Nothin' but fur (2007)

And speaking of shaggy.

Check out the after-bath shakes.  Fur is spinning everywhere (and water is in the air ;-)

You can see Frito was mostly fluff.  He was always in pretty good shape.

Swaddled like a baby

So I had a nice warm bath, with lots of shampoo.

And now I am all clean and warm.

And swaddled like a little baby.


But once I get out of the warm towels ...

I become a devil child. Hee-hee.

Still need to air dry

Here I am after a nice bath.

Everything's been done; I just need some more time to air dry.

Let me show you what I have to go through for my bath.

OK, maybe what my parents have to go through ...


First I have to get all wet, and then shampoo'd.

My parents really love this part, especially if I shake off my soapy wet body and splatter them in the face (hee, hee).

Then I get rinsed with nice warm water.

This is pretty fun, except when they try to clean off my chops.

That means the water comes precariously close to my eyes and nosie.

But my parents are experts at this point.

Then I get the towel.

Actually, two. Double wrapped and all warm after my bath.

I really like just setting for a spell with Alpha.

Then of course all the rollin', rollin', rollin', which you have seen many times before.

And when all is said and done, I look extraordinarily clean and cute -- just like this!

Didn't I call it? It's bath time!

Well, at least it's warm water and nice shampoo (and not one of those hollowed out logs with freezing water ;-)


And this shows you that I am at least suitably pampered. Just like I deserve!


Awwww, and now they're holding me just like a baby. I really like this after a warm bath.



Woo hoo!
And now, of course, does every know what time it is? It's time for some rollin', rollin', rollin'

Bath time again?

Well, as winter winds down, it's getting a little messy out there. So you know what that means ... yep, bath time!


OK, now that I'm clean, Alpha has to dry me off a little and do the buff -- his somewhat feeble attempt.


And then, of course, I have to do the real drying off myself. You've seen movies of how vigorous I am when I dry myself. But here is something you don't see everytime -- the ellusive "froggy legs". Woo hoo, aren't you lucky!

Did I mention it was muddy?

You can see that a bath was in order. Yep, I was really dirty.

Needed the expensive doggie wash treatment, with the full undercarriage wash as well.

My own German spa

Well, now, there you go. I used to get my bath in the kitchen sink. I mean, really.

Now take a look at my luxurious bath tub. And it's all mine -- those crazy humans just use the shower.

This bath was after my long, wet Volksmarch, so it felt particularly nice and warm. Just like Dara's Doggie Day Spaw.

Though Mom and Alpha don't use a blow-dryer. They just towel me off and then ...

Well, you'll see tomorrow ;-)

Post bath coif

Well, after we got back from that foggy, sloppy, messy walk, I got a nice warm bath from Alpha. In our new bathroom, there is a large bathtub that is pretty much all mine since the humans use the shower. :-) This is even bigger than the huge sink I used to be bathed in back in NH. I feel like I'm at the Doggie Day Spaw (that's one for you Dara, wherever you are ;-).

So then after drying off in towels, and rolling vigorously and repeatedly on yet more towels on the carpets, I end up with a fantastic new hair do -- don't you think?

In the immortal words of Billy Crystal as Fernando Lamas ... come on, you can say it to me ... "you look marvehlous"!

Another walk, another bath, another roll

Well, with the recent snow coupled with melting temperatures, it's getting pretty messy out there on the streets.

So I got another bath (which I rather enjoy)!

And then, of course, it's drying time. And you know what that means, donchu?

Well, if not, you can check out this little movie clip:

Getting a facial

But wait, it gets better. After my shampoo, Dara gives me a facial. This is so my chops are all soft and sweet-smelling.


And guess what -- this is a blueberry facial. Yummmm! (Oh, was I not supposed to eat that?)


Dara is such a pro -- she totally rinses off my chops without getting any water in my eyes. Woo hoo. Hey, Mom and Alpha, take a note!


There we go -- all clean now. (Not that I was ever really "dirty" mind you.)

Like an otter

Looks like my visit to Dara's Doggie Bag and Day Spaw will be metered out over the next few blog entries. Alpha must be running short of photos ;-)

(Actually, don't even whisper that out loud -- if he hears you, he will get out his camera and come running after me -- hee, hee.)

