Day 62: Amazing Day!

Maybe it's just because I feel better after being sick.  Whatever the reason, though, today has been an amazing day.  First of all, we took our usual early morning walk during which Gracie spotted a squirrel, perked up, but didn't lunge at it.  Good dog!  When we got home, I put dog food in Gracie's bowl, set it down by her water dish, and went on to make myself some coffee.  I thought she would wait for me before eating, and she did shoot me a couple questioning looks.  "I'll be right there," I told her.  I poured some water over the coffee grounds in the filter; then I turned around to get a coffee cup.  Gracie was at her bowl eating!  She didn't stop either until all the food was gone.  Good dog!

Gracie in the tub at Bubbly Paws.

Our planned trip to Bubbly Paws for a dog wash just had to be a success coming on top of these seemingly major breakthroughs (time will tell whether they are permanent or merely anomalies).  I personally think a self-service dog wash is a stroke of genius.  We were met at the door by a friendly young woman in an apron who asked us if this was our first visit.  We said it was, and she pointed out the wall of aprons (for me) and said, "The tubs around back are better for smaller dogs." She told us to help ourselves to shampoo, rinse, and a toothbrush.  Toothbrushes are individually wrapped and self-pasting with a substance that looked like beef consomme.  I put on an apron, and Gracie hopped into the tub unassisted .  The sprayer was nicer than anything we have for ourselves (human selves) in our house, with several settings.  The water was warm to cool.  Gracie didn't love getting wet, but she didn't mind having shampoo massaged into the fur.  I was careful to get all the shampoo out.  This wasn't hard with the fantastic nozzle on the sprayer and with Gracie in the tub.  We tried the toothbrush.  It was no surprise that the chicken flavored paste was very interesting to Gracie.  The brush seemed a little stiff, though, so we cut that short.  I grabbed a couple towels and moved us on to the drying room.  I would like to have taken a picture there but had to use both hands to work the towel and the blower.  Gracie did not like the blower, but it did dry her quickly.  We decided to skip the final step that we saw other dogs getting: spritzed with spa perfume.  That was a bit over the top for us.  We did take a Milkbone for the ride home, though.

"Not so bad," says Gracie.  We won't be going back for six to eight weeks. Maybe she will have forgetton all about it by then.  Or maybe, if she does remember parts of it, those parts will be the chicken flavored toothpaste or the Milkbone dog treat or the great massage I gave her while she was all soaped up.  Maybe she'll be glad to be back.  Meanwhile, I'm thinking a dog wash like this might be a perfect retirement business...maybe in San Francisco!