The season of mud

Between winter and spring is the season of mud.
When the snow starts to melt and the temperature rises things get a bit sloppy around here. Of course that's when everyone wants to be outside after being indoors so much during the winter months.

Today I decide to go for a walk. The driveway no longer has snow, the icy patches have melted, but there is mud. Not to bad for a walk, unless of course you are a ten inch tall Poodle with long hair.

My family doesn't like when I trim Pooh short like this and he has the "prissy" Poodle look.

It's not my favorite look either, although it is nice when he's all clean and groomed. I think we all prefer the happy, shaggy, farm-dog look. Like this...

or this...

Ok, this might be a bit extreme. He's almost at this stage now.

He just got a bath. I wouldn't let him back in the house until he did. Imagine this, but with dark brown, muddy legs and belly. Sorry, you'll have to imagine as I failed to get a picture of the mess.

My son thought he looked a bit like Sid from Ice Age with his hair flat against his head. Guess you had to see it in person.
Well, at least he's clean. Next we'll be working on the "prissy" Poodle look again, because the season of mud is here. And I am glad!

Transition

It's that time again. Time to transition these little hairballs into proper Poodles!

Although, I guess that's all relative, since I'm not a professional groomer and really don't know what I'm doing. Oh, well, at least we'll give baths and trim them up a bit to so they appear to be Poodles!   *wink*


Here goes! First comes the "drowned rat" stage:

I think Lucy looks a bit like Sid the sloth on Ice Age here. You know, with the hair hanging over one eye and that skinny little body.

Paisley with her blue "merled" eyes. I love blue eyes!

Hahah....sorry Reese, but you look a bit like an old man with a beard here.

After the bath and a good "towel dry" it's time to finish drying  in the Iris pen. My, they look fluffy!

Paisley now we can see those pretty blue eyes again! You looked a bit like a hippy in that last picture.

Reese~now, that's a different look! Cute girl! This was the first time she had ever had her feet and face clipped and she did surprisingly well.

And my sweet Lucy Lou!

Now that The Three Amigos, Three Musketeers or some days, The Three Stooges are done, I can start on the adults. Dog hair, here I come!

Party animals!

Well, the girls decided to host a going away party for Poppy the night before she flew to her new home. Unfortunately, they forgot to run this by me...

Sometimes I let "the girls" have free rein in the garage to run and play. With the amount of snow we have and the cold, it's not often they get to run around outside. And since our house is small, the garage is a good alternative to race around. (Especially since my family was here for a visit and we had five extra bodies in the house). Their litter boxes, toys and their play pen is set up out there, the wood stove keeps it toasty and the radio is playing.

Well, I let them out of their play pen to play and went back in the house. The family settled down with a good movie, and I totally forgot to check on the puppies. For.a.long.time. (Naughty mom!) All of a sudden it dawned on me, "THE PUPPIES!" and I ran out to see how they were doing.

OK, so right outside the laundry room door as you head out into the garage is a bench. I had ("had" is the key word) a twenty-four roll pack of toilet paper setting on said bench. You, guessed it, they had "helped" themselves to the T.P. and this is what I saw when I stepped out.

It was everywhere! I even found it stuffed in boxes that I had my recyclables in. Boy, had they been creative!
And actually, the pictures don't really give the full affect of what the party girls did. But all I could do was laugh! And holler at my family, "You guys have GOT to come see this!" Of course, the puppies were just bouncing around all happy, as if to say, "Mom, you're the best! Thanks for the new "toys"!

(Just for clarification, we don't put cars in our garage, "Do people really do that?" ;) But we do try to keep it tidy, although occupied with tools, dog crates and paraphernalia, garbage barrels, horse tack and containers of dog and horse food!)

I did manage to round up all of the missing rolls, or what was left of them!

Here's the culprits after I "arrested" them.

(Do you know how hard it is to hold four wiggly puppies for a picture?)

Well, it's nice to know Poppy's last night at home was a fun and memorable time with her "sisters".

And if you come to my house and use my guest bathroom, you might find some interesting looking toilet paper rolls under the sink.