Shampoo day arrived again. It is quite amazing having a person staying with us who not only can lift the dogs into the bath, she wants to. She keeps her own animals meticulously clean, and she is a huge help in getting the mules here sweet-smelling. We started with another wash of Miss Jackie, who has been losing a little weight (when she isn't allowed to clean up the other cats' dishes at mealtime), and is keeping herself more tidy lately. But she needed at least one more scrub to get her back half, hopefully for the last time.
Murray was the first dog into the tub. He has to be carried up the stairs and into the bath, so it definitely fell to our guest to carry him. Even the smallest dog is too much for me. He gets more frequent washing than the others, by necessity, but until lately, it was always outside. I set him up with one of his waterproof pads on the tile, but he eventually pulled himself over to the heirloom rug where the others were. He was so happy to be up in the house instead of his ground level quarters. I've been requesting inside time for him for months, but everyone was too busy with other things to bring him in and set him up.
Saoirse is getting the hang of this bath thing, but that doesn't mean she likes it. Too bad. I like snuggling with her a lot more when there aren't tiny little flecks of mud stuck in her belly fur. Beinn had his first bath here, and did way better than expected. Of course, he was getting high value treats (canned chicken) every time he did things like turn around or get rinsed. After toweling, Saoirse put herself mostly out of sight, on her bed under the front window. Beinn chose my bed, rolling his giant, wet body all over my freshly washed duvet, and standing up on the pillows to look out the window over the bed anytime barking was called for.
By evening, everyone had calmed down again. For the first time, I watched Beinn quietly walk over to the loveseat, climb on it, and settle in like he had been sleeping there his whole life. I was just fascinated with his body language. It read as if he had been waiting years to find somewhere he could truly relax and feel wanted. I can't imagine what the last year plus of disruption did to him emotionally. I will not let that happen again.
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