showing her strength

When I close the garden gate and get out the bath tub two little dogs do their best to make themselves invisible. Water? You've got to be kidding. It's wet!

Zacchi, however, is well accustomed to my tune "This is what love looks like" and having made his obligatory attempt to hide from me he growls at my approach, allows me to lift him into the tub, and growls again. When I take his collar off though, he stays in the tub, pretending to hate it but I suspect loving the attention.

As soon as he is rinsed down I lift him out and he stands, glowering, knowing that he looks absolutely hilarious and not at all the "dominant male". He slowly shakes himself, setting a good example to Piccolina, then runs about madly rolling in any vegetation he can. Bravo Zacchi!

Piccolina, however, now by far the heavier and stronger of the two, runs, is caught, escapes, runs again. Third time lucky I think, and lift her into the tub. The minute her collar is off, so is she! No, Pickle, non sei brava.

For this she gets a double bath, the nice smelling shampoo and then the smelly one prescribed by the vet. I notice that her hair still comes out a little, but it is thickening up and growing far faster than any falls out.

I check Zacchi anxiously, his hair and his toenails, but so far no evidence that he has any problems.

Now, when they are nicely dry and confident that I am their friend again, it's time for a dose of tonic via a syringe. It's funny, isn't it, what love looks like?

Today I am grateful for healthy dogs.