Sherman takes a bath

If you read this blog very often, I hope you have noticed that I try to choose my words carefully. If I offend with my writing, it's more than likely quite intentional. So I hope that you notice that I titled this post "Sherman takes a bath" rather than "Sherman has a bath" or "I gave Sherman a bath" or something like that. He was a willing participant.

I've been talking to a couple who is interested in adopting him. We are just working out a time to get together to meet, so I wanted Sherman looking and smelling good. Sherman has been needing a bath as his skin has been getting rather greasy, yeasty, and sort of smelly, as, I'm given to understand, is not uncommon with English Bulldogs. Today was a nice day but I made it an indoor tub bath as cold well water is rather shocking even on a hot day. I led Sherman to the tub with the sprayer already running. He put his front paws up on the tub and all I had to do was give the rear end a boost and he was in and the bath was underway.

Sherman had obviously done this before. He may have even known that he needed a bath, I don't know, but I've rarely had a dog this cooperative with the process. I think one of the Great Dane fosters I had, maybe Diesel, actually stepped into the tub. Sherman would have but his legs were too short. Once in the tub, he just stood there and let me do my business. I used a few different medicated shampoos on him and left them on the skin for a good five minutes. He didn't even shake during the entire process so I didn't get wet and the bathroom didn't get sprayed. 

When I was done, he stood there and let me towel him off and then he hopped out of the tub on his own. I took him outside to a sunny spot to finish drying and it was only after we got outside that he did a full body shake to get any remaining water off of him.

Sherman's stock rose appreciably today. He is a very good dog.

This is why I love bulldogs.  He's not upset, that's his happy face.