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The dog had her annual physical on Saturday. She's put on weight and we're supposed to cut down her food. Also I drew the vet's attention to the red on the tops of her toes and she has managed to get all four feet infected with something. So we have special veterinary medicated shampoo and the housemate has the job of daily wetting up and vigorously shampooing the large paws, waiting ten minutes and then rinsing and drying them thoroughly. The arrangement of the bathroom, with a narrow access behind the toilet and beside the glass shower door and a sharp metal track that the door runs in, makes it impossible to do the operation in there, so the backyard main hose is used. I suggested we obtain a small wading pool but that weekend the street between the house and Target was choked off by the latest step in a massive operation to replace all the crosswalks with expensive sparkly brick veneer (insert expletive). So she's using two shallow plastic storage tubs that we had lying around. I was impressed into acting as assistant this evening, in my sleep shirt.
Step One: Attach leash to dog, who then drags it around the yard collecting as many foxtails as possible in the parachute webbing it's made of.
Step Two: Fill a plastic tub with water from hose, catch dog, wrangle dog's front paws into water with many treats, shampoo both paws.
Step Three: Insert rear half of dog in water and likewise shampoo, with more treats and much water displacement.
Step Four: Prevent dog from departing for ten minutes counted down by a kitchen timer on a tub lid, feeding dog treats, while picking approximately four hundred foxtails out of leash.
Step Five: Fill second plastic tub with water, wrangle dog partially or wholly into it, rinse off paws thoroughly while dispensing treats.
Step Six: Dry off all four paws as thoroughly as possible, paying special attention to between toes, while dispensing treats. Human(s) now pretty well drenched.
Step Seven: Confine dog indoors for air drying, hang now wet leash for drying, store dangerous shampoo in bathroom, empty tubs onto grass.
Step Eight: Launder everything in sight.
The one-human variation involves leash hooked to belt and presumably yoga stretching.
Step One: Attach leash to dog, who then drags it around the yard collecting as many foxtails as possible in the parachute webbing it's made of.
Step Two: Fill a plastic tub with water from hose, catch dog, wrangle dog's front paws into water with many treats, shampoo both paws.
Step Three: Insert rear half of dog in water and likewise shampoo, with more treats and much water displacement.
Step Four: Prevent dog from departing for ten minutes counted down by a kitchen timer on a tub lid, feeding dog treats, while picking approximately four hundred foxtails out of leash.
Step Five: Fill second plastic tub with water, wrangle dog partially or wholly into it, rinse off paws thoroughly while dispensing treats.
Step Six: Dry off all four paws as thoroughly as possible, paying special attention to between toes, while dispensing treats. Human(s) now pretty well drenched.
Step Seven: Confine dog indoors for air drying, hang now wet leash for drying, store dangerous shampoo in bathroom, empty tubs onto grass.
Step Eight: Launder everything in sight.
The one-human variation involves leash hooked to belt and presumably yoga stretching.