First let me say, he's big...about 30" at the shoulder, so bathing is best done on a warm day...outside.
Zeus does not like baths. He likes smelling like a dog. Thankfully, most of the time he doesn't smell bad, either. Well, unless he's found some really putrid scat to roll in.
But, that was not the case this time. This time, I thought I could bath him to remove some petroleum-based salve I'd put on a couple small hot-spots he had above his hips. The spots have healed, but his long hair remain greasy and yucky to touch...not to mention filthy, in those spots.
So, out come large buckets of warm water and a pitcher with which to pour water over his coat.
Yeah, he's spoiled...but ya know, Colorado water is
C O L D !!! I used baby-shampoo so as not to risk stinging his eyes, and soaped him up good. He was not happy, even though even the rinse was with even more buckets of warm water. I always make sure to get all the soap out. But still, he does not like baths!
Immediately after emptying the last bit of water over his butt and removing the leash I had tied to a stake so he couldn't run away...this is what happens:
I didn't even have time to put the hose away; he'd dug up a patch in the 'lawn' to fine powder and rolled: 
and shook,and rolled again! 
I'm not sure he was finished yet...but, this is how he lookedfive minutes after his bath:
The cool thing is though, that he has a long, flat outer-coat; when the mud dries and flecks off, looks like this:
Ya know, he does the same thing when he gets skunk-sprayed. He coats his sticky-self in mud and when it dries and flecks off; he's all clean and hardly stinks at all. Really! I can even let him in the house!
Yeah, that's Zeus...the Mighty Dog!
Oh, did I tell you my dog, of ancient Turkish ancestery (he's an Akbash Dog), thinks he's Hispanic? Yeah, I've got to quit stepping outside to call him for dinner: "Yey...Zeus!"
13 comments:
I think he's telling you that the kind of bath he wants is a Turkish mud bath.
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ROFLMAO
Tut, of course!!! You'd think, as much as I study...that I'd have figured that out.
[doh!]
Thanks for stopping by, Chris. You just wait till your little boy's first bath! Ha! Better start now; they get pretty big, too. :)
I avoid giving my dogs baths because it is like all-star wrestling with soapy wather all over me! Luckily my dogs haven't managed to roll in stinky stuff so far!
My Chessie requires the occasional bath and, despite loving water, isn't to enthusiastic about soap. The best shampoo I've found is an unscented version with mink oil in it that's marketed for cats. It seems a bit easier on his coat and skin - I just don't tell him what it says on the label.
Great photo essay!
You're lucky your dog doesn't recognize the label on that bottle of cat shampoo! LOL
I figure baby-shampoo is good, but I do have to figure out how to get that Neosporin off his coat. Ugg...
Thanks for stopping by...I just love visiting your blog; 'cept you often make me awful hungry! Great cooking ideas, though. Yummmmmmm...
LOL!
Our dog (RIP) jumped into a beaver pond and got out and did exactly what Zeus did. We laughed hysterically, of course.
Did you get some strong winds yesterday? Thought I heard on the news that La Veta got gusts of about 70 MPH. Any chance of snow this weekend?
Hi Debbie,
Yeah, dogs are great fun! The wind, however, is not! Lordy…it keeps pulling the store’s door open and I’m quite sure my new windshield is getting sand-blasted.
Someone came into the store and wondered how much of Colorado was ending up in Kansas. Yeah, and haven’t we learned anything from the last dust-bowl? Sheeshhhhhh. I read we are still getting 70 mph gusts; I believe it. Last year, this time, the wind ripped the door of my truck out of my hand and darn near pulled it off the hinges! It still is messed up… All this wind and no snow. Such a shame…no wonder I’m not seeing my ‘usual’ winter birds!
He's a mighty handsome doggeh!
Yeah, I'm lucky to have found him!
When I bought a cabin; off grid, at 9000' and at the edge of the Nat'l Forest, I discovered bears had decided the area was theirs. One even ripped a window off the building and came right in! So, before I actually moved in, I did some research for the kind of dog that would 'protect' me. I didn't want a man-killer, but the kind of dog that would run off bears, and mountain lions. There are several breeds that do just this; they're called Livestock Guardian Dogs. I settled on wanting an Akbash Dog...and found one in Paeonia who had been 'rescued' by a Great Pyrenees (another LGD) breeder.
I've watched my dog keep a double-tagged bear out of the meadow in front of the cabin...all by himself! I love it that they just 'deter' the critters and don't actually look to pick fights. Once they get a predator turned around, they actually body-slam a shoulder into the butts of the retreating animal...to keep 'em moving. He's SUCH a good dog!
Unfortunately, I had to sell the place where I'd expected to live the rest of my live (the last economic downturn forced me out of retirement and back to work) and I've moved into this small town where I live now. Zeus takes up six square feet of floor-space when he's sleeping; far too big for my small home...but I just can't part with him. He's a gentle giant and very, very sweet.
That dog is precious! What a sweet face he has after his post-bath treatment.
I also love that he keeps the relocated bears away.
Awwwwwww thanks! Yeah, I likes him, too.
Thanks for stopping by...
What a nice-looking fellow, at least when he hasn't been rolling around in the dust!
Mocha tolerates baths quite nicely, but as a golden retriever, he basically likes water, after all. And he doesn't mind (TOO MUCH) even with coldish water from the hose.
But, we do need to sneak out with the dog shampoo, or he gets suspicious.
Hiya L,
Yeah, he’s a sweetie; one of the best dogs I’ve ever had. When I rescued him, the vets thought he was about a year and a half…very good with livestock, loves cats (as pals, I mean), is housebroken, doesn’t jump up or lick faces, stays off furniture; a perfect pet!
Except that he is like a cat in his independence. If he’s busy, he totally ignores my calling him to ‘come’. Apparently he takes his work seriously. Oh, and if someone leaves the gate open…he’s gone! I swear, as he’s running down the street he turns to look back, smiling…as he flips me off. Sheeshhhhhhhhhh…
But I’ve had him about eight years now, which puts him around ten years old. He’s mellowing a bit, but according to what I’ve read, if I keep his weight down, he is likely to be my pal for another four or five years; unusual for a big dog. Lucky me.
Even though I’ve moved to town, Zeus has his work cut out for him…here are a few pictures of the trees in my yard!
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