Water, water everywhere.....

Oh the uses of water…. That stuff in the bowl goes really well with the food in the next dish and is so good when there has been lots of frantic running in the backyard. The stuff in the toilet is intriguing but Maggie fortunately isn’t quite ready to go for the big gulp!!! Now, the hose is a different matter. Sheila is out, watering the plants including the replaced pots on the patio and this is just wonderful. When the hose is left on the grass with the water running freely, this brings a whole new dimension to the backyard activities!!! The grass in front of the hose is wet, it’s really, really wet, kind of like a puddle and when a paw is placed into that puddle, it’s a great feeling that causes Maggie’s head to turn sideways and is met with a pounce or two for good measure!!! This is a great game!!! And if the paws land just right, landing on the hose, the water changes direction!!! Where do these games come from???

But there is the matter of having a bath. Yes, I know she’s a Golden Retriever and they love water but having a bath is a different matter and after all she is only a child/puppy. Having soap rubbed into her fur even no more tears shampoo was met with an overwhelming woefulness that broke into a moan which needed a wail to accompany it and then the instinctual howl broke out to let all the species on the planet know of the travesty at the Paces where bathing a dog was in fact cruel and unusual punishment!!!!! Alana’s softly spoken assurances of, “I know, I know” fell on deaf ears as the wailing continued. And then it was over, water and suds draining from the evil tub, a big towel to assist in her removal and lots of rubbing to get the bulk of the water off of her. Escape was at hand as she flew down the stairs to the patio door, straining to get away. The door was opened and without looking back she launched herself out across the patio and onto her beloved grass where she rolled and scratched and wriggled and then as if to show Alana and all of us who was in control, she dove under her favorite bush and promptly rubbed all that shampoo smell off of her as she rolled in the earth, nose, face ,ears ,back, front, paws ,legs and tail and then had the audacity to say, “I think I’ll come in now!!!!”