mutt's petsmart adventure

i am not the only one who has adventures on the road. mutt has adventures, also, and not just by default of being with me.

since we hit the warmer weather of the south, he has been blowing coat all over the inside of the van. i hate dog hair when it isn't attached to a dog, or part of a sock, so within 24 hours of hitting texas, i was looking to get our boy groomed..... as in shaved. i tried to find a small grooming place, hoping to get a cheaper deal than petsmart, but it was monday and all the non-chain shops were closed. when i called petsmart, they could take him in a half-hour, so off we went, led to our destination by ron.

now, mutt loves petsmart, when it doesn't involve the groomer, so he was very crestfallen to see that we were headed for the chamber of grooming horrors. little did we know.....

i gave the usual instructions and contact info to the staff, provided them with his rabies and vaccination records, and left to go do some food shopping and to go to a car wash to vacuum the van. they said he would be ready in about 3 hours, at approximately 3:30.

around 3 o'clock, i received a call from petsmart, informing me that there had been a power failure partway through the grooming process. they hoped to have power back up soon, and they would finish mutt's shave, and call me. that's what is cool about living in your van, you are always home and can find stuff to do, even if it's just taking a nap.

just before 5 o'clock i drove to petsmart because i was starting to worry. my cell phone rang immediately after i parked out front (the orange kayak being a dead giveaway) and the groomer informed me that the power had not come back on yet, and they had made arrangements for mutt's grooming to be completed at another petsmart 7 miles north. they drew me a map, and brought out my dog. this is what he looked like.........

oi, eh? this was taken in the parking lot outside of the first petsmart.
but mutt is oblivious to the fact that he looks hideous. i mean, look at that smile! all he knows is that he's survived another trip to the groomers and won't have to go back for many months.....but little does he know......

the look on his face a few minutes later when i led him in, yet again, to another petsmart, to be led by another groomer to yet another chamber of grooming horrors...... he looked back at me with a look of such betrayal......i didn't know whether to laugh or cry. so i giggled. which clinched in the minds of all the bystanders that the woman with the weird dog was..... well, weird. remember, they have no idea about the aborted grooming due to the power failure. they probably assumed that my dog looked like that on purpose. it never occurred to me to explain.

two hours later, after a record 7 awful hours, mutt was brought to me again. they gave me a discount and a free leash, and offered mutt a free pigs ear, but he wanted to go home, and didn't stay to collect. he looked naked, but normal, and nary a loose hair fell from his coat.

mission accomplished? nah. twenty-four hours later, san antonio experienced an unusual cold snap, and mutt and i both were freezing. i was able to layer on the fleece and the longjohns, but mutt was quick to remind me with accusing looks that he USED to have a warm coat.
this is mutt naked. i can't tell if that is a look of abject suffering or he's blinded by the flash.
but just in case, i stuffed him in my sleeping bag. snug as a bug now! tomorrow, after some jerky and the temperatures climb, i think i will be forgiven.......