Give that dog a bath!

A couple of local entrepreneurs have opened a place called Do It Yourself Dog Wash, and last weekend they were giving away free samples. The price was just right, but I would pay for the service, and I'll be back.

A dog's ancestors in the wild didn't often get a bath, and that probably proves they didn't need one. But once they moved into the house they had to meet a higher hygienic standard.

Most dog owners have some way of cleaning the old hound dog -- the shower, the bathtub, or maybe the old garden hose.  But my own dog hates the water. Or more specifically, he hates for me to put water on him. He'll run through mud puddles all day, but he won't sit still for a bath. Maybe he's acting, but he really seems to be disturbed by the process. And he makes it easy to simply ignore the dirt.

So Cody and Jeremy started Do It Yourself Dog Wash, and it looks like that could be the solution. Follow the link and see how it works.

It's sort of like a coin operated car wash, and $10 buys 10 minutes. The dog goes into a tub with a glass door. And a dial on the machine sets the hose for soapy water, rinse and flea rinse. There are a couple of other settings, but I've forgotten what they are. Once the dirty work gets done, there's a blow dryer to knock the water off, although a towel worked best for my dog.

If getting a bath is as traumatic as my dog lets on, then I think it's better for him and me to do it somewhere other than at home so he doesn't have to worry about it until I pull into the parking lot.

It was a cleansing experience for the old pooch, and we'll be doing it again.