Bath Time

Two Fridays ago my mum and sister took me to the Doggie Day Spa for a bath.  It was good for my mum because she could stand to give me a bath instead of having to kneel.  But it wasn't so good for me because I don't like water -- except to drink.

Mum thought it was a nice place.  This photo is before they got me wet.  Thank goodness Mum didn't take photos while I was drenched. 

They thought it went pretty well.  Mum wanted me to be very clean when I went to the vet to have my teeth cleaned the next Wednesday.

Now my teeth look pearly white!  Mum tried to get a photo of me smiling but I don't smile for the camera.

Mum asked about a groom while we were there for my bath and a nice lady came out and greeted me.  She said she'd clipped Airedales before and would clip me if my mum wanted.  But that lady's schedule is booked and she can't do it will the end of October, which is after Mum's next surgery.  So maybe I won't get a clip for a while, unless the weather cools and Mum feels like she can handle it herself.  She did it last year but she didn't have surgery last year.

Maybe the next time you see a post I won't look so woolly.

Thanks for visiting and reading.
Nona.

When I Was Groomed, Mostly

In the spring months my mum stripped my coat.  She thinks its easier to care for a coarse coat than a clipped one.

I wasn't happy about being stripped the first day because I didn't understand.  After she explained it to me, I was comfortable and relaxed.  My mum spent a lot of time with me and I loved it.  And my coat was nice and black.

This photos shows me when I was mostly groomed, except my legs and face, especially my eyebrows.  She still had some work to do on those.  I have cowlicks in my eyebrows so it makes it hard to get them just right.

How does  your mum groom you?

--Nona.

Woolly Nona

Greetings, friends.  Nancy here.  I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post again.  We're glad to be back.

As it does, Nona's hair grew and grew and grew.  She was an adorable woolly 'dale.

She looked cuddly and she was happy to be cuddled.

But with spring on the way, I knew I needed to do something about her long hair.  Clipping takes a few hours but her soft coat would just get softer and lighter tan and more grey than black.  On the other hand, stripping her could take weeks.  I dithered.

I finally began stripping her a little over a week ago.

After my husband lets her outside early in the morning, she races back upstairs to cuddle on the bed.  When I wake up, I spend time cuddling, petting, and stripping her coat while she settles in for a little nap.  I took this photo about 10 days ago and we've made more progress.  Her black saddle used to be long and grey.

I think an Airedale's hard coat is much easier to keep neat and clean.  Thank goodness it's not too cool outside these days.

But Nona loved the snow.  In fact she loved it so much she snow-plowed and sometimes rolled around in it! 

You gotta love Airedales!

We hope you're having fun, whatever you're doing!

--Nancy and Nona.

Airedale Bedhead

I smile every morning when Nona greets me.  It's because of her bedhead muzzle and beard.  They are always askew after a night's sleep, or even a nap.
She has no clue my smile borders on laughter at her appearance.  Even if she knew, I think she would join in.  Airedales love to make their people laugh. 

After breakfast, I brush her muzzle and beard, neatening it so she looks tidy.  But it only lasts a little while--until she starts to play.  And then we do it all over again later in the day.

There are a million reasons to love an Airedale and this mess of a muzzle and beard is one of them!

--Nancy.

Nona Gets a Bath, a Clip, and a Spay

Airedales can look cute, cuddly, and adorable or smart, sleek, and stylish.  I think it mostly depends on appearance, particularly, the length of their hair.  (Of course, whether you want to cuddle an Airedale may also depend on whether her hair is brushed and whether she smells clean and fresh.)  This is Nona, ungroomed (with her ears in helicoptor mode) ready and willing for a hug, a pet, a cuddle.

But the thing with letting an Airedale's hair grow is that it grows and grows and grows until it's a shaggy, straggly mess.  For Airedales, grooming includes clipping or stripping their coats.  Since Nona's not a show girl she gets a clip.

But a bath comes before a clip.  I didn't take any bath photos because we were a little busy with water, shampoo,  cleaning her fur, and rinsing.  Too much water for a phone.  She didn't love her bath but she was agreeable.  At least she didn't try to jump out of the tub mid-bath, and she mostly waited till she was towel-dried and covered with a towel before shaking.  Good girl!

The day after her bath, I gave Nona a clip.   There are no photos of that, either.  It's been more than four years since I clipped an Airedale so I was a little out of practice and paying close attention.  We got the job done but let's just say there will be some editing, adjustments, and improvements to the clip over the next few weeks.  Thanks goodness hair grows!

All clean, dry, and clipped, Nona was a happy girl, especially as she rolled around in the grass.  I love her big smile.

Five days after the clip I took her for a spay.  She was pleased and excited when we arrived at the vet's office yesterday morning.  She's a social girl and loves to be out and about meeting and greeting people.  I filled out some forms and then she happily walked away with the vet tech--and I sorrowfully drove home.

Later in the afternoon I went to get her.  The tech went over home-going instructions with me, then went back to bring Nona to the outer office.  During that time, a couple with two cats in carriers came in for an appointment.  When Nona arrived with the vet tech, she glanced at me, gave me the side-eye, then stopped to greet the other humans.  I wondered how long it would take me to get back in her good graces.  Thankfully, it wasn't long.

Poor girl.  I know she wasn't in pain but gosh, she was dopey.  She just stood, or stood near me to get pets.  She finally decided to lie down, then fell asleep for a while.  A few hours later, I offered her a little food.  She accepted the food but refused to drink water.    

When the vet called after surgery to report, I asked whether she could go up stairs, since that's where the bedrooms are.  He said it would be fine as long as she didn't race up the steps.  So we went up to bed later in the evening (after she went outside and did nothing).

She's happier today but doesn't have much energy.  I was hoping she would leave the incision alone but as a precaution, I put a men's tank top over her head and pulled it back to cover her back and belly.  I think I added insult to injury when, after I saw her head too close to her incision, I pulled another shirt over her from behind with her tail in the head hole and her legs in the arm holes, to make it harder for her to get anywhere near the incision..  I'm glad it's not a hot day! 

I'm confident she'll be back to her happy self soon, with a healed belly and hair a little longer, looking a little like she did a month ago, below.

We are enjoying this cooler weather and looking forward to plenty of walks and outdoor play this fall.

We hope all is well with you.
Nancy and Nona