Here in Georgia, it has been raining harder than usual this summer. For a straight four-week period, it rained every day. I’m not talking about little sprinkles or a nice soothing rain that gently taps the roof of the house and flows down the windowpane. No, I’m talking about severe thunderstorms and downpours. It got so bad that the big waters washed away all the pine bark, dirt, and clay on each side of our backyard.
I eventually had to install underground tubing to force the rain from the gutters and yard into one of the many drainage grates that meander down the back of the property. At first it did not hold all the excess water. So we put more drainage grates in the tubing and a thick layer of stone is laid on top. Thousands of dollars later I have streams of water on each side of my house that I never planned for before summer started.
Our dogs do not enjoy having to potty in the rain. They certainly don’t want to get their feet wet every time they go out. It got so bad that Kramer’s left front leg was itchy and we had to treat it with a special ointment. If that wasn’t bad enough, we put a towel behind the door for grooming — we use it to dry our dogs from snoot to toot every time they go outside.
The only thing dogs enjoy about southern monsoons is one thing we don’t enjoy as much. There was mud and mud everywhere. It ran along the sides of the backyard into the middle of the yard, along the fence and into the back garden. It’s a total mess, but dogs are like two pigs rolling in a mud bath. They are relentless. They always like to walk in the messiest places and try to cover their whole body with mud. This is especially true after we spend time and money bathing and grooming them. They seem to prefer the feel and smell of red Georgia clay to the fresh smell of an oatmeal bath.
After each visit to the backyard, we have to wipe their feet with a wet towel, followed by a dry towel. We hope this helped clean them up a bit and didn’t track the clay inside. However, we have brown carpets and brown floors, which help hide the dirt, but will need a deeper cleaning after summer.
Our groomer, Michelle, does a wonderful job keeping our dogs looking their best. With our son Kramer, the dirt and grime isn’t too bad when we take him in for grooming. She hid it well with her short haircut and her liver/tan coloring. The only noticeable areas are his feet, as they are a lighter shade of color after they are fully bathed.
For our little girl Dusty, it was a completely different story. She was white with long, soft cotton-candy fur after her grooming. However, before the visit, he looked more like a small orange dog with red and brown whiskers. Small mats often hide in his fine white fur, and the tips of the feathers on his belly are bright orange from the clay.
Earlier, we finally had a two day break in the weather. It was finally warm and sunny, even though the ground was still wet. We decided to head to the mountains with our dogs. We own some property above, and the dogs love to run and play in the open fields near the lake.
We assume that the land will be dry in the north because streams and rivers flow south. Also, the vast fields near the lake were always cut and the lake was never flooded. Well, you know what they say about assumption? We found this out the hard way.
Everything seems fine at first. The grass is a little taller, but it’s still a location where we can let the dogs run. After we got out of the car, they immediately ran towards the open field. We followed and immediately realized that the ground here was also messy. The ground was soupy and muddy and our feet were stuck in the mud. The lake flooded at several points and left a sheen of silt and sand, while the spillway near the lake and creek also overflowed, pushing gravel and sand back onto our favorite open field.
By the time we realized what had happened, it was too late. The dogs run around each other and enjoy life. Our newly groomed dogs are now covered in mud, clay, sand, dirt, grass seeds, silt, and any other mess they can find. They had smiles on their faces and we had egg on us because we didn’t realize that trouble was everywhere. They were exceptionally happy to be there. us? Not so much.
I guess the old saying is true: A dirty dog is a happy dog!
Does your dog prefer to be dirty or clean? Do they immediately roll in the dirt after showering? Share your stories and photos in the comments!
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