This is SO embarrassing. And you know what I heard Gail saying to a friend this week?
"Oh well, I guess I'll have got the hang of it by the time he's ten".
Just like that. All relaxed. As if there was no problem.
I mean. It's my fur. My coat. My beautiful fuzzy coat.
Would you want to spend the prime of your life looking like a badly shorn sheep?
Yes, the bad news is that Gail has decided that she will try to master the art of hand-stripping and grooming me, despite (I'm told) a fairly disastrous attempt one time to do the same with poor old Hamish.
Well I can tell you I am not at all impressed with the results of last weekend's efforts with the stripping knife and scissors, and I think you can see why.
The good news is that she soon gave up with Hamish and put him into the hands of a competent professional.
I live in hope....
We so so sympathize. Our Dogdad plucks us every few months -- up to the areas where it stings and then he clips us on the soft white parts of our furs and then he tries to figure out what to do with our faces and our ears ----- you get the idea.
ReplyDeleteDoes your mom have a furminator? It's good for those in between times.
Keep that proverbial stiff upper lip (or is that exclusive to your neighbors?)
Wirey woofs,
Jake and Just Harry
Bertie, do not despair. Hoomans do get the hang of it. We go with the Furminator option, feels nice on our furs but make sure Gail doesn't get carried away otherwise you may end up wiv bald patches!
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
Molly, Taffy and Monty
I think you still look adorable!
ReplyDeleteMy people leave it to the pros & I've had some pretty bad jobs from them too!
Nubbin wiggles,
Oskar
Hello Bertie!
ReplyDeletePerhaps having your mom as your personal groomer would mean more belly rubs as part of the pawpering service.
You still look great on the photos!
Piappies Fudgie, Princess, Frappie, Mocha, Sugar, Wai-Pai & Wai-Max
Bertie. First of all. We think you look great. Even if a little "put off" shows in your eyes.
ReplyDeleteYou're gonna hear all sorts of opinions. Moma could share them all. She's done it all, with good and bad results all around. She's working on dogs # 3 and 4 now, and she's still learning. And still switching up what she does and how she does it. What we CAN say is: we like what she does better and better each time. Even if she can't get it all done in one "standing". (It takes her furever!)
Tell Gail to hang in there.
xxoo
Jake and Fergi
Even on a bad fur day you still look cute!
ReplyDeleteBertie, you look great!! If you want to see someone who has had a bad hair decade, you should see our Mom - hehehe!
ReplyDeleteOur Mom strips and clips and pulls and scrubs, but most of all she loves us and that is what it's all about.
XOXO
Lilly, Piper, Carrliegh and Ruairi
Ahh...the joys of the hoomans tryin' to strip....Mumsie started off with some undercoat rakes...
ReplyDeleteThen she tried a couple of different types of stripping knives...some lady at a dog show showed her how to do it on a Westie...
She strips our backs every couple of weeks or more frequently when we get longer...then she takes us to the groomer who strips/scissors us to get the too long furs off....
Your black spots are to die for, Bertie...
Stan and I strip easily...Scruff's fur is um awful and he has hardly any wire and mostly cotton wool...so she should give up, but she won't....it does make him a bit darker...
Tell your mom it's a learning curve....and the knives make all the difference...ya don't want them too sharp...hafta run them in dirt, yes dirt, to dull them a bit...
Good luck...
Lacie Girlie who strips like a dream...(hahahahahahahahaha)
SHE gave up on the hand-stripping and just clips us fairly long, making it look more natural with scissors.
ReplyDeleteBUT he has to give us LOTS of treats!
XXXOOO Daisy, Kendra & Bella
It always grows back, anyway.
Mom used to help her friend who showed Jacks with stripping their coats. She got pretty good at it, but it takes a lot of time!
ReplyDeleteSam
Dream on, Bertie! My Mum used to clip her Scottie and Schnauzer and even though she wasn't always a pro at it, she says she NEVER gave up. Just like keeping my hairs brushed out, oh, thats endless!
ReplyDeleteKisses,
Stella
Don't worry too much, Bertie. You are so cute that nothing, not even a bad haircut can ruin your looks.
ReplyDeletelotsa licks, Lola
You look, er... RUGGED! Yes, rugged for sure. Very sharp.
