It’s the third

The third medicated bath for Jack, that is.

I start by moving my little space heater into the bathroom to get it nice and warm. Then bring in Jack, set my timer, and soap him up. He has to stay in the tub with the shampoo on him for 10 minutes. That’s the hard part. He’s okay with it as long as I massage him for the whole 10 minutes. And I’m okay with that.

Like all dogs I’ve ever known, after a bath is crazy time. Run around faster than a speeding bullet. If possible, go outside and roll on the ground. A close second is rub your body against every upholstered surface in the house. Here’s a photo of Jack during his wild-man phase, carrying his fishy toy back to me so I’ll throw it again. I know the photo’s really fuzzy, but I like the way his ears and legs are clearly caught in motion.

Between the shampooing and the probiotic, Jack is definitely getting healthier. I didn’t notice any oiliness or smell to his skin during the past week, and his ears are clean, too. Just one more weekly bath to go, and then we’ll hopefully be done with this particular task.

As for his toileting issues, I’ve spoken with a local man who’s a very well respected animal behaviorist. He made some common sense suggestions that I’ve put in place. We haven’t had an accident in more than a week. I do have to walk Jack 3 times a day as he hasn’t yet ever asked me to go out, and staying out in the yard doesn’t mean he’ll either urinate or defecate. The morning walk is 1-2 miles (the vet would like it to be shorter, but it takes Jack that long to do his business); the afternoon walk is about a mile, and the evening walk is about 1/2 mile. I’ll be taking him for dog training in November, and I’m hoping that he’ll gain confidence and I’ll learn how to train him to ask to go outside.

I’ve been working on the weaving for the seat cushions. Here’s the fabric for the 1st seat:

And the 2nd transitioning to the 3rd:

And finally the 3rd to the 4th:

The weft for the 1st 2 cushions is a variegated cotton; the 2nd 2 are a 2-color twisted cotton-linen blend. I got the fabric off the loom and into the washer & dryer. I have to buy the cushion material, and then I’ll change the seat cushions out. I hope. That is, I hope my material is dense enough and strong enough, and that I can actually replace the seats without too much difficulty. I’ve never done it before, but you know that’s never stopped me.