SUMMER IS HERE.

and it's HOT.
but I am NOT complaining.
I said if it would only warm up, I'd be happy.
So...
I've got the fans going and I made some new screens for my front storm door.
A very nice girl at the hardware store told me how.
I'm usually ignored at those stores or else talked to condescendingly. 
It was so very nice to talk to a helpful sweet person.
That motivated me, so she helped me pick out a screen door for the back of the house too,
and the hardware to go with it.
What I really liked about her was that she said to me - "You can do it!".
Yep, really nice to be treated with cheerful optimism instead of bored dismissal.
So today I will cutting down the screen door and sanding the edges and painting it.
This coming week is suppose to be more bearable, only in the low 80's.
I really hate to stick the window air-conditioners in if I don't have to.
But on THAT note, my gang was been getting their summer grooms.
Ping-

Vera- 

Louie-

I always take my Poodles in to be done because I want them to be pretty.
Sadly I do the rest of my little ones myself and it ends up looking like a real hack-job
so therefore, no photos!

I even got Nora shaved down.

She doesn't appear to be too happy about it
and she's terrified to be up on the chair where I put her for this photo.
I'm thinking her previous owners must have not allowed her on the furniture
because she was very afraid sitting there.

None of my other pets have that problem.

Then I gave Blue a good bath. 
I use that bluing shampoo to keep his coat snowy white
and I finish up with a creme rinse that I massage in and it makes his hair drop out in hand fulls.
Then I gave him several good rinses and towel dried him and then blew him out with the high-power blowdryer.
He doesn't mind the dryer like a lot of dogs but I suppose that's because he can't hear it.
I bet it feels good too, all that air blasting his hair free.

He feels SO SOFT!

So, everyone is done except Ruby.
I washed her face the other day and she went into a huge seizure fit thing again.
Her eys bugged out and her mouth and tongue went grey and she was drooling.
I really thought that was it. I thought she was passing as I held her in a towel.
She couldn't walk afterwards, so I just laid in her bed with her paws curled in.
Of course this happened just before bedtime and I sat with her until I couldn't stay awake
and then finally went to bed myself realizing she could be gone in the morning
or if she couldn't walk, well... I would probably have to have Doc release her from her little body.
But in the morning, she was trotting around the room like nobody's business.
Yeah, I might not shave her down
or if I do, just do a little at a time.
Maybe later today I will shave my long haired cats Harry and Charlie.
That's always fun.

BARE NAKED

Bare Naked Dogs

Summer Cuts

Do you even recognize Nora?

before photo

I was so startled when she was done being groomed
that I almost thought I would cry

but I quickly recovered and told her how "Beautiful" she was.

That's important to do.

Never laugh at a dog after a haircut!

When my sister and I were very young, we laughed at my Mom's poodle when he came home

with Pom-Pom hair and painted nails.

He immediately went and hid under the end table and refused to come out.

Speaking of Nora, here's an update on her.
She has put on some pounds. (That tends to happen in my home.)
She no longer needs her medicine. I'm doubting if she ever did and 
she now has good firm stools.
Yeah, I know TMI.
But that's what the expensive medicine was for, chronic worms.
By keeping her on regular Heartworm medication and good food, it's been taken care of it.

She is VERY protective. She goes crazy in the van at ANYONE she sees.

She bounces off the van windows and totally freaks out.

When she's at work with me, she will bare her teeth at some dogs until I tell her to stop.

Then she's OK.

She was barking at the neighbors over the fence where it is lower

but I told them to just call her by her name and then she stops.

Apparently she realizes that if you know her name, there must be 

no STRANGER DANGER.

And... she has taken to herding the little dogs.

Especially Mimsy.

Nora "nips" her on the back and guides her through the house.

I was feeling very sorry for Mims but then I took Mimsy to work with me and let her run full out in the big grassy play area.

Mimsy was racing around, and suddenly I think she felt overwhelmed by it all.

She ran to Nora and sat close to her, pressing her body against her.

So, apparently all is well between those two.

I just wish Nora wasn't SO protective.

She never acted like that when she used to belong to those other people and would board with me.

Everyone thinks that she's just so bonded with me that she's ready to defend me no matter what.

After getting Nora shaved down for Summer.

I decided to do Jimmy myself.

The groomer doesn't have a lot of patience and while I knew Nora would be good and just sit there

I wasn't so sure about my Jimmy.

(before)

Being a terrier he can be frantic.

But he sat quietly on the counter and let me buzz him.

I think I actually did a very good job!

I'm proud of myself.

So I came home and shaved little Ruby.

She has a very thick dense coat.

(before)

With her heart condition, she can't get over-heated.

I have never shaved her before and was worried.

The last two baths I've given her, she's twisted herself into a little mini-stroke!

She was bent in a weird angle and her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth and she was unresponsive

until I screamed RUBY!

and then she came back.

After doing that twice, I've just been wiping her down with a wet washcloth.

So....I shaved down Ruby

and afterwards set her in the pool and scooped the cool water over her.

She loved it.

Must have felt so refreshing.

Ah, Summer.... Life is Good.