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March 2, 2012

Yesterday was washing the doggies’ day. The first of the month is also medicine day for Ryka and Calypso. Just to insure the dosage was correct, we weighed Calypso about two months ago. She was at 60 pounds of husky muscle. Ryka had also gained ten pounds and currently weighs in at 70 pounds of pure royalty.

 

We decided to check Calypso’s weight just to ensure that her dosage was still correct. Easy, you say. Ha! I wish I had pictures of this episode. Hubby got on the scale first (hummm, thought you said you lost weight.) Then, he got off and fussed, and fussed because he was trying to wrap Calypso in a towel before picking her up because she “stunk”. Remember – they live outside. They love to play in the rain (and the lightening, and the thunder.) They are NOT going to smell good! Dogs do NOT smell good when they are wet and they do not smell any better when they dry!

We finally got the towel around a confused Calypso and Hubby stepped on the scale. I am desperately trying to read the number on the scale, while all the while Hubby is fussing (he likes to fuss when it comes to “my” dogs) for me to read the numbers. Now, what he DOESN’T understand is the needle is vibrating back and forth as though it is registering an earthquake on the Richter scale. Seriously! How am I supposed to read a number when it won’t stay on one number!

By that time, Calypso has squirmed enough so the towel has fallen and she has gotten heavy so he steps off (still fussing.) He rewraps her and steps back on the scale. This time the scale was probably thinking, “Let me give them a reading because this might go on forever!” Calypso has gained another five pounds in the last two months (or was that Hubby) – which is surprising because she is so active.

Calypso and Ryka love medicine day! Hubby mixes the meds in potted meat and there is nothing left on the plate when they get through.

Then, it was shampoo time. I put them (by this, I mean I literally shove their heavy butts) on the picnic table out back next to the outside sink. There is hot and cold running water and it makes bath time much more pleasant for them as well as me. By the time I finish washing one dog, I’m soaking wet and it gets cold. Just look at their pictures (aren’t they so pretty after their bath) and you can only imagine bath time.

I stand next to the table and they are face level with me. That means a lot of licking and kissing during bath time. They lick and I rinse my face. They kiss and I rinse my face. This goes on throughout the entire bath (and there are two of them.) Ryka likes to put her soaking wet head on my shoulder and lick my neck while I wash her. Calypso likes to tuck her soaking wet head under my arm and give me hickies up and down my side.

I had Calypso on the table and soaped up when the neighbor started his four-wheeler. That was almost disastrous. I grabbed Calypso just as she was about to bound off the table. Thank goodness, he was only moving it into the barn. After lots and lots of shampoo and rinsing, Calypso and Ryka were both squeaky clean. Even after a brisk toweling, with their coats so thick, they were still wet so I decided I was going to blow-dry them. That turned out to be interesting.

Calypso was first – always has to be first! She had to check out the dryer. She sniffed and looked at it and then I turned it on. The noise made her even more curious (this is a dog that the minute she sees me walk outside in my pink hat, runs for the kennel and her house, because she knows I’m mowing grass and she HATES the lawn mower.) I pointed the dryer at her coat so she could feel the air and then I had to point it at her face so she could experience it. After that, she decided the dryer was a “good thing” and stood quietly while I dried her fur. Ryka liked the warm air and enjoyed being dried. I think I’ve spoiled my dogs even more. But, at least they weren’t rolling around in the freshly cut yard, in the grass, getting dirty while trying to dry themselves.

The effort was worth it because they are so beautiful and snuggly soft now.