Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Bulldogge Bathtime

Is something I would prefer happen a little more frequently at Bulldogge Manor.  But that is easy for me to say, since I am neither the bulldogge being bathed, nor the bulldogge bather.  Sean does have Dorothy trained to walk upstairs and jump into the full tub, but it is still quite a chore:  there’s scrubbing, and shaking, and attacking of the towel, and what is worst, from my point of view, is that there’s a horrible stench of wet dog that hovers like a noxious gas cloud in the bathroom for the rest of the day.  And then multiple towels to be laundered, etc., etc. 

So we decided a few months ago to take Dorothy to get groomed, primarily because we need her nails clipped, and the last two times we tried to get the vet to do it, they just did a halfhearted attempt and then sort of stopped when Dorothy protested.  Now, Dorothy does not LIKE to get her nails clipped, and she is a strong bruiser of a dogge, but my pug, Tulip, was much more anti-nail-clipping than Dorothy.  Dorothy would just prefer that the vet not clip her nails, but she is so good-natured that after a halfhearted protest at the first attempt, she is really okay with it by the second attempt.  But I decided to sign her up for a grooming, thus getting her thoroughly cleaned, her white spots whiter, her brindle spots buffed, her nails clipped, her ears cleaned, and her fangs brushed.  The groomer at the vet’s office had a waiting list, so it took us two months to get an appointment.

But finally! I dropped Dorothy off at the vet’s before work, and Dorothy, strange friendly dog that she is, was more than happy to be left there.  She loves the vet (still)!  She loves the attention of the nurses and front desk folk!  All was good!  And when Sean picked her up in the afternoon, she sparkled, and received a good report.

And most importantly, her talons were no longer vicious rakes, but perky little girlish things.

Pretty Dorothy!


1 comment:

Elisabeth said...

Roxy also doesn't get bathed nearly often enough--but like you, I am not usually the pit bull bather, so I do not complain. She could use a bath every 2-3 weeks, and she gets one more like every 3-4 months. I loved reading about Dorothy's "protest". Roxy is also usually pretty happy to go over to the vet. There are treats and ladies cooing over her in very high-pitched baby talk voices and sometimes there's a box with a kitten or rabbit in it. She has a reputation for being a huge baby and crying more than any little dog over getting blood drawn or a shot, so she gets piles of sympathy from everyone there. If I am there too, she tries to maintain some semblance of dignity, but if she's left for some sort of treatment, she loses all self-control and carries on as if she's dying. Dorothy looks very pretty!