Blood and Daisy

We bathe Maya once a month, at least, when it's time for her anti-flea and tick med, which is a topical ointment we put on her back. She was overdue by a couple days when Meche and I gave her a bath this evening. She sees it as torture by terrorists. For Maya, she's locked in a small room, held down and subjected to repeated water treatments. She's even taunted with treats and entreaties to "calm down" ... "that's a good girl" ... just before being administered another water shock. Betrayed by her primary care giver, who's trying to hold her still, she's at the mercy of the disciplinarian intent on carrying out the task of repeated dousing.

I was soaked through. I climbed into the tub with her and just held onto her. That was the only way. She'd gotten so panicky I had let her out of the tub and let her shake off a couple of times, during which we lathered her with the shampoo Meche had managed to squirt onto her in one of the tub bouts. There's gotta be a better way but I don't have it down. Maybe I should take her to a groomer and observe.

Then I tried to clip her nails. I got as far as the first one and she bolted bleeding. She made red paw prints around living room, dining room and kitchen. A groom and a nail clipping in order. I think Meche cleaned Maya's ears, but will have to check ... tomorrow ... when I'm outside and in old clothes ... so she can shake her head off after. She's got the best ears for the Barney song, "Do your ears hang low? Can you toss them to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them in a bow? Can you throw them o'er your shoulder, like a Continental Soldier? Do your ears hang low?"

Yep.

Maya's treat was playing with Daisy, who just happened to be walking by when we went out for a walk about 8ish or 8:30. We met Daisy the other night when we happened upon a gathering on 1 Street. She already knows the two Rottweilers, Leo and Taz, and Max, whose ethnicity I forget but he's one of those scruffy looking, cute little dogs, and he and Maya had a great time tussling in his yard a couple of weeks ago. There was another little dog, whose name I also forget, and Daisey—the puppy. At three months she's the newbie. Her owners said she's a beagle mix, but she looks plenty beagle and is a pretty girl with white with black patches on her torso and white, black and brown on her face.

Maya was crazy the other night at the gathering, over-excited at finding a party in the middle of the street and then throwing herself shamelessly under Leo. Gotta instill some self-respect in her ... and get her fixed.