Wizard Wand Made of Togo Fur

 

Photo taken by Kaylie Rose Coates

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

I am in shock as to how fast this week flew by! Monday was relatively quiet. Work was good and all went well for that day. Tuesday passed by quickly. I picked a longer file and then Mallory asked if she could stop by, which of course is always welcomed. She arrived and we watched a murder documentary for the afternoon. She left, I grabbed the laptop and finished out what seemed like a never ending file. It was an awesome day. 

Today Terry went to work. I finished a file, did my dishes, and grabbed the dog brush. Togo needed a good brushing again, as is always the case. If you ever get a husky, be prepared to brush them out at least three times a week, if not every day. His grooming is not complete by any means just because I brushed loose hair from his coat. Au, contraire! The hair between the pads of his feet needs to be removed. The fur growing in his ears needs to be cleaned out, for sure. His teeth need a good scrubbing. It is a process for these dogs. A bit more grooming time than I have ever put into any other animal. 

I have raised pit bulls by the dozens, owned an afghan hound with beautiful, long, flowing blonde hair. I've had a horse and have had many other animals such as parrots, cockatiels, doves, parakeets, and various species of bird, yet have never spent so much time grooming any of them in comparison to the Siberian husky. Gorgeous, but the grooming is necessary. 

Please understand that I am in no way bitching or ungrateful for our Togo. He is an adorable, amazing animal. I would never trade him for anything. He is a blessing. However, just keep in mind the grooming aspect is a concern for anyone considering a husky.  

The husky has a double coat, with a wavy type undercoat, then the thick overcoat. In a home, the hair is found everywhere. Under every chair, on every piece of clothing you own, God help your vacuum when the carpet is cleaned, and your flooring does not stand a chance either. Tumbleweed shaped hairballs roll across the floor as though you're in the middle of Wyoming. You think I jest, and no, this is not something that happens each month, bi-yearly or yearly. This is daily. 

Two quick swipes of the brush and voila! Another dog. Of course, Togo doesn't lay still when being groomed. He wants to sprawl out on the floor on his back, with his back legs hanging wide open. This makes the process take longer than expected. 

Don't get me wrong, he knows the commands. In fact, he is trained to use hand signals. Smart as a whip. That is until mom wants to brush his happy, uncooperative ass. Then the stubbornness of the husky comes to the surface. Flop and he's on his back, showing me everything he owns. I have to give him the "up" command again, tell him to sit and stay, and then brush once or twice more before he decides it's too hard for him to stand. Flop. Assume the position once again. My dog is broken.

But even with his weird little quirks, he's precious, he's smart and funny, and he's our weirdo. The hair in between his toes will be fun to remove. I do hope he's not ticklish. That, or I may just drop his furry little body off at the local grooming shop where they will get the hair between his toes, in his ears, cut his nails, and blow out his fur, all in one fell swoop. Being on a grooming bench, he won't be able to do all of his favorite positions he takes when I groom him. 

That thick husky overcoat is just crazy. I bought a dog brush that works by using wire bristles and closes so it pushes all the collected hair off the bristles with the push of a button. Wonderful inventions. 

He has to have his platy at his side once the grooming process is complete for the day. That is his emotional animal, the one that needs to be washed and groomed itself. So needing a good grooming, the platy understand his "pain" of mom making him lie there while his fur is removed. I love our Togo. He can't be an emotional support dog because he is an emotional mess himself. Well, at least this week he left the pizza boxes by the trash can and didn't bring them in to sleep with those. He is a hot mess.  We are siblings from another crib-ling. 

 We are planning on having dinner while watching a show. Terry and I are watching Medium now, with the completion of Castle, one of our favorite murder mystery genre of TV series via Hulu. Another episode or two will be complete after tonight. We do enjoy watching a show while eating and most of the time sitting together after dinner, watching another episode, chatting amongst ourselves, or listening to music. A good conversation is always a good thing to do together as well. Whatever we choose to do, we make that time count. 

Speaking of counting, the weekend also means Easter is here. Easter isn't something we celebrate in some big, bang up way. I thought about purchasing a ham and having a nice dinner on Sunday, but we'll see. I would be doing all of that in a wheelchair and am not quite sure I'm up for it, but I can give it the old college try I guess. It does sound good!

Easter also means spring to me. In Roseburg at least, it has been raining off and on throughout the week. Today has been in the 50s, with showers here and there. The week continues with rising temps, into the 70s and then shoots back down again. No wonder people get sick during the spring months. 

Oh, well, as the saying goes, "It is what it is." All I know is that warmer days are headed our way and I'm ready for it. I want to set up the outdoor patio furniture, get it all nice and clean, and sit. The forecast for summer is butt planting in a chair, with plenty of bitching about how hot it was that day and how warm it's going to be the rest of the week. Ah, those beautiful summer days! 

Here is hoping all of you have an amazingly lovely Easter weekend! Enjoy the time, relax, and be good to one another. Tell friends and loved ones you love them. Pass the good stuff along to others! Until next post.