Thursday, March 14, 2013

Bath time

At our home, dogs don't have baths. There really isn't much of a need to bath them.  Oh sure, there was that time about four years ago that Bill was sprayed in the face by a skunk. He had a bath then and I think that was the last dog bath.  Until this past weekend. 

With the mild temperatures and rain we've had, the yard was a mixture of huge puddles and mud. For the most part, the dogs can be kept clean with a few swipes of an old towel when they come in.  Azule has short legs and as a result, her belly was coated in mud.  So, it was bath time.

This is as she stood in the tub, dripping.


As always, we can never do things alone. Yes, I could have closed the bathroom door, but where's the fun in that?

Forest had to check and see what was going on.

Forest: "Azule what are you doing in the tub?"

Breeze was wondering what all the fuss was about and was happy to lick up the water drops on the side of the tub.


Azule: "I'm done, I want out."

For some silly reason, Forest decided to act all tough.

Forest:  "Step away from the bathtub!"


Of course, as Forest is looking ferocious, Breeze has no clue what he is doing. He will bare his teeth at her and lightly growl but Breeze is oblivious. Sometimes I think Forest is a bit frustrated by her lack of concern at his tough guy act.  He just doesn't seem to understand that she can't see.

Azule was calm and relaxed during her bath which is what I expected since she has jumped into the tub before, just to check it out.  Yes, this is a dog from the same pack that love to go to the vet and happily lay on the kitchen floor to have their nails trimmed. (Oh ya, I know how lucky I am)

After bath time, relaxing before dinner. 


In the above picture, Breeze was, of course, "looking" for the kitty Elsie who will lay on the floor behind the gate, just out of Breeze's reach.



The weather has changed, yesterday it snowed and this morning there are light flurries.  I don't anticipate any baths for a few days.

12 comments:

  1. I d on't know how you managed baths and a camera! IMPRESSIVE! And great pics, too! Stumpy had her first swim of the year, today. That's about all the bathing that gets done around here.

    Hey I just found this Save A Heeler facebook page. thought I'd share and spread the word.
    https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Save-A-Heeler/212246342129276

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    1. Most of the pack love to swim, and that keeps them clean enough and in the summer we have the pool for them to play in.

      I took a quick peek at the facebook page but can't look too closely or I'll be wanting to go on a road trip to get another rescue and I can't do that right now.

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  2. Delilah hates bath time. Sampson acts like he likes it, but once he's in he determines when he's had enough. But I do lock the other one of the bathroom just because it's easier. :-) You're very brave to tackle this task with the door open!

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    1. Well, I figure that the worst case scenario is Azule jumping out of the tub and trailing muddy water all through the house as I run after her uselessly telling her to stop, which she wouldn't hear since she's deaf. How bad could that be?!

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  3. We're not big on baths around here either. I usually bathe Wrigs a couple of times during periods when he's blowing coat to help loosen up the dead hair. Of course, he also gets a bath if he gets into something stinky. I used positive reinforcement to make bath time fun, so he hops right into the tub when I ask him to.

    Love the pictures! Forest cracks me up!

    Susan and Wrigs

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    1. We've been lucky with the lack of stinky stuff!

      Forest sometimes has a bit of an attitude, especially towards Breeze who is twice the size of him. She really doesn't care too much though.

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  4. Oh, snow...that's why you need the indoor bath. Roxy gets hosed down and the other two get dunked in the laundry tub. we tend to bring most of the beach home with us.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy

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  5. Timely post - my daughter was just getting on my case about the fact that I never bathe my dogs, lol! They keep themselves pretty clean, so only get a bath if they are absolutely coated in mud or have rolled in something dead - no more than a few times each in all the years I've had them!

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    1. I agree, if they aren't dirty from rolling in something disgusting or covered in mud - forget it! They do tend to be rather clean, so that's good enough for me.

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  6. Oh, Azule, you are so cute in your tub shots!

    We don't do many baths around here either. Rita gets hosed down and then rubbed down every time we get home from the beach (although we still manage to bring in tons of sand...sigh) but that's about it. She hasn't had a real bath in about a year. Every time I think about giving her one, I think 'what's the point, we'll be going to the beach in a day or two anyway.'

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    1. I'm not too sure that Azule felt cute, but I thought she was too! I agree, a nice swim is good enough to pass for a bath and we also have the pool in the summer.

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