First bath..

Just how do you bathe an Irish Wolfhound? He won't fit in the tub. I didn't want to pay for a dog groomer to bathe him (expensive, and traumatizing). Fortunately we have a walk in shower, so I just took the doors off and walked him in.

I thought I was prepared. I had my oatmeal doggy shampoo, I had towels in the bathroom on the floor, extra towels for drying, and blocked him in the bathroom by closing the door. Luckily, our shower has a hose and nozzle, so I could work on just about every part of him. I put a slip leash on him, and tied it to the top bar of the shower. All the while praying he didn't decide to really make a break for it. I wasn't sure the shower would survive.

He was miserable, but a good boy. He kept sitting down on my hands as I scrubbed him. By the time he was clean, and rinsed off, the bathroom was swimming. There was not enough towel in the world for all this wet. I dried him off best I could with what I had, then tried to slip out for more dry towels. That was all he needed, he was out the door in a flash, and running around the house.

Wolfhound fur holds a lot of water. I swear I went through 30 towels, and still he manage to coat every room with water. Lots of shaking, and lots of exuberant running. I couldn't be too mad when he was putting on such a show, the most enthusiasm I had seen out of him for anything. I took him out in the back yard and he proceeded to run laps around the yard. I got my first glimpse of the true beauty of an Irish Wolfhound. they are poetry in motion when they run. All grace, speed, and power, and they can turn on a dime.

It was almost worth the mopping and the three loads of laundry, just to see that.