Feb 04 2008
Bath Time
When we were having the house built I had a dog shower built in the crate room. Essentially it is a shower stall with the floor elevated to countertop level. I have since come to realize that countertop level is too high, but there is nothing I can do about it. If you have lots of dogs and want to put in a dog shower, make sure the floor is high enough that you don’t have to lean over the dog and it is low enough so the water doesn’t run down your arms into your armpits. I would say about mid thigh would be best so have the builder measure your leg up to mid thigh and that is where the floor should be.
Most of my dogs are pretty accepting when it comes to bath time. They know as soon as I grab up the first dog that this is taking place and the others either scatter or get in crates and wait their turn. I’m sure the older dogs tell the younger ones, “There’s nothing you can do about it. If you escape you just end up getting dragged back in there and washed a second time. It’s best just to get it over with.” The rescue dog hasn’t gotten the hang of it yet. His name is Chance. Since he has been here he hasn’t had many baths because his coat is in a constant state of shedding. He was an outdoor dog before and was probably fed some inexpensive food that didn’t enhance his coat. Now he is eating the expensive food my other dogs eat and he is living indoors. I’ve never seen a dog shed so much.
I started with the dirtiest and worked my way to the less dirty dogs. So Casey was the first one in the shower. Casey actually enjoys a bath. He is very pretty and he knows it because I’ve told him for years how gorgeous he is. After he gets a bath he goes to my husband and asks for admiration. Casey is mostly white which shows the dirt more than the other dogs. Each in turn got in and had their bath. Now we come to Chance. First of all I had a hard time getting him in the shower. He panicked when I picked him up. He scrambled his feet and threw himself backwards, knocking me off balance! Bottles of shampoo and towels went scattering. Countertop height is a long way for a dog to fall backward. It scared me so that I screamed. My husband had to come help me put Chance in the shower stall. Now that he was up there I started the washing process. After he was wet and I started suds him up with shampoo he began to relax a little. After he was in the shower for a few minutes he sat down. Before we finished he was laying on the floor of the shower enjoying the water being sprayed on his back. I don’t think it will take long before Chance will wait his turn in the shower as the other dogs do.
Today, Chance is really blowing his coat. I can tell everywhere he has been by the black globs of fur all over the floor. In a few days I’m hoping he will stop shedding and be sleek and very border collie looking. In a few months he’ll be asking my husband to admire his beauty.
That was a great idea on the dog shower. I bet Chance really appreciates the attention and having a great home, even if it means showers ever once in a while.
I should give you more history about Chance. His circumstances before his rescue by my husband were pretty dire. I know he is glad to be here. We bought him a crate pad that we call “Chance’s pillow”. If you open the door to the bedroom he runs in and lays down on his pillow!