bath day

Tuesday is acupuncture day for Thirteen now, and that means that every other week, Monday is bath day. I always mean to give her a bath over the weekend, but somehow I don't get around to it until Monday.

Thirteen's ability to stink amazes me. Is this some old dog super power? When she was young I used to bathe her a couple-three times a year, and I don't remember her smelling that much. Now she reeks after ten days. I used to think it was due to her itchiness: she likes to chew on herself, and then roll on the ground to scratch her back. Just last week we also discovered that she has a touch of senile incontinence. Which helps to explain why she still stinks so badly even though she hardly goes outside anymore.

But anyway, she stinks, a lot, and the vets see her once a week now, and I like to maintain the illusion that I take good care of her. Which means a bath every couple of weeks. Poor Thirteen hates baths so much. Especially now that it's hard for her to stand up for any length of time. I try to make it easier on her: first, we got her a bathmat so the tub isn't so slippery. And I get into the tub with her and straddle her back end, so she can lean against my leg. And I try to get it over with as fast as possible. She still can't usually stand for the whole bath, so I try to get her back end washed and rinsed first, then finish her front end after she sits down.

It's lucky that dogs tend not to hold grudges. As much as she hates the bath, she always gets over it as soon as it's done. She seems to enjoy drying herself off: first she shakes, then she goes around to all her favorite sleeping spots, licks her feet (which don't usually get dried off as well) and rubs her face on the bed/carpet. RIght after a bath is the liveliest she gets all week.