Real Life with the Taylors: Trimming the Fluff-buckets

Tico may not have many redeeming qualities, but there are a few things I appreciate about him.

1) He is small.
2) He is easy to bathe
3) He doesn't need haircuts

Jynx and Toby, on the other hand, need regular grooming.  And they need it much more regularly than we provide it.  Especially The Jynxer.

Her very curly, very thick fur is easily matted, a problem that is only exacerbated by her rugged adventures in our yard.

Yesterday, we decided it was time to do something about it.

An hour and a half later the three of us emerged from the bathroom with this mess to clean up.  Since this is Real Life with the Taylors, I need to mention that 1.5 hours is definitely record time for grooming Jynx.  I think it beat our prior PR by a good half-hour.  When we first started cutting thier hair ourselves, it would take multiple sessions with her.  

I should probably confess that in order to achieve this PR, there may have been some "juicing."  She was itching so much, we thought she might benefit from some Benadryl. (PLEASE NOTE: I have no idea if this is actually safe to do.  I have a vague recollection of a vet recommending it at one time, but you should ALWAYS consult a veterinary professional before giving your pets medication.  Sapphire, please feel free to chime in on this).

Last night we were at our friends', and their 4 year old is going to be Turtle Man for Halloween.  He had a 4 ft stuffed alligator that he was "wrestling" as Turtle Man.  I said it reminded me of our escapades with Jynx that afternoon.  The under-carriage is definitely the hardest part to get, and always the most matted.  But we got ALL the matting.  And there was no blood.

Also, no dogs were harmed in this process.  Jynx is feeling so much better now that all of the yucky matting is gone, and she is doing considerably less scratching.

Isn't she cute?

Also, Ashley Ann brought to my attention an Embrace the Camera challenge for this week. So I figured we could play along.  Obviously I don't have kids to take pictures with, but it feels like Tim and I hardly ever have pictures together, so this week I will feature our faces.

Today's theme: Smiles



That's all for today, folks.  I will leave you with one more picture of cuteness: