Dropped by the Flick’r site, and loved the picture of you and a squriming Sugarbear in the pickup (probably the only time she showed reluctance on having her picture taken). I had a similar reaction with Sheba today. I had to give my aquaphobic mutt a bath, which makes herding cats look like a simple exercise. (As a puppy, the now ex-husband of my good friend Maureen–who I got Das Mutt from when he treatened to send her to the pound for digging in the back yard–decided that the best way to teach her how to swim was to throw her in the deep end of the swimming pool. She’s been deathly afraid of water ever since. When trying to get her in the shower stall–trying to get a 100-pound dog in the tub is almost impossible–she lays down, and I have to lift her front legs up into the shower, then shove her in.) But now she’s cleaned up and smells like something other than a dog.

As a reward (sort of–we go every week whether she’s been good or not), I took her to a nearby off-leash dog park. (One of the parks here in Mesa fenced off their retention basin, and you can let mutts run loose there. Most parks here in town won’t allow pets at all–even on a leash!) While there, we saw a gal who had a border collie, who was spending his time trying to herd all the other dogs. (Insticts die hard.)

Kirk
Sheba (who is keeping her distance from the bathroom for a while)

P.S.: Methinks I’ll have a cup of “llofee” (Must be a new brand down at Starbucks) ;=)