Washing Pets - Honey

Honey and I have a routine when it comes to her bath. We both have tacitly agreed that she will be civilized about her bath if I do one thing for her before I let her loose. The agreement stands, and we both enjoy the transaction with no hurt feelings or wet walls.

I usually lay out the towels that I will need ahead of time (this is important, as it signals to Honey that the Bath Game is about to begin). After I have the set that I will use on the bathroom laid out, I grab two beach towels and lay them out in the living room, along with a few other regular towels for general drying.

Honey's collar comes off, and I ask her to get into the tub. She gets in all on her own, a little reluctantly, looking at me with those big brown eyes quietly asking that we get this done right away. I soak her in water, lather her, and then rinse her. While this is happening, Honey is the perfect lady. She stands there with quiet dignity and endures the treatment.

Once she's fully rinsed, the water gets turned off, and the hand rub down to get rid of excess water happens. After that, the first towels take off as much water as possible, and she usually shakes after I put the towels to the side. Then, I ask her to come out of the tub, and she does. I then give her another rubdown with more towels to dry her further. She might shake once more, but the water is minimal.

Then, I tell her to follow me to the living room . . . and she knows the big treat, the reason for enduring the rest, is at hand. Her tail wags, her tongue lolls, and you can just see the expectant doggie smile on her face.

I tell her to play dead on the beach towels . . . and then proceed to get her completely dry by rubbing her down with the rest of the towels. She wags her entire body as I dry her up, and she is clearly in doggie heaven. By the time I am done drying her, beads of sweat cover my face, but I have also happen to have the happiest, most satisfied dog this side of the Rio Grande. And then, she proceeds to thank me the only way she knows how . . . wet doggie kisses.

All in all, it's a good experience for both of us.

Next blog . . . my harrowing experience with Frankie, my parents' Red-tip Siamese Mix.

Perspective, what a beautiful thing.