Blowing out the Coat

Friday, May 23, 2008

I’m being over run with dog hair. It’s in mounds, piles, and bushels in the corners of my rooms, on my stairs, under my furniture, pretty much anywhere there is a space. You think I am kidding.

You pet Ninja and hair flies through the air. It makes me think of pigpen on Peanuts- thank heavens Ninja doesn’t smell! He smells like a clean dog. I like the smell. He gets regular baths so he often smells like balsam shampoo. Dog baths around our house are always an adventure. But that’s for another entry.

I love the Mini Aussie Rescue Society’s website. They have great info on the mini Aussies and some really cute cups and shirts and things. So I thought I’d look up this shedding thing. From the MARS website:

“Coat: Mini Aussies and Aussies have a medium-length coat adapted to protecting them while they herd. These dogs do shed! They drop some fur year round but lose their undercoat completely twice a year, in the spring and fall. During this time, they can shed heavily for several weeks. Regular brushing can help reduce shedding. Overall grooming of Mini Aussies is relatively simple, and many owners do their own grooming.”

They lose their undercoat completely twice a year. This must be one of the two times because it’s really crazy. It’s not helping matters that our So Cal weather is totally out of control right now. Last weekend it broke 100 and then by Wednesday it was back to 60, and yesterday it poured rain with thunder and lightning and we had tornados in Riverside. Tornados? This is earthquake country for heaven’s sake.

What was I talking about? Oh yeah. Ninja’s coat. So I do the regular brushing. Ninja loves it. He brings me his brush in his teeth and sets it in my lap, and looks at me with those beautiful dark brown eyes, like “Pleeeeeeeease brush me!” 30 seconds into it the brush is covered in hair. Not just kinda covered- it’s so full I can’t get it through his coat. And he waits very impatiently as I pull it all of the hair out of the brush and start again. Last night I brushed him for about 20 minutes and I filled a whole plastic grocery bag with black dog hair. I know you think I am exaggerating, but it’s true. My friend with a red merle shaves him every Summer. I would hate to do that because Ninja has the most beautiful coat, but I’m starting to understand why she does it.

Now if you will excuse me, I have to go sweep the hallway. Again.