Thursday, April 30, 2009

Why We Didn’t Get a Long Haired Breed

Well, it has been getting warm here in sunny Florida.  And the walks with the pugs have needed to be pushed back later and later.  In our journeys, though, we met a man who was an experienced pug owner.  He suggested that we give the pugs a “summer shave” so they would be “cool” during the hot days.  We found the idea interesting.  Especially for Sol, though, since her black fur attracts heat like a moth to a flame.  Also because Sol had some rough tufts of hair that could afford to be trimmed away.

We started with Benjamin.  We gave him a little trim and all was well.  Luna, too.  While her haircut exposed much more of her scar tissue throughout her torso, her actual haircut was one to be admired.  Something got lost in the sauce when we turned to Sol, though.  Most of her haircut was ok with the exception of the area around her neck leading to her head.  We couldn’t quite figure out how to blend it together.  So, now she has an 80’s style bi-level hair-do from her ears to her neck.  The perk is that we trimmed a lot of the gray off her belly and exposed some of her tummy which really should keep her a lot cooler.  In truth, Sol does look much younger with her short sassy coiffe.

The main problem came into play with Henry.  He mostly sat still but then he wanted to lay down and take potty or chewy breaks.  So, Henry’s hair-do is more like a hair-don’t.  He has patchy fur and the faint black stripe on his back is now completely invisible.  While he was a bit of a wiggle worm and not as cooperative as he usually is, we didn’t think his haircut would go quite so bad especially since the other 3 were mostly ok.  Henry doesn’t seem to mind or care.  It is dreadfully apparent, however, that none of the humans that “helped” with the hair cut attended cosmetology school or if they did they fit the perfect description of a beauty school drop out.  Fortunately, when Henry has his harness on you can barely tell the mess of his mane we made.  But when he is a nakey boy, ooh, he should be wearing a hat!  (Or in his case, a sweater.)

So, while pugs have always been our breed of choice, it is probably a good thing that we didn’t fall in love with a breed that needs special grooming beyond the typical combing and bathing.  Novice dog groomers we are.  I think we’ll leave well enough alone and the pugs will just have to pant it out when it gets too hot for them to handle.