DOGS AND RAIN!!

Another day of rain, and wet, muddy and smelly dogs. You think the rain would bother them but not so. The seniors definitely don't like to go out in the rain, I have to give them a gentle push, heaven forbid that they get their feet wet. Especially Brooke, she just does not want wet feet. The young dogs don't care which is great, they will run right out in the rain and want to play chase. They don't care if they get soaked. They just shake it off and go on playing chase, and catch me if you can. The Shelties and dogs in general are amazing as they accept whatever is given to them and especially the weather. Although Bling who is 9 years old becomes very upset with heavy rain and thunder. With thunder she will find a place to hide and bark at the thunder. I think she thinks that she can chase it away. One night we had storms and she barked the whole night. Thankfully the others did not join her. If they had there would have been no sleep that night. I did a complete grooming on Brooke and Keeper yesterday and thankfully they go out and do what they need to and come right back in. They don't get muddy and their coats just fluff up a bit with the rain. I am glad that I started with the seniors yesterday and not the younger dogs as they get muddy and very wet. I took out tons of hair yesterday as this is the shedding time of year, now through September, and once the undercoat is gone they look so pretty. Will do two more seniors this week, Max who is 13 and he hates brushing. But that is only because of his age and it hurts his skin, so I do small portions at a time and it takes several days to get him groomed out. I started on Glory the other evening and sat on my grooming box rather than put her on the table which I usually do. She was in seventh heaven. She put her head on my knee and just soaked it all in. Glory would be a wonderful Therapy dog for someone. I co-own her with a friend and she is here to have a litter and then I may find her a home where she will blossom with not living with a pack. But this will take a lot of thought as it is pretty easy to get attached to her. The home will need to be perfect, she is so sweet and loving, I can see her visiting the elderly and giving much joy. Having a therapy dog  is a wonderful experience for all. The elderly love to see the dogs, have a time to pet and talk to them. Many have memories of dogs in their past. It is so rewarding to share your dog and bring joy.
I have digressed from the rain topic. I am hopeful this will be the last day of rain for awhile. I want to get everyone groomed and it would be so nice if they could stay clean. I have small stone in my dog yard but the dirt is beginning to come through. I have purchased a few pieces of kennel deck which helps a lot. They are over the area by the gate which used to get very muddy and now they keep clean. They like the decking and often lay on it and not on the stone, it is much more comfortable. Actually they prefer to be in the house. They are good for the most part, although if Topaz can steal any kind of paper she will. Then we have a great game of catch me if you can. She loves the little yellow notepads, she will rip pages off before I can catch her. Then Bonnie sees what fun she is having grabs a sheet of paper and proceeds to shred it, what fun!! Someday I hope to get back into therapy, maybe Topaz. We start her obedience class tomorrow and if she does well we will go on with the training and get her Canine Good Citizen title so that she can become certified for therapy.
For now all is peaceful. Maybe I will be lucky and have a few moments of peace before breakfast. 

Morning coffee with the kids!!