Bath Time at “Scrubbers!”

   When we were living out in the country, our two dogs loved to take a daily dip in the big pond in the front of the property any time of the year. Swimming kept them fairly clean, except for silt on their feet...but then they were outdoors dogs. Who cared about silt?

   Now that they are living in the house with us, keeping them clean has been more of a challenge. I’m tempted to let them go all winter without a bath; however the strong doggie odor in the room where they sleep is hard to ignore. Washing them outside with snow on the ground in sub freezing weather isn’t feasible. It’s much too cold and the garden hoses have been stored away in the garage for the winter. That just leaves indoor alternatives.

   I had hoped that Teddy (golden retriever) and TJ (black lab) could be washed in the laundry room down in the basement. They are too big to put into the sink, but there is a cement floor with a drain and access to warm water. There is just one main obstacle in the way: TJ is terrified of the stairs and refuses to go down to the basement, not even with special treats or other bribes.

   It’s my fault. Last spring after a good rain, the dogs were muddy and needed a bath. Teddy was coaxed down the long flight of stairs with no problem. But when TJ balked, I dragged him downstairs by the leash as he dug into the carpeted stairs with all four feet.

   Once in the laundry room, the door was closed and they were given their baths. The house was warm enough so that they dried in their room upstairs afterwards. Except for TJ’s unwillingness to go down the stairs, that worked out pretty well. Knowing how much it scared him, I don’t want to put him through that trauma again. So the bath downstairs isn’t going to work, even though I keep hoping he’ll change his mind!

   Well, there is always the bathtub in the main part of the house, but how would Al and I get them in there? We don’t have a walk in shower. There probably would be another big fight with TJ, who is muscular and strong for his medium size. Throwing him in the tub would be hard. Keeping him there long enough to wash him would be even harder.

   Taking the dogs to a pet groomer’s is the easiest option. But it seems like an exorbitant expense for something we could do ourselves. Our friend Sharon recently came to the rescue with the suggestion of “Scrubbers,” an indoors, self-serve dog wash. Imagine! A dog wash! It is a good compromise between the groomers and doing it ourselves. The cost is less than that of having them groomed and everything is provided—tubs, shampoo, towels, dryers—plus the staff there even cleans up the mess afterwards.

   So we took the dogs to Scrubbers, a first for all four of us! Predictably, both of them were reluctant to walk up the two steps into the raised tub, but made it with a lot of pushing and shoving from behind. A restraining chord was hooked onto their leashes so they couldn’t jump out of the tub or run out of the room when being dried with the big hoses.

   Although he didn’t like it too much, Teddy would probably learn the routine and be fine with taking his baths during the winter months at the dog wash. The big question is...will TJ ever walk into Scrubbers on his own again? We’ll see!

   It’s a good thing God doesn’t force us to surrender our lives to Him. If so, how many of us would balk and put up a struggle? However, He calls us to Himself in love, patiently waiting for us to turn to Him.

   “Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling—calling for you and for me; patiently Jesus is waiting and watching, watching for you and for me! Come home! Come home! Ye who are weary, come home! Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling, Calling, O sinner, come home!” Will Lamartine Thompson (1847-1909)

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3b NIV

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Rev. 3:20 NIV