Dog Days of Summer

Much to the dismay of 2 furry family members, I declared last Saturday a "puppy bath day."

Vinnie tolerates the tub, but pouts afterwards. He always looks so dejected and unloved.

Cooper used to climb the walls in the shower. Now he will even sit if asked. He's come a long way. But the outcome is always the same once the bathroom door opens: he dashes to the living room scooting across the carpet, couch or dog bed trying desperately to rub the "clean" off.

It's actually pretty hilarious to watch. Some day that dog will win us the $10,000 prize.

To add insult to injury, after the bath, I took them to get their vaccinations. They were the most popular dogs at the clinic, but that didn't go far once I gave the OK for 3 shots each. Cooper was up first. The DHPP shot tends to itch at the injection site, so he was yelping and thrashing around. He couldn't decide if he was hurt or just needed to scratch. I finally got him calmed down in time to see Vinnie trying to escape the needle. Somehow, we managed to get through it. The rest of the afternoon resulted in quiet naps.

Poor Vinnie had a pretty rough time. They must have got him in the muscle when he flinched because his shoulder swelled and he was limping on his front leg by the end of the night. He spent the better part of 4 days in sad shape...limping, crying, and sleeping a lot. I called the vet, who said as long as the swollen area wasn't hot (infected) that he should be OK in a few days.

We fussed over him: icing down his shoulder, fluffing his puppy bed and picking him up to put him on the couch....until we realized what good faker he is. He managed to leap off the floor for "goodies", but then whined for someone to open the back door so he didn't have to bend his leg to go out the doggie door. A little tough love, and he's good as new!

At least they've got a whole year to forget about it before we have to do it again...