Dog's Day of Summer

Today, it finally happened. We decided to give our dog Red a bath. First, a little bit of history as to how Red become a member of our family. The Lofthus family just wouldn't seem right without Cinder. She is our 14-year-old dog. I can't even remember the PCE (Pre-Cinder-Era). She is a very low maintenance dog, whom we all love. That being said, she doesn't do a whole bunch. As a wise man once put it, "cinder looks like a goat."

Now, there came a day when as a family we decided to get another dog. We got a big dog we named Toby. He was a nice dog, but he was wild. We spent months trying to fortify the fence so he would stop digging out. Once he dug out, he would quickly try to dig back in so he wouldn't get caught. He also was well known for pulling Cinder around by the tail. The only "trick" Cinder ever learned was sit, and that is because we were trying to teach Toby at the time. Thus I discovered the way to teach an old dog new tricks, is to get a new dog and try to teach it tricks. But sadly, there came a day when we had to get rid of Toby. He got sick, and we couldn't afford to continue the expensive trips to the vet. Thus dawned the PTE (Post-Toby-Era). He was missed greatly by all, everyone that is except for Cinder.

Later, some family friends had a dog they needed to find a home for. This dog had quite literally jumped into their lives. They tried to locate the owners, but they couldn't be found. We went over to their house to see the dog, it was a loving, purebred golden retriever they called Red. We just couldn't pass him up. He has now been a member of our family for nearly a year. We later found out his real name is Sam, but that is another story.

All this to say, he really needed a bath. So today was finally the day. My youngest sister and I decided to give Red a bath. He calmly allowed us to dump water all over him, and lather him with dog shampoo. I think he rather enjoyed the lathering of the shampoo part. After the long bath, which took place outside, the first thing he tried to do was roll around in the dirt. I quickly put a stop to that. He is now a whole lot cleaner and smells better. I have him inside the house, and am trying to delay the inevitable time of when I have to let him outside. I think Cinder is jealous.