You have just picked up your dog "Spike" from the groomers. You asked your groomer to buzz down the dog, because its way too hot for her with the summer heat. When you first saw her, you said, oh... she looks great!, and she will be much more comfortable now. So you get her home, so happy to show off her new do, and you say to your family,"Look at Spike, isn't she pretty with her bow?", and everyone starts rolling on the floor, in hysterical fits of laughter, holding their bellies, and pointing at little Spike! “Look at her she looks so stupid!” Then you look at Spike, and begin to laugh yourself, so hard in fact that your soda is spewing out of your nose, which makes everyone laugh even harder!
Ha ha ha..rofl...
Poor little Spike doesn't know what to make of this display, and she gets so embarrassed that she makes way for the nearest bed to hide under. After about a week she emerges from under the bed, cowering and frightened at who would see her. Sound familiar?
Next thing you know, your out telling the neighbors "Oh that terrible Groomer did such a bad job! She shaved all the hair off my poor dog! The dog was so embarrassed she hid for a week.” Your very sympathetic friends, who readily agree with you, tell their friends, and so on. So now that you have bad mouthed your groomer to your neighbors and friends, you surely need to find a new groomer for next year’s summer do.
The next summer you find yourself another groomer, hoping for better results, and you ask again for a summer buzz. You pick Spike up again, and bring her home with her little bow, and the same thing happens, and Spike, "again" is heading under the bed to hide!
Can you guess why Spike took a hike? What was the common denominator here? Was it bad grooming, or the fact that you all laughed at her?
We must remember our pets value our opinion, often more than we do of each other. Far more! They have real feelings, they can feel hurt, pain, embarrassment, love, fear and many other emotions just as people do. That laughter ruined Spikes chances to be comfortable in the summer because, now you have to leave her long, due to the stress you caused by laughing at her the first time, then to do it again the next year, you increased her fears of losing her hair. Spike only wanted to be accepted and loved, with or without her hair. So next time you need your dog shaved, prepare your family not to laugh and be supportive of your decision. Show love and acceptance of her and her new do, and I promise you won't be dragging Spike out from under the bed. One more thing, if you don't want it shaved, Don't ever tell your groomer to buzz her down, cause that's what you'll get, and That's the Buzz on Doggie Talk
{{{Huggs to all my pets}}}