An unexpected outcome

Today Hobson and Wilson* had appointments at the grooming salon.

It was Wilson's first session at the grooming school, and we were both a little concerned about how he would behave.  I had groomed him at home and he had been very good, but he can be funny with strangers. This was also the first occasion that he had been left in a strange place, since we adopted him in May.

We stressed that the Groomer should call us if there were any problems, and gave them free rein to do as much, or as little, as they felt comfortable with, for his first salon clip.

We left, calling in at the supermarket, before heading home.

The rest of the day was spent pottering in the garden.  30% was focussed on cleaning and tidying in the Ornamental Greenhouse, whilst I attended to a niggling problem with the lawn at the back of the house.

I have to be honest and say that none of the lawns look amazing after three months of drought, but the back lawn had a French drain installed last December, and turf above the drain has not recovered.  The seed sown over this drain didn't stand a chance in the parched conditions, and we currently have a narrow track of bare earth and dead grass crossing the lawn.

This afternoon I liberally scattered grass seed along the route of the drain. A light covering of compost was sieved over the seed, and firmed down. I then gave the seed a good water and now I just need to let nature take its course.  The weather conditions are perfect for grass growth. The soil is still warm, and the frequent showers should provide perfect conditions for germination. I am hoping to see signs of recovery in the next couple of weeks.

The new French drain isn't the only problem. The lawn in front of the Ornamental Greenhouse is in even worse condition. I can see me having to fence it, to keep off the dogs, and then re-seed it.

Anyway, apologies, I seem to have wandered slightly off topic ... back to dog grooming.

Late in the afternoon 30% received a phone call. It was the Groomers calling to advise that Hobson and Wilson were ready for collection. I could tell, from the half of the conversation I heard, that there was more news than just that.

It appears that Wilson was an absolute star. He was described as "a complete gentleman" and was no problem to groom.  Hobson, on the other hand, was, apparently, a complete pain in the arse, and it seems that they had to abandon grooming him. 

Now this came as a complete surprise as he has been groomed there many times before. He can wriggle a bit when his legs are being clipped, but generally he is fine. The groomers had actually taken a video of his behaviour for us to see how bad he was.

In the thirty minute drive in to Stratford we imagined all sorts of horrors, but were at a loss to understand what had happened. I have groomed Hobson on a few occasions and he is no problem at all. And his temperament is wonderful. He is the most loving dog we have ever owned and we were totally confused by the news.

When we arrived we saw that Wilson looks absolutely fantastic in his new clip, whilst Hobson had been washed, dried, brushed and his clip was probably about eighty percent complete. We were shown the video and neither of us could really see what the fuss was about. It seems that he was pawing at the groomer when she walked in front of him. There was no growling or anything like that. He was just playfully pawing at her while she tried to clip him.  We agreed that we would groom Hobson at home from now on, and Wilson was booked in for a solo visit in six week's time.** 

On the way home we both agreed that Hobson hadn't really been a problem dog. Without doubt, the trainee will encounter far worse in their grooming career. We have heard of dogs that need to muzzled and tranquillised before they can be groomed. Hobson was being playful and just needed a firm hand.

Oh well, it looks like three of our dogs will be having a daddy haircut from now on .. and a trainee groomer is in for a few surprises in their chosen career.

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* We may well have found a suitable alias for Wilson. He was going to be called Mummy's Boy, as he showed a strong preference for 30%'s company, and was never far from her side. But he has recently seemed to have realised that I am not as unpleasant as he initially thought, and has taken to sitting at my feet, or even curling up beside me on the sofa. Traitorous Bastard, or TB for short, may well be his new epithet.

** Remember that Whiffler was retired after his last grooming session.