Bath Day with a New Dryer

Mundane tasks generally bore me to pieces. Vacuuming, grocery shopping, ironing to name a few. I know some people claim they enjoy these tasks and up until a year or so ago I thought they were fibbing. Now I have discovered a mundane task that I actually enjoy....bathing my dogs!  Bath day is generally Sunday but we got a little off schedule due to the dog show in Novi. Instead, it was yesterday.

It looks like the girls actually are beginning to enjoy the process too because they all followed me into the basement where the only things we do are get baths and practice conformation.

As an early Christmas gift to myself I bought a dryer...an Air Force Commander with a 4 HP engine. It is so strong I have to place the dog's crate several yards away or they risk their hair getting blown off. Not really but the thing is really strong!

At first it freaked the girls out but now they are kind of used to it. Each week their protests weaken. Lots of treats help and being consistent with bathing them is also a good idea. By alternating dogs with bathing and blow drying I can get all three of them done in the time it used to take one. It is actually a vacuum cleaner engine so it sounds like the vacuum which my girls have never really minded. Again, exposing them to this common household machine early-on is a good idea.

I started to say how much I now enjoy grooming but it's not really because of the new blow dryer. It has become kind of a zen thing for me...the brushing, the one-on-one chat time, the bathing when I give them each a little massage and let my mind drift to a calm, thought-soothing place.

So Much Has Happened

So much has happened to us and our canines in the past year that I have decided I need to pick this blog up and do something with it. Since December 2010, we have had three Havanese litters...all beautiful dogs sired with champion bloodlines and placed in the most loving homes possible. With the exception of Maxi (Carneys Maximum Return) and Marlin (Carneys Grand Slam) who I kept and have been spoiling and showing.

Then, in order to get us all safely to Florida my husband and I purchased a used motor home. It is a 1997 Coachmen Santara complete with stateroom, full bath and a wonderful kitchen. With all that we still have room for dog crates!

We will be embarking on our maiden voyage in a week or so and plan to end up in Naples about February 11.

On the home front, I have returned to cooking my dogs' food. I am using Dr. Pritcairn's book as my guide. The recipe they are currently enjoying includes 1 cup lean ground beef, 1 cup brown rice, 1/2 can cannoli beans, 1 Tablespoon of Dr. Pritcairn's Healthy Powder, 1 Tablespoon (human grade) bone meal and 1 Tablespoon canola oil. THEY LOVE IT! Dr. Pritcairn has put a lot of research behind his recipes so I know my dogs are getting all the nutrients they need. I also like the assurance of knowing exactly what my dogs are eating. That the level of protein, for instance, is not from empty sources such as grain. And, since I have never lost my affection for cooking but have no daughters at home to cook for, this gets that craving out of my system.

EMILY

Meanwhile, Emily continues to heal after her spay ten days ago. Here incision is shown on the right. It was a very sad day for me. Emily, my English Shepherd, was the first bitch I bred and the two of us learned a lot together. She is almost ten now and it has been too long, actually, since her last litter. Keeping a female intact when she is not having puppies is not the best thing for their system. She keeps producing progesterone hormones which can over tax their organs. The day was made even sadder when we learned she has developed carcinoma in her paw. She has always had a few cysts that our vet said were harmless as long as they didn't rupture. The one on her paw, turns out, was more than a cyst. I am glad I asked them to remove it but sorry for the lab report that came back a few days later.

Emily will be as happy as I will when our vet removes the "cone of shame" from her on Friday when her staples come out. Maybe the two of us will share a yogurt cone to celebrate!

MARLI

Marli entered her first show last weekend in Novi. We have been taking puppy conformation classes together and she has done very well. She is a bit of a timid pup and the classes really helped build her confidence. Still, I had no idea what to expect in the ring. She won her puppy class all three days but didn't get any further in the breed competitions. That's okay. She held her own, has a sweet, prancy gait and kept her tail up. What more can I ask of a seven month old?