Cleaning up

I bought a new vacuum a couple weeks ago and it kicked off my once a year round of deep cleaning where I try to remove accumulated dirt and dust from baseboards, windows, and other places that miss the ordinary cleaning. Today the clean movement reached the dogs because I've noticed that Maya is blowing her coat and Candace smells. 

I've been brushing Maya over the past two days and have removed a lot of her unneeded coat. The hot weather is actually a good time for annual dog baths and I started with Candace today. I would normally do them outside, but I carried Candace upstairs to the bathtub and did hers in warm water. She was very good about it all, even let me wash out her ears with the sprayer and then swab them out with an ear cleaning cloth. They were gunky. I dried what I could with a towel and then put her outside on the long line to wander around and dry off. She looks and smells much better.

I hope to take advantage of the heat and bathe the other dogs over the next few days as well. 

We emptied out enough of the van this evening that there's room for Della so we can go on a walk tomorrow morning. She's made it very clear that she wants to go and my back really needs the exercise as well. Potential adopters are coming to meet Jericho and Joy tomorrow, so it may be a momentous day. There's also a new foster coming in so it will be a busy one.

Della isn't happy that I haven't taken her out to walk since I got home.

This morning Elvis tried to initiate play with Della. 

She seemed confused.

Candace was really good in the bath.

Paisley sat behind me the entire time, thinking it was her turn next perhaps?

Candace got a pretty thorough cleaning, including her ears.

She was happy when Clay got home so she could hang out in the front room with him.

Her coat is short and she dried quickly in the sunshine.

Here's Maya with just a fraction of the fur I've removed from her over the past two days.