Once a dog...always a dog.

Ms. Ez, the dog, and I have this agreement.  I do not wash her on cold days.  Yeah, I know.  It is a sort of one-sided agreement but it works so that is all that matters.  Her bathtime has always been an easy task as she stands patiently on the the steps while I wash her down with the water hose.  She knows to stand on the second step from the bottom as this puts her at a great height for me to reach all doggy parts.  She, also, knows to stand without shaking.  She will drip like a leaky faucet and not shake until I back far, far away from her.  Then, when I give the command "Shake", she shakes and water flies everywhere.  After about a dozen shakes, I towel-dry her and then let her back into the house.   Easy-peasy!  But on those cold days, she is not a happy camper.  The water from the hose is icy as is the wind.  The poor, old dog shakes from the cold and not from the sloshy water.  Occasionally, I will bathe her in the bathtub but during those times, more water winds up on the floor and me than on the dog.  So I try to pick warm days for bathtime.

Yesterday, the weather was balmy yet windy.  I knew the cold front would blast through the area and I would have to wait to "unstinky" the dog.  I headed out with puppy "fresh, lavender scented" shampoo and a handful of old towels.  (A dog this size demands more than one!)  She hopped up on the step, adjusted herself to the right elevation and I began my task.  The bath went without a hitch.  No water showers doused my head!  We were finished in less than two shakes of a dog's tail or ten minutes if you are really counting.  The nice, clean mutt made her way into the house to settle down on yet another old towel.  Her bedding was being washed as well.  She shivered and shook for about a half hour until the bedding came out of the dryer.  Oh, my!  She loves those nice warm blankets!  Yep, I had one happy puppy!

Then this morning came and I let her out to do her duty.  She galloped down the hill to the marsh edge and then barreled back to the door. It was cold!  She was having no part of this!  GO!  I demanded that she, at least, attempt to relieve herself.  Instead of doing what she was supposed to be doing, I saw her roll.  NOOOOOOO!  I knew what that meant!  Ugh!  Sure enough, when she finally made her way back to the house, she looked a mite sheepish and she smelled HORRIBLE!  The dog had found some mushrooms!  Most dogs eat mushrooms.  Mine rolls on them!  These are those foul-smelling things that have an odor not unlike roadkill that has been laid out on the road for about three days.  PHEW!!!  I have no idea what type mushrooms these are but after they start to wane a bit, they smell awful!

My question..Why do dogs roll in smelly, nasty things?  I posed this question to my son, Michael.  He said that he read somewhere that it is instinct.  The dog wants to mask its scent so it will not be detected when it is hunting food.  The prey does not think twice about a smelly mushroom hunting it.  Well, that makes sense to a certain extent but, my goodness, her prey is not about to escape! It cannot take too much skill to sneak up on a bowl of dog food!  There is no earthly need to disguise the "fresh lavender scent" shampoo!  Needless to say, Ms. Ez and the bedding got washed again today. Cold weather or not, that dog was not staying in my house smelling like some rotting carcass!  Plus, she was not allowed to go near those mushrooms again all day!  Her potty breaks were directed to the other side of the hill!