time she has shaken herself and fought the offending garment off her back she is closer to dry than to soaking.
ReplyDeleteWell, we use a detachable shower head in the coal shower in the basement. Everything is concrete and doesn't matter if it gets wet. It also just runs down the drain. It's not perfect, but in emergencies or dire cases, it does the trick!
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