January 30, 2011

White Dog listened to our breakfast conversation in amazement. "You are going to try to do this yourselves," she asked incredulously. "Do you know what you are getting into?" Nuka's and Puff's heads ping-ponged to follow the conversation between Steve, myself, and White Dog. "We are not exactly novices to this, you know," I answered as Steve gathered towels and the blanket and other accessories he would need. When he went into the bathroom and turned on the tub, Quinn, AWD and SAWD trotted in with him to see what was happening.

White Dog and TOWD regularly go to the Spa for grooming and "the works" but Puff's fearful timidity and Nuka's special needs skin condition have kept us from including "the girls" in the fun. Still Another White Dog has made great progress in allowing us to gently brush her but she still carried the dirt of once not so long ago being an outdoor dog. Today, we were hoping that a bath would reveal the Princess in pauper's clothes. She went first.

Steve gently carried Puff and stood her in the warm water of the tub. He used a cup to pour the water over her, so she would not be startled by the shower spray. SAWD stood, unsure, but trusting, as he lathered her with the special shampoo designed to moisturize her skin and to remove dead hair. Quinn and Nuka supervised from the bathroom doorway and were amazed at how dirty the water was...and how white their sister became. When she was done, Steve carried her to me and I wrapped SAWD in a towel soaking up the water and rubbing her coat. I wrapped her in a blanket for warmth and reassurance and held her until she asked to be let down...to shake, of course.

Quinn volunteered to go next and was disappointed when told he was not on the "TBB" list for the day.

BUT Nuka was. Now that her coat was growing back, we were trying to make her comfortable with the idea of personal hygiene. We were not sure what to expect since in her previous life AWD had to be sedated to be groomed, but we hoped being at home in a safe place would make her calm. She complained as we carried her into the freshly filled tub, but Steve promised to be extra gentle around her papillomas and to keep the water from her ears. Almost unbelievably, she enjoyed the experience twisting and turning her body so that Steve could reach all of the itchy spots. After being dried, Another White Dog rolled on the carpet like a puppy and shook to fluff her coat.

After a couple of hours, we combed out the girls who now smelled like cucumber melons, who were glistening white, and who looked every bit as gorgeous as the spa-going White Dog and The Other White Dog.