Middle Age Crisis
This is a more human centric post on a dog blog, I'm afraid because I had a stark reminder yesterday that I am not as young as I used to be.
I mean, I know it all the time, but try not to dwell, but sometimes life just hands you a proverbial mirror and forces you to take a look at yourself. Both Geddy and I are fighting a large (pun somewhat intended) uphill battle to shed those extra pounds that now suddenly plague us. I've changed his feeding routine and my own, and trying to make sure he and I get more exercise. But I spent most of my adult life eating what I want and staying fairly consistent with my weight, so when that changed, it took a while to a) accept it and b) do something about it, and now he and I both finding that adding the pounds was WAY easier than taking them back off. The dogs (and cat) all have their annual exams this coming Friday, and I'm steeling myself for the weigh in.
But the big crisis came yesterday. It was bath day for the Collie Army. All three in a marathon session. I realized halfway through the second dog - who just happened to be Geddy - that my back really hurt, and then I realized there were two of us handling a job I used to do by myself. When I had eight dogs, bath time was a monumental challenge, but I managed it usually by myself. Now granted, I split them into two groups and would do one group one weekend, and the second the weekend after. (Or, I would bribe my kids and pay them to do it, but I'm not altogether sure they got very clean on those occasions.) Anyway, point being, even splitting them up, that was four dogs at a time. By myself. No aches, no pains. Maybe just some chapped hands.
Ah, youth, where have you gone?
When my widowed mother moved into a condominium in Washington, PA. one of her neighbors was a widower with a beautiful rough collie. I swear that man was the most eligible bachelor in all of Washington, or at least with the over 70 set, and I used to literally pray at night that Mom and he would develop more than just a casual friendship for a couple of reasons, but mainly because I could then have a collie for a stepdog. But, alas, Mom was having none of it - although, if you want my opinion, she was not blind to the gentleman's considerable charm. Anyway, point being, except for the times when I was in town visiting and begged him to let me walk his dog, which he always did with good humor, he was caring for a large 70+ pound dog just fine by himself. He walked him, kept him brushed and well fed. As far as I know he didn't have a groomer, but maybe he did. I thought a lot about them yesterday. If he can do it, I can sure do it!
I'm at the age where my body isn't quite breaking down, but it's also not exactly mine to command fully either - it likes to tell me what its limits are instead of the other way around - so I've decided it's not about giving up and hiring a professional groomer to do a simple thing like wash my own dogs for an astronomical sum (because, of course, I'd have to do a mobile groomer or Rooney would be doubly traumatized), it's about being smart how I do it. For summer bathing, we have a collapsible tub, which is mainly to keep them and the water contained. But it's on the ground...makes entry easy, right? But then the washing part is a constant process of bending over, and hence the issue.
Now, the next morning, still feeling a vague ache back there, I was doing what I always do when faced with a question: I Googled it. And like most things I wonder about, I'm hardly the first one to have the problem. I actually found an article that was on point. I generally don't use the indoor tub for summer - just the winter bathing, and I definitely would have made some people frown had I gone that route yesterday, because my daughter had cleaned it just that morning, but it was good, if somewhat obvious advice.
But to avoid the human-dog bathroom sharing conflict, I've been toying with a dog wash station ever since I saw one at a pet friendly apartment complex I walk past when I go to hockey games (Flats on Fifth in case you're looking). They have a Booster Bath. And they have it indoors, but I've watched the video, and I'm not exactly sure how that works in a basement without getting water just about everywhere - or maybe how I would use it in a basement without getting water just about everywhere, so it's still just a summer fix. Then I hit upon this on Pinterest:
It's made from a horse trough. Looks simple enough, right? A little plumbing, a little carpentry, and it's steampunk chic. So I have decided I want one, and that can save the back and my ego for a few more years. Now, who can build that for me? Because this old dog is probably not learning the new trick of carpentry to construct that stand.
But, I've got some time to figure out before the next bath, but I think in the meantime, I'm taking the boys to Fall Run Park to prove to myself I'm not entirely out of shape!
I mean, I know it all the time, but try not to dwell, but sometimes life just hands you a proverbial mirror and forces you to take a look at yourself. Both Geddy and I are fighting a large (pun somewhat intended) uphill battle to shed those extra pounds that now suddenly plague us. I've changed his feeding routine and my own, and trying to make sure he and I get more exercise. But I spent most of my adult life eating what I want and staying fairly consistent with my weight, so when that changed, it took a while to a) accept it and b) do something about it, and now he and I both finding that adding the pounds was WAY easier than taking them back off. The dogs (and cat) all have their annual exams this coming Friday, and I'm steeling myself for the weigh in.
But the big crisis came yesterday. It was bath day for the Collie Army. All three in a marathon session. I realized halfway through the second dog - who just happened to be Geddy - that my back really hurt, and then I realized there were two of us handling a job I used to do by myself. When I had eight dogs, bath time was a monumental challenge, but I managed it usually by myself. Now granted, I split them into two groups and would do one group one weekend, and the second the weekend after. (Or, I would bribe my kids and pay them to do it, but I'm not altogether sure they got very clean on those occasions.) Anyway, point being, even splitting them up, that was four dogs at a time. By myself. No aches, no pains. Maybe just some chapped hands.
 |
| Of course...we're clean, so let's roll in the grass some |
Ah, youth, where have you gone?
 |
| And use the landscaping to dry ourselves! |
I'm at the age where my body isn't quite breaking down, but it's also not exactly mine to command fully either - it likes to tell me what its limits are instead of the other way around - so I've decided it's not about giving up and hiring a professional groomer to do a simple thing like wash my own dogs for an astronomical sum (because, of course, I'd have to do a mobile groomer or Rooney would be doubly traumatized), it's about being smart how I do it. For summer bathing, we have a collapsible tub, which is mainly to keep them and the water contained. But it's on the ground...makes entry easy, right? But then the washing part is a constant process of bending over, and hence the issue.
Now, the next morning, still feeling a vague ache back there, I was doing what I always do when faced with a question: I Googled it. And like most things I wonder about, I'm hardly the first one to have the problem. I actually found an article that was on point. I generally don't use the indoor tub for summer - just the winter bathing, and I definitely would have made some people frown had I gone that route yesterday, because my daughter had cleaned it just that morning, but it was good, if somewhat obvious advice.
But to avoid the human-dog bathroom sharing conflict, I've been toying with a dog wash station ever since I saw one at a pet friendly apartment complex I walk past when I go to hockey games (Flats on Fifth in case you're looking). They have a Booster Bath. And they have it indoors, but I've watched the video, and I'm not exactly sure how that works in a basement without getting water just about everywhere - or maybe how I would use it in a basement without getting water just about everywhere, so it's still just a summer fix. Then I hit upon this on Pinterest:
But, I've got some time to figure out before the next bath, but I think in the meantime, I'm taking the boys to Fall Run Park to prove to myself I'm not entirely out of shape!
 |
| Discussing how beautiful they look post-bath |
It is no fun getting old. I think the dog washes are a good idea for bigger dogs no matter what your age in
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