According to our Westie book, we should groom Ted every three months. It sounds kind of unsanitary, but it has something about the oil in his coat, I think. The plan was to get Ted groomed in November so that he would be all snazzy for Thanksgiving, but the vet threw a wrench in that one when he recommended that Ted have a routine surgery three weeks before Thanksgiving. Surgery with stitches equals no baths for Ted, so December rolled around and we still hadn’t groomed our shaggy dog. JG got the number of our friends’ dog’s groomer, and he tried to schedule an appointment before the end of the year, but apparently, every other small terrier owner had the same idea, so the groomer was booked up.
The groomer just about flipped out when JG told her that Ted was 6 months old; apparently, we should have been getting Ted cut every 8 weeks. Are you kidding me? Ted was 10 weeks old when we brought him home, and he hardly had any hair to cut! She gave us an appointment for early January, and soon, we received a reminder postcard from her that was addressed to Ted. JG looked at it quizzically. “I know that the appointment is for Ted and everything,” he said, “but it’s not like he’s going to take the keys and drive himself.”
Despite a strange first impression, the groomer turned out to be great. She actually owns the top competing Westie in the country (she showed us his prizes and magazine covers), and she has a nice set-up for pet-sitting and grooming. In a pleasant surprise, Ted’s first appointment was complimentary — Puppy 101, the groomer called it — and he looked quite dashing when we picked him up.
The groomer did not give Ted a bath because it was pretty cold outside, so JG took it upon himself to do it the next day. Ted was not so pleased to extend his bout with pampering when he realized that it involved baby shampoo and being dropped into the laundry-room sink. Fighting off multiple attempts at escape, JG made quick work of the bath and managed to rub Ted down a bit, but not before the dog went ballistic when the towel went over his eyes. Upon his release, Ted spent the rest of the evening drying himself off on the carpet, which I did not catch on video, much to my chagrin.
What is this? In one weekend, Ted was transformed. The shorter hair made him seem like a bigger version of his puppy self, and the bath made his hair amazingly soft, almost slippery. Dare I ask — could it be that Ted is even cuter than before?
Come and get your (almost) daily dog dose with Rufus, Ben, Gus, and Zapp!
9 comments
This dog is so cute it kills me. My god. That is just adorable.
Also, I hate it when people address things to or from pets. I mean, come on. Also, it totally weirds me out at the vet when the records say the pet’s first name with the owner’s last name. It’s just bizarre.
Hee! I love the bath pictures!
Ted is looking quite handsome, indeed!
After Ben has baths, he races all around the house, up and down the stairs, up and over the couch, as fast as he can. I think he’s going for the air-dry method. I, too, have never been fortunate enough to catch it on video.
Poor Ted! He does not look happy about that sink… Maybe he needs some scented candles and rose petals to get in the mood?
These pictures melt my heart.
Seriously.
I also hate getting mail to Howie Lastname. The cat doesn’t have a last name! The cat is just Howie! (okay, maybe I am overreacting)
He looks so handsome! And I have to say that there is almost nothing cuter than a little wet pup!
Poor Ted. None of the dogs around here like to get a bath either! But they look so good when they are clean!
Oh my word is he ever adorable! (And yes, commenting here is on the Checklist of Doom!)
Gus hates baths with great passion. As a result TTO has to get into the shower with him. While he wears his swim trunks, I don’t think TTO would sign off on that video.
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