Dogs and Baths
Last Saturday, before we learned how sick Baxter is, we took him to a training class. He has had a few skirmishes with some resident pets, so we decided that Donnie, a rugged version of Cesar Millan, would be a good choice to talk some sense into our pooch. At the beginning of the class Donnie came over to us and stuck his face into Baxter’s. THAT is not an aggressive dog, otherwise I would not stick my face into his!” declared Donnie loudly. Observing the other dogs, it became clear that Baxter did not belong in his class. But I enjoyed seeing Donnie handle all the dogs. He left the toughest one last. “Bring me the Back Devil!” he called out to the owners.
At the end of the class I asked Donnie about giving Baxter a bath in the bathroom. “Oh, no,” he cried out, “just hose him down outside! Have you ever seen a dog that likes taking a bath?” he continued. “I used to do drug busts and I would burst into these houses filled with dogs launching at me. DO YOU WANT A BATH??? I would yell, and they would slink away at once. The cops entering later would ask, ‘How did you do that’, I’d tell them that I just offered the dogs a bath.”
Well, Baxter got his first cleaning right underneath a cherry tree, and all went well. I still plan to try some of Donnie’s more gentle techniques to improve walking on a leash, once Baxter gets healthy.
