LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Friday, July 23, 2010

Fridays are Golden

When we built our house, we designed a room for the dogs, complete with an elevated tub/shower so we could bathe them. We did all of their grooming and bathing ourselves.

Two years ago my husband injured his leg, and while I could certainly have done both dogs myself, it would have been a two-day job. So we found a local groomer. Oh, were we surprised! She did a marvelous job and charged us ONLY TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS per dog. We did some quick calculations. On the one hand, we could take the time to trim their nails, clip their pawpads, trim inside their ears, bathe and dry each dog, wash a load of towels and our wet clothing, and clean up the room. On the other hand, we could take them downtown for a morning, pay fifty dollars plus tip, and bring home two clean dogs. We still use the shower to cleanse dirty feet, but we no longer bathe the dogs ourselves.

The morning at the groomer's is exhausting for both of them. They are not very active at all for the remainder of the day.

Lucy lies between a chair and the sofa, her head under the end table. (Jeez, I just dusted under there. I'm sure of it.)


Or she plops over and lies with Ellie on one of the beds upstairs.

That evening, Ellie lies in the corner of her large bed.


She seems to be moping about having been to the groomer.



Lucy stretches out, using her bed and part of Ellie's.




Suddenly Lucy gets a spurt of energy and grabs the blue tug. "Hey, Ellie, want to play?"




"Not a chance, you silly thing."


They don't mind going to the groomer. After all, she gives them lots of treats and seems to really like them. But they are all done-in on bath day.


This weekend has brought severe weather across our country. Milwaukee, where we lived for twenty years was inundated with a stalled weather system that dumped 8-11 inches of rain on the city and surrounding suburbs. We ask you to send positive vibes to our friends, former neighbors, and all the residents living there. Our daughter is fine and for that we are extremely grateful.
HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE.

17 comments:

Rae said...

$50.00 well spent. Taking care of a dog properly is hard work and I think you made an excellent decision letting someone else do it. Your beautiful girls are well worth it. Must be all the excitement that wears the girls out afterwards. My dog was always the same way after a grooming.

Busy Bee Suz said...

I agree with Rae, that is a good deal considering all the work. (I finally realized this with washing our cars too)
They are so pooped, but oh, so pretty and clean too.
Have a great weekend!

NanaNor's said...

Hi there, Love seeing your pups-they are so adorable. I can so understand how much work it takes to bathe them...plus they are good size. I have a hard enough time bathing our 25 lb Reggie, which is why our next dog will be about 20 lbs and no bigger though I'd love a Golden.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Noreen & Reggie

kks said...

What a beautiful pic of Lucy with her blue tug! I take my dogs to a groomer....about twice a year, they are always exhausted too!
Yes the weather was something else yesterday! A lot of funnel sightings....lots of rain! All is well in our neighborhood! Thankfully....
Xoxo

How Sam Sees It said...

I don't even know what Sam and Monty would think, being brought to the groomers...

Sam

Jeannette StG said...

Since I don't have dogs, I don't know if that's a good price, but if you like it, then that's a great thing! It sounds a lot of work you had to go through!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Carolyn, I heard about the flooding in Milwaukee. Glad your daughter is okay... Did you see that huge sinkhole???? Yipes!!!!

Your Goldens are so pretty... I don't blame you for getting their grooming done by someone else now... There comes a time in all of our lives when we need some help... AND--that is REASONABLE... How often do they go????

We finally got some rain here yesterday ---an inch. That's the most we have gotten in a long time.

Have a great weekend.
Hugs,
Betsy

Rose said...

Ah, spending the day getting all primped can be exhausting:) I've never taken our Sophie to the groomers yet, but if I could find someone so reasonable around here, I'd definitely go for it. Giving her a bath on a hot July day is fun, even if we both wind up soaked, but in December, that's a different story!

Enjoyed seeing your golden girls once again.

Cicero Sings said...

The books say not to bathe Cairn Terriers so he has never had a "bath" though sometimes I've had to wash his butt off in the lake. Trimming his nails is exhausting enough for me. As for grooming, Cairn's are stripped. One can do this on a continual basis or twice a year. I do it more on a continual basis. He gets combed/brushed most everyday.

Your girls look beautifl after their day at the beauty salon ... even if they are a little wiped out.

Barb said...

I'm always exhausted when I have a day of beauty, too - there is so much to be done! They look fluffy and brand new - a little rest and they'll be ready to get dirty again.

carolina nana said...

Your dog's faces reminded me of my Dolly's face after she had been to her groomer the other day.But Dolly really hates going to the groomer,I don't know if she doesn't like the grooming or if she just doesn't like being separated from home for that long.
Hope you have a blessed weekend

Rudee said...

To top it all off, you're helping keep someone else gainfully employed. I bathe my Leo on the day I plan to scrub my bathroom. I have no special area--just my own shower that has a rather low tub. When I'm done, I let him drip dry in the yard while I clean up the mess.

We've been treated to torrential downpours and horrible weather in Michigan. The storms just keep coming. I was delivering diapers and comfort all last night in frightening weather.

Vicki Lane said...

The girls look beautiful!

The one good thing about bathing our dogs is that I wind up totally soaked -- and in this weather, it's a pleasure!

Cheryl said...

Hi Caroline.....will keep those in need in my thoughts. Glad to hear your daughter is ok.

It is so strange how having a bath can tire dogs.....Nella is exactly the same. Poppi and I decided to bath her in the garden......I think we came off worse but it was so very funny.

The girls look gorgeous and I don't blame you for paying someone else to bath them.

BilboWaggins said...

Self-build is not so common in England but I used to fantasise about creating exactly the same sort of room for our darling Beardie. I am so glad to know I am not the only doting two-legs who considers re-modelling the house for the convenience of the four-legs!

100 Thoughts of Love said...

I found a $20 bath/grooming for my dog Max, so I don't have to experience that chore to often....But he always comes home exhausted and in need of a 12 hour nap as well!

Twisted Fencepost said...

Poor things! Getting all prettied up is a hard job. LOL