So anyways, here I am getting my bath and shampoo. I really like it! (Leo, you have nothing to fear ;-)

I feel just like one of those river otters after my fluff is all soaked and sticking to my sides. And we all know how cute otters are, right?

Who just had a bath?

Betcha can't guess.

Does my hairdo give it away?

Ah, to be so clean and sweet-smelling!

Undercarriage wash

Well, it's finally warming up a bit. And that means two things: I go for walks more often, and the roads are really slushy.

Sooooo ... even if I'm still a sweet-smelling pooch, I sometimes need to at least get my undercarriage wash. You know, like you do to your car, so the road salt doesn't do any damage. Mom wants to make sure I'm clean, and my paws don't get injured.

I sure do appreciate it.

Is this really necessary?

Did ya ever notice how you don't really smell bad, to yourself? Well, it seems my parents wanted to take advantage of all le Pew removal options (you'll recall from yesterday), and so I got an impromptu visit to see Dara again. (Pssst, here's a secret -- this option is only open to current customers.)

Yep, Dara gave me a multi-shampoo/bath with special anti-skunk shampoo and then a good rinse and squeegee, as you can see:





I then got a nice toweling and blow dry. I really quite enjoyed it, but thought these photos were the funniest. Oh Dara, did I get you wet? So sorry about that ;-)



I figured what with the toweling, and the blow-drying, that perhaps I should help to speed things up. Pretty nice of me, eh?



Then Dara sprayed me with some anti-skunk spray. And then even more blow-drying. Thanks Dara, and man, I like those earrings!



In the end, I did smell better. Don't you think Mom? But here's another secret: if you get sprayed by a skunk, you will smell it for a long-long time, no matter what you do, especially each time you get wet.



Well, I think my family is resigned to the l'odeur de Pepe le Pew, for if you ever remember seeing that cartoon, Pepe had nothing but l'amour for his girl (Penelope Pussycat). And though Penelope sometimes tried to resist, Pepe usually got the girl.

That's my plan, anyways ;-)

Post-bath treat

Yummmm. Just had a bath (can you tell?) Yes, I was quite a dirty boy.

My wonderful girl just gave me a yummy (and healthy) snack. I am still in post-bath stealth-mode (no collar).

Next comes the sofa, and hopefuly I can coax out a neck massage!

Life is good!

Hey! Where's my treat?

I'm not looking real happy here. Ya see, I just finished my bath and vigorous drying, and I'm not seeing any treats!

The problem is that I'm on a diet -- well, better known as lifestyle change, since this is permanent (due to my bout of pancreatitis).

But it's not all bad -- I get smaller, but more frequent meals (of lowfat chicken or beef).

It's all good, even if I scowl now and then ;-)

Frito the impressionist

I say "impressionist" because this photo, taken with sunlight rather than flash, let my bath-time shake turn into a blur.

If you ask me, the picture looks rather like something from Monet.

Hey, no matter how I'm captured, in the end, I'm just darn cute.

On the furniture

I am clean, so I am loved. See, I get to be on the furniture without any towels. Sittin' between Alpha and Mom. Life is good.

And yes, I realize that I am loved, even when I'm dirty. Just not allowed on the furniture then ;-)

Shaggy Smile

Just had a bath. Just rolled vigourously on some towels and my bed upstairs. Just had a treat. Now I think I'll just sit on the sofa, in the sun, and dry myself completely. Look out the window. And smile.

Oh yeah, and blow kisses to Alli.

Mr. Porcupine

Let's hear it for bath time! Yep, I got a nice long walk yesterday, and since it was just a tad warmer, the road had mud and dirt all over it, and let's just say I was a mess!

But Mom gave me a nice bath (which I really am starting to like), and then Alpha dries me off as much as he can. But you see -- my fur is very long at present (one must keep warm, you know), so it takes a lot of extra effort to get totally dry.

First comes the full body rolls on the towels, You've probably seen movies about this in the past.


Then comes extended froggy legs to get the belly dry. I'm very thorough you know.


Then comes time to fluff up the fur (and shake out any excess water). And that's where Mr. Porcupine comes in. I'd never noticed this before. Must be thanks to Alpha's new camera. Woo hoo.