As the Fur Flies

As I stated in the last post, it is flea season. With four animals in the house, it's a battle, but one that can be adventurous. With a Siberian husky in the mix, we have our work cut out for us. 

First, the flea meds. I used one and it doesn't seem to be working. Now that I have that on his skin, I refuse to add something else to overdose him on chemicals. Next up? Vinegar. I read vinegar helps keep the fleas at bay. 

Taking him outside, I poured half a bottle of vinegar on him. Now I have a husky that smells like an Easter egg. He seemed to have quieted down on the scratching though. I was happy, or at least for a day. Vinegar was my last hope since I tried putting him in the bath. No such luck.

After trying to push him, pull him, and lift him into the bathtub before trying vinegar, he fought back with the typical husky stubbornness. He sat on his butt, planted those beautiful feet into the ground, and became instant "dead weight." The fight began. 

Two days in a row I went into the battle. Me against years of husky breeding and the stubborn genes of those bloodlines came to the surface, full throttle. Terry cannot help me lift and bathe Togo due to his knee brace. It's not flexible enough and he has to keep that knee straight until it heals. So onward I plow. 

Terry ordered some all-natural spray online with a money back guarantee. The spray can be used on cats, dogs, humans, couches, chairs, rugs, and any other fabric surface you choose to spray. I vacuum often now to keep down any infestation for the four babies, but the fleas are strong this year. Vacuuming the carpets seems to be working enough to have slowed the partying on the backs of our pets, and for that I am grateful. I mean, what is the true purpose of the flea?

Much to Togo's dismay and for his happiness, Mallory (Terry's daughter), stopped by Tuesday. She and I were chatting when I mentioned the dilemma. She sprang to her feet and suggested she help. Well, of course I took her up on it. We headed into the bathroom, with Togo in tow. 

Togo immediately figured out that we were trying to coax him into that tub. He wanted absolutely no part of it, and once again, sat on his stubborn butt and planted his feet. The instincts of 9,500 years of their existence kicked in and the big boy refused to abide by our wishes. He plopped down and became an instant paperweight. Here we go again. 

We heard a low, guttural growl come from the pup. He was scared. I bolted into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and grabbed a couple of slices of cheese. Breaking the fermented milk slices into tiny pieces, I used the treat to get the pouting baby into the tub. It took a small amount of coaxing, but he finally stepped a foot into the bathtub. Oh, yeah!

Mallory and I spent some time scrubbing his unhappy, yet well fed and grouchy highness. Mr. Swanky Pants was finally succumbing to our desires. He found himself enjoying that bath really and gave way to us. Of course, handing him tiny pieces of cheese helped his decision to be a good boy.   

After a while, he was done. His fur was clean, wet, and I would like to say he was a happy camper but I'm not sure I would take it that far. We were happy though. I felt vindicated. All of the guilt of him not being bathed to help rid him of fleas and excess hair was gone. Mallory and I released him into the living room for his next step in the process. I went into the nook and brought out (da, da, da!) R2D2. 

R2D2 is our shop vac system that is super powerful. It not only blows husky hair into oblivion (actually all over my living room), but off the dog which is helpful. Most grooming shops use a three-horsepower blower. R2D2 is a six-horsepower unit. It is Dog's gift to husky owners. 

Huh? Do they not look alike? Hence, the name. Yes, hence.

But I digress. Back to the story of Togo, our soon to be naked husky. He laid on the couch to get comfy. Mallory and I began our blow-drying adventure. I had just changed the covers on the couch too, so there goes that brilliant move I made.

We turned R2 on and it blew like a champ. Husky fur went flying. Soon we were wearing more than the dog. Togo relaxed for the most part and let the fur fly as it may. Mallory took over on the blow-drying scheme while I grabbed more treats. I found a large, sweet potato from the night before and thought that would be a good treat to get him to stand up so we could dry the other side. Being a husky, and being a dog in general, of course it worked. 

Togo laid on the couch like the pampered princess boss he is until he was almost all the way dry. The sweet potato came in handy to get him to stand so we could reach his majesty's other side. It all worked well, and Togo was finally at least 90% dry. Good enough. A good day's work was accomplished. 

After the blow drying, wiping up the water all over the floor, and cleaning up dog hair all over us and the furniture, we could relax. Togo had stopped his scratching, and I was a happy momma. But next time, I will pay the grooming shop the $150 they charge to blow the coat of a husky. Plus, they throw in nail cutting and getting all of the fur between his toes. That's my next project, set for tomorrow. 

Togo kicked back and enjoyed the fruits of our labor too. I could tell he felt better. Mallory began to rub his neck and head, and I do believe the dog had an out of body experience. 

Oh, yeah. In that euphoric moment, Togo had reached the peak of relaxation and complete peace in his soul. He was definitely gone from this plane of existence for a while. Even his eyes rolled into the back of his head. I love to see animals enjoying life. 

Mallory sat next to him, and he collapsed on her shoulder to enjoy the kisses. Yep, he was willing to give up anything at this point. The baby is flea-free and a very happy young man. 

The other animals looked upon Togo and the entire blow-drying process taking place. Kit Kat wasn't sure if he wanted to stay and watch or run for the hills. He sat back in the wheelchair and observed. Trust me, I won't bathe you, Kit. I prefer to keep my skin on my skeletal frame. 

I believe our other cat, Esme, left the building. She may have packed her stuff and ran away from home by now. Who knows? Jasper? He is deaf and blind, so I'm not sure how much he could have seen even if he was in the room. 

Life with fur babies around is such an amazing, wonderful experience.  

Our spray arrives today. Upon the opening of the package, I will pull off the covers and put them in the wash. The couch has to be vacuumed, including between and under all of the cushions, then spray will be applied to that too. The other animals will receive a spritz of the flea spray, along with all of our carpeting, and any other surface that can attract and house fleas. Battles against fleas are a yearly thing if you are a pet owner. It's just the way it is. 

This is the first time I have had a husky and the thick, double coat to go through the flea process with. I hate chemicals on animals but did add the drops to the back of Togo's neck. Now that I have done that, I cannot add more since the first one did not work. That chemical solution is still in his system, working on fleas or not. So, the arrival of the BugMD spray gives us some hope. I refuse to let my fur babies suffer with fleas and their destruction or with the chemicals that come from most forms of pest control. I do draw the line at bathing Kit though. That's not happening. 

We are all a bit tired after yesterday's experience. Togo is a big boy and the bath idea, while a good one, was exhausting. And the fur! Oh, my Dog, the fur! 

After hours of working on him though, Mallory and I agreed that he and the other babies are worth every single love fiber they sprinkle our way. 

***

We will end our post here. The weekend, Wednesday through Sunday, has just begun. We are still trying to see what trouble we can get into. It will happen. Oh, yes, it will happen. 

Thank you for reading the blog. We appreciate all of you. Take care of yourselves and join us on our next adventure. 

Terry & Vicki Macrae

Two pet loving old people