It's a Dog's Life.....

Poor Angus. Poor Murphy. Why do they feel so sad? Well, let me give you a hint.....
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............................Nope, not a bee. But, clippers!!!

Unfortunately, one of the "downsides" of owning Scotties is that they need frequent maintenance in the *coat* department. Scotties have two coats. The outer layer is less thick than the inner layer. If left on its own, this coat is very coarse. The inner coat is more like goose down...kind of insulating and very thick.

I generally groom the boys every month. This is to help them not to freak every time they hear the clippers. Angus doesn't like the clippers at ALL, and Murphy is more or less "tolerant". If you merely make a "bzzz" noise, Angus hightails it away. He refuses to be consoled, and clipping him is similar to a "greased pig" contest!

Last night, I began grooming Murphy. I was a little tired and Michelle came into the room and asked if she could finish. I REALLY need a grooming table. I get down on the hardwood floor and clip away. This was fine when I was more flexible and could SEE better! Now, I feel like I am being punished sitting there! When I get up, I feel like the tin man!!!! So, I gladly turned the clippers over to Michelle, and I helped her along.

Tonight, Michelle decided she would go after Angus. Oh BOY, did she NOT know what she was going for!!! Angus was relatively good for her, but he decided when he had enough!

Angus will allow the clippers on his body, shoulders, chest...but do NOT touch his HEAD with them. Do you have any idea how LONG it takes to get that "scottie look"using a pair of scissors? Ugh....

Now, just because Murphy is younger does NOT mean he is a fool!!! Look, he retreated to a safe place where no one could find him.....

Ha, ha! Little Murphy....I got down on all fours and peeked inside the tent with my camera! (I love the way that camera can shoot in what is the lowest of light!) Oh, and the reason I was taking pictures of Murphy instead of Angus was because Michelle (very kindly) asked me to l-e-a-v-e with my camera.....poor sport, eh?

Well, Angus had his dose of "primping", so I told Michelle to just let him go. We will finish tomorrow. In the meantime, she took Angus down the hall and put him into the bathroom. She was going to bathe him, but decided not to, as he is "unfinished". Instead, she vaccumed him!

So, as Angus headed into the bathroom, what did Murphy do?

Yup, he came out of the "pup tent" and decided to stretch out on the big plump doggie bed! In this picture, you can see how nicely Murphy turned out after Michelle's grooming!

Now, for those of you with dogs, you cannot IMAGINE the fun of trimming toenails! Murphy HATES, hates, hates getting nails trimmed. When he was still a very small youngster, he would snarl and nip at me...actually, I think he was going for the clippers...not me. Anyway, I got out a muzzle and told him we were going to put on a little "mask." Now, when we clip, I always get out the "mask" and he gets excited. Kind of funny. Angus used to give me such a HARD time. By the time we were done, we were both so tired, we SLEPT! Since getting Murphy, Angus now allows me to trim his nails without trouble.

Bottom line, these Scotties are sure a lot of work, but I cannot imagine life without them. They give far far more than they take!