"Dirty Dog!”
This week, Mokey's owner requested I act as "guest" blogger. I am uniquely qualified to fill this position as I am usually Mokey's babysitter when her owner has to be away and can't take Mokey with her. Such was the case this week.
Allow me to provide a little background. As you might expect, Mokey grew some more this week. We don't know exactly how much she grew as we can no longer weigh her at home, but if you watch her closely, you can almost see her legs lengthening and her skull enlarging. Despite knowing approximately what her full grown size will probably be, knowledge and reality can still be shocking. She is nowhere near full grown and she is already big enough that you cannot physically make her do anything she doesn't want to and she definitely has a mind of her own. I can attest to this from my experiences this week. On Friday, I worked from home. Mokey's owner needed to leave and rather than have Mokey in her crate, I volunteered to watch Momo for a bit. For awhile, things went well. The dogs were laying quietly, chewing on their toys. When they lost interest in the chew toys, they started playing their favorite game - chase. Sounds fairly innocuous, right? WRONG! Chase is a passionate sport! It means running full tilt at top speed and jumping off every step and piece of furniture in 3 rooms. Imagine two unrestrained three-year-olds running and jumping throughout the house. Yup, that it's. Havoc! Being the understanding mother I am, I knew they just needed to burn off some energy and boredom, and since it was nice out, I shoved them out the back door and went back to work. Ten minutes later, really, it was just ten minutes, I went back to the door to let them in. I do not have words to properly express my reaction to the sight that met my eyes. My beautiful Sheltie with pure white legs and collar, was unrecognizable. He looked like someone had dropped him in a tar pit. Mokey looked marginally better, but the only part of her body that was not caked in mud was the very top of her back. After the initial shock, I thought it was funny, but didn't have the time to grab a camera - unless of course I wanted my house to be covered in mud. Fortunately, it was time for my lunch, so I decided I had time to bathe them, but thought I'd get the worst off their legs before I brought them in. I filled a pitcher with warm water, thinking I'd just dip their legs in it before I brought them in the house. Who knew that the puppy that loves all things water would be terrified of a pitcher! Seriously?
Since my first plan wasn't going to work, I resorted to a wet towel. After much rubbing, they were finally "clean" enough that I could herd them into the house and bathroom. Now comes the fun part. Mokey was more than willing to get in the tub- after all, she loves water . She stood quietly while I wet her down, but as soon as I applied the soap.....out she went. I tried to "catch" her, but as you might imagine, that didn't go so well and since she now knew what I was up to, she did NOT want to get back in the tub. After several minutes of cajoling, pleading and bribery, she finally got back in the tub. Repeat this process a few more times, but she did get her bath. When it was his turn, Chase pulled the same maneuver, but the difference is, I actually caught him! I ended up soaked, but did manage to bathe them both within my lunch hour.
Today, Mokey's owner repeated my mistake and put the dogs out to play. However, because she is more experienced and more pragmatic, when Mokey came to the door covered in mud, she grabbed the camera and then she hauled the swimming pool out, filled it and let Mokey clean herself up. Something I NEVER would have even considered! After all, even though it's a gorgeous day, the water was cold! Apparently, Mokey didn't care..... she LOVED it and jumped and played and came out clean and the best part......TIRED!
This old dog can be taught! The next time this happens, I'll find the pool!
Splish, Splash, Time for a Bath!
She made me do it!
So, Mokey and I have been trudging along. Clicking & walking, treating & staring. I'm like the local creep. I've turned into that strange girl who stands with her dog at the end of the street and stares at people. Ah, the stigma we dog lovers will endure for our dogs. Seriously, people cross the street when they see me. Of course, that could be because Mokey manifests her fear by barking and growling . . . actually I guess I'm not the awkward creep - I'm the scary one, that's so much better. If only it seemed to be helping. Our progress is excruciatingly slow, half the time I'm not sure we're actually progressing. But all our trainers tell me it will take time and lots of encouragement if Mokey is going to gain confidence and overcome her shyness. I'm looking forward to our 'special' class in March - which will be a more constant source of encouragement for me and therefore Mokey as well.
Mokey in the car - she loves to go - I mean, she gets treats every time she sees a stranger so really, what's not to love?
