Bath time

This morning I braved the unknown. Figured if Chester can handle doing this numerous times each day, it's the least I could do for him.

He smells. "Nothing personal Chester, but you've had a faint, unpleasant odor about you since the day we first met." It's been over two months, but today I summoned the courage to attempt giving him a bath.

Taking into consideration all of Chester's known phobias and the possibility of injury in a slippery bathtub or on the ceramic tile floor, I prepared the room. I cleared the hall bathroom of good towels, bathmats, waste basket and vanity decorations. I gathered several old large bath towels, a bucket and sponge and a rubber dog scrubbing brush. Then I filled the tub with lukewarm water, about four inches deep, and grabbed the nicest smelling dog shampoo I could find.

Before I began, I told Glenn to ignore any strange noises coming from the bathroom until I gave him the "all clear". I didn't need him opening the door, thinking he was saving me from some unknown danger. We don't need a scared, wet and soapy dog loose in the house.

Chester walked politely with me while I held his collar leading him to the bathroom. I was holding hope that since he enjoyed the ocean with his foster family, that the water itself might not send him into a frenzy. Given his fear of everything else, who could have guessed what happened next?

He liked it!! Chester stood on a bath towel in front of the tub and patiently let me soak him with water from the large sponge. When I was confident that he wouldn't scramble and hurt himself, I lifted his front feet into the bathtub and followed with the back legs. He stretched out and enjoyed the massage with the dog scrubber. He let me wash him all over and he stayed in the same place while I rinsed him completely. It was easy getting Chester back out of the tub and he sat still while I towel dried him. Then he shook. My otherwise fearful dog even stood and let me clean out his ears.

Bath time with Chester might some day resemble the days when our daughter was a toddler. She enjoyed baths or showers so much that the mere mention of "bath time" brought about a predictable response. She headed that direction, removing clothes and dropping them in a path all the way to the bathroom. Our granddaughter's reaction was much the same.

Now we know one more item on Chester's list of "likes" versus "dislikes". He's another family member who enjoys a good bath.