by Anjie Coates
Photo by Anjie Coates
reo is an adorable small mixed breed that comes in monthly and has since he was a puppy, and he is packed with personality!
- Oreo: “Hi, Anj! Hi! Hi! Hi!”
- “Hi, buddy. C’mon, let’s get you set up for your bath,” I say.
- Oreo: “Oh, I love the bath! Baths are the best! How are you? Do you need kisses? I’ll give you kisses!”
- Oreo proceeds to give me a number of quick kisses.
- “Oh, thank you. OK, hop in and you’ll get your bath in just a minute,” I tell him.
- During his bath his excited energy begins to wane as he relaxes with his eyes half open and his mouth in a huge grin while he sits quietly and sighs in contentment.
- “Good bath?” I ask.
- Oreo: “Mmhm, is good.”
- “Don’t fall asleep on me yet, buddy. You can nap in your crate after I get you toweled up,” I remind him.
- Oreo: “I’m not sleepy.”
- “Right. I can tell you’re not sleepy at all,” I quip.
- I get him toweled up and pop him in a crate with a warmed towel while I clean and disinfect the tub for the next dog.
- Oreo is sound asleep when I return to get him.
- “Hey, buddy. Time to wake up. We have to get you dried and then even you out,” I tell him.
- Oreo yawns and stretches: “I’m good, come back later.”
- “Yeah…no. Your Mom will be back to get you soon so we need to get this done,” I say.
- Oreo: “OK, carry me.”
- Oreo makes no effort to assist me in any way and continues laying on his side with a smile and sleepy eyes.
- So, I reach in, scoop him up and hold him to my chest.
- He leans his head against my chest and lets out a soft, happy sigh as we head into the grooming room to begin his finish.
- “You want to stand for your drying or are you going to go meatball on me again?” I ask.
- Oreo: “I nap, you dry.”
- “How did I know?” I reply.
- After drying, I need him to stand so I rub his body from head to toe in an invigorating massage.
- Oreo: “Ah, feels good.”
- “You awake now?” I ask.
- Oreo: “Yep! So what’s that new thing? Hey, did you get a new sticker on your toolkit? Why is there a light on that white box? What’s in the cabinet? You never open that one.”
- “Umm…Well, let’s see, new clipper, yes on the sticker, UV toaster is sanitizing blades and that’s storage for extra stuff,” I rattle off in reply.
- Oreo: “Oh, those are shiny!”
- “New shears,” I say.
- Oreo: “Can I sniff?”
- “No noses next to sharp shears. Sorry, kiddo,” I tell him.
- Oreo: “Darn.”
- “OK, ear cleaning, picture and we’re done,” I state.
- Oreo: “Yay! What’s the theme? What am I going to be? Can I pick? I want to be a fireman! No wait—a zebra! No wait…”
- “Hang on, buddy. You can see the options when we get in there,” I say.
- Oreo: “Yeah, can’t wait!”
- I carry him into the picture room and I lay out a few different choices for him.
He picks the outfit of his choosing. - “Perfect! OK, now you gotta pick a wig to go with it,” I remind him.
- Oreo: “Oh, yeah! Umm…definitely the mullet wig! Can I??”
- And I reply with a wide grin: