When we collected Luke from the kennels, even though we were glad to see him, he really needed a bath, usually the first thing we do when we get a new foster dog is bathe them mainly to treat them with a flea repellent but also it does seem to settle them really quickly.

This time though Luke wasnt having any of it and no matter how much I persuaded , cajoled and bribed him into the bathroom, he seemed really scared so we didnt pursue it. It has been a bit of a problem though because when he goes out he loves to roll in the earth and wade in the mud, so as you can imagine cleaning a dog that is scared of water is difficult. I manage to clean him with a sponge and wet wipes although he thinks this a great game and its a case of catch me if you can when he sees the sponge arriving. It was suggested we try a paddling pool in the garden and we thought this was a great idea, so after digging in the shed we found one we had bought for the kids a few years before, we pumped it up and filled it with water, Dave thought I was crazy because I was adding hot water as I didnt want it to be too cold for him, (as if he was going to get straight in? YEAH RIGHT !)

I threw his ball in , thinking he would jump in to get it, NO ! I splashed about hoping he might think it was fun NO ! I blew bubbles over the top of it , nothing worked, so after a week of it on the grass we have decided that the only purpose the paddling pool is serving is to actually kill the grass underneath, so tomorrow it is being emptied and returned to the shed.

So, It is back to the drawing board, Luke isnt really so smelly anymore, I grab him when i can and rub tea tree oil lotion into him, which makes him smell lovely and is really good for his skin, and he quite likes that because anything that involves us stroking him is fine by him as long as no water or spray is involved.

I took a short video of him prancing around the pool , bless him he is such a happy dog

Linda x