ReplyDeleteSlobbers,
Mango
OK. We're gonna admit. Straightaway. No bones about it. We're taking the easy peasy way out. We want to get around to EVERYONE on our blog roll to remind you about the Second Annual Worldwide Moment coming up on Sunday 14 Nov 10. Were you there last year? Do you remember? Or are you new to it this year? Wondering what that Countdown Clock is on blogs that you visit? Whatever. We want you and everyone you know to have a chance to participate in the Silent Minute, the Candle Lighting and the Shout Out! Come visit. We've got a new banner for you, HTML for an (accurate, now that the word UNTIL is in red) Countdown Clock and a link to figure out what time 11:00 PM GMT is in your neck of the woods.
ReplyDeleteSo. You're getting this 'cause we've been friends in the blogging world and we want you to know.
Please forgive the "stock" comment, but we told Moma we've never done this before and we'll not do it again (at least until next year.)
Loads of wirey love and lots of encouragment to join in (and to pass the word)
Jake and Fergi (and OurMoma and OurCollegeGirl)
Bertie-
ReplyDeleteYou look Fab-u-lous! Come on over, if you want to see a bad hair day. BOL!
Wyatt
Berti
ReplyDeleteYou do look cute even though she got ahold of you. Next time, try this: When she is cuttin, jerk a move and it will mess up, then she will have to take you to the doggie beauty shop!! hehe
wags
jazzi
Not so much bad hair - more "Designer Dandified"
ReplyDeleteYou're still the adorable Bertie.. xx
Bertie - be careful what you wish for. You'll always be able to exhaust Gail but a professional might plough on with the grooming regardless of the resistance you put up.
ReplyDeleteBertie, Gails done a good job, we can see your eye's, I do hope she's paying you well for standing still :)
ReplyDeleteSee Yea George xxx
We're our mom's fourth and fifth Airedales and she's still getting the hang of clipping and stripping. Oh, well.
ReplyDeleteAlanis & Miro
AGHHH, the horror! Never have we been so glad to be short-haired doggies who hardly even need to be brushed! We feel like innocent villagers who stumbled into the lab of Dr. Frankenstein. You have thews of steel and a will of iron to put up with all that, young Bertie.
ReplyDeleteJed & Abby
PeeEss: Do you have pictures? Always helps to have pictures of atrocities, in the event of a subsequent need to sue someone, or file a violation of doggie rights case in The Hague.
ReplyDeleteJed & Abby
ARE YOU KIDDING!!!!!!! Come to our house
ReplyDeleteWhen PL1 is done "grooming" us we look like escapees from an asylum and he says Soon I ll get the hang of ifWE ARE FIVE HELLLLLLLLOOOOOOO Give up you can't beat it( abd we think you really look great) You should use capitals much more often darling, better than keeping it all in) love The A team
Oh Bertie I think that you look so very handsome either way!
ReplyDeletewoo woos, Tessa
Bertie...are you still worryin' 'bout your furs???
ReplyDeleteHmm...why don't you pop over here and I'll work on them...I strip the boyz all the time...big chunks of fur all over the yard...usually, it's when they don't run fast enuff.....
Kisses,
Lacie who is almost white cuz she has soooo much undercoat...
Oh goodness Bertie, we are not sure what to advise here.
ReplyDeleteYou see Gail lives in Aberdeen - now Aberdonians do have a certain reputation for being.......how shall we say it.....frugal!
You see Gail will be thinking of all those pennies she will be saving!
The good news is that she will soon realise that in order for you to look your best she will have to relent.
After all she does not want you looking like a badly sheared sheep anymore than you do.
Having said that you continue to look absolutely adorable to us.
love
The Aunties xxx
ps sorry we are falling behind - the human help was busy at the weekend washing floors!!!
She seemed to think that Martha would continue to go outside and pee whilst the bombs were dropping!
Bewtie
ReplyDeleteI feel youw pain! Doo to ouw umm, finances, Mommi has stawted gwooming me hewself..she sowt of halof stips me and then she gives up and clippews, scissows and stuff..the fiwst time she did it , it took hew thwee days to make me look vaguely pwesentable..I think you slook swell!
smoochie isses
ASTA
(mommi here, Asta refuses to let me strip her face and she only has really great wiry hair on her back, so it'w snot really worth torturing her..i was sad that she lost the color in her face, but it was never as perfect as Bertie's and I told her she's beautiful with her soft peaches and cream coloring)