Stuart the deaf Beagle is really into grooming ... not himself, but other dogs. His specialty is ears, and he offers a free ear wash to any dog willing to sit still for him. If given a chance, he loves to do a complete head bath, too. I was working in my office the other evening responding to emails when Alayne walked in, trailing minions behind her. Stuart is a quasi-minion, so he followed along behind the Dachshunds. As Alayne and I were talking, he began grooming Belvie, and since the camera was on the desk, I turned around and started taking photos of the session. (The big black case in the background contains our BlindHorses.org exhibit display that we take to the equine vet convention each year.)
Here he's really working that right ear, and Belvie loves it. Daisy isn't so sure:
Now Stuart's doing a little light chewing, which is the sign that this side is nearly done:
Next comes the left side of Belvie's face. Stuart will work his way up to that ear, which Belvie has already helpfully flipped back for easier access:
Then comes the top-of-head bath:
And finally, as a bonus, Stuart offers a free neck wash, too:
At the end, there's one very clean Dachshund and one very satisfied Beagle.
How wonderful is that?!? I love seeing your crew chum up with each other. It proves that dogs with "disabilities" can be wonderful companions, to human as well as to each other. The pictures made me laugh out loud and made my day!
Posted by: Shelli Smith | April 24, 2008 at 08:59 PM
Best comic strip I've seen in ages
Posted by: Lalla and Sasha | April 24, 2008 at 03:41 PM
How sweet is that! i love the expression on Belvie's face, he really is enjoying himself... haha! wonderful!
Posted by: Kate and Luke | April 24, 2008 at 02:07 PM
Stuart is so adorable! Its so cute how the others love it and sit and wait their turn. So sweet!
Posted by: Lahna Zandi | April 24, 2008 at 12:30 PM
I get it: It's "Rolling Dog Ranch and Canine Spa."
Posted by: Helen Rietz | April 24, 2008 at 11:50 AM
Funny pictures :)
Posted by: Vicki T. | April 24, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Remake of an old song.....Working at the dog wash.... work and work oh, those pups never seem to stop coming.... pups and pups; keep those tongues and ears comin'!
Great shots, Steve.
Looks like Daisy was out of there when the left side of the wash began. HA!
Posted by: Boundforglory | April 24, 2008 at 09:05 AM
That is too sweet! Our chihuahua doesn't like to groom our other dog but she does like to groom our cat's ears and ours as well!
Posted by: SuzyQ | April 24, 2008 at 08:47 AM
Stuart is such a love bug. That made my day.
Thanks for the smiles!!!
Posted by: gayle | April 24, 2008 at 08:46 AM
If the Dachshunds are minions and Stuart is a quasi-minion and Alayne is Steves better half, does that make Steve a quasi quasi minion?
Posted by: Andrew, NZ | April 24, 2008 at 05:57 AM
Whaha, he must have hairballs the size of dachshunds ;-)... Very funny pictures, time for a little movie maybe??
Posted by: Jessica, NL | April 24, 2008 at 04:22 AM
My mom has two dogs. The younger one loves to do this to the older lady, who .. um .. tolerates it to a point. With a barely audible whispered growl she will then announce that bath time is now over. Very sweet how dogs communicate.
I'm also glad to see Daisy set free from house arrest!
Hugs to all. Stay warm. We had our first frost here in SA - in April!! We skipped autumn completely.
Posted by: bregda,south africa | April 24, 2008 at 02:32 AM
Our black lab does the same exact grooming to our cat who LOVES IT!!!
Posted by: Shirley & James, Portland, OR | April 23, 2008 at 11:39 PM
i think you have mentioned stuart's grooming talents before, but i had no idea how thorough he was until i saw these photos. how funny!
also, i am glad to see daisy up and around. i believe the last time she made an appearance on the blog was last month when she was confined to her crate for a problem with her spine/legs? i hope she is doing better!
Posted by: maggie | April 23, 2008 at 11:05 PM
LOL that's too funny! The look on Belvie's face is pure ecstasy!
Hey Steve, which black dog is that in the background?? :)
Posted by: Kristen D. | April 23, 2008 at 09:58 PM
Looks like Stuart is really earning his keep! What great pics you got of the whole process. It reminds me of the cleaning stations that fish have in the ocean. Thanks for sharing this great episode of the "happenings" at the wonderful RDR!
Big hugs all around,
ginger, Tobias & Tlingit
Posted by: ginger & Tobias (the greythound) | April 23, 2008 at 09:57 PM