Scrubs

I forgot to mention two things. One: Pooka may not be the best leash-walker ever (the harness is helping her not drag me around the block, but she still wanders right in front of where I'm walking and trips me not infrequently), but she's an excellent jogging companion. As soon as the pace picks up, she's right beside me trotting along. Too bad I'm not in better shape, because I think she could go for quite a ways.

And two: We went to the dog wash last night. It's a lot like going to a do-it-yourself car wash. For $17, I get an apron and a tub station. Pooka goes up the steps and (reluctantly) hops down into the tub. I try to cram soggy treats in her mouth while hosing her down and scrubbing her with delicious lavendar-mint shampoo and conditioner. We toweled off, hopped in the car and went home. Voila! Good-smelling dog who seems to have tolerated (though clearly not enjoyed) the experience. Is it worth $17? This time, yes, since I didn't know how she'd react to all that spraying, and we could be as messy and shake-shake-shake as we wanted.