Cleaning: Mud and Dogs

It's been unusually cold for the past few weeks, around 20* (yes...everyone in the Great White North is laughing...). Later this week it's going to get warmer than usual and be around 50 with a ton of rain. But I'm prepared!

Grooming: Dogs who are clean to start with and free of loose hair will bring in less mud and dirt and snow. It's also easier to do a quick bath. Everyone will be getting a bath over the next two days, it's been months and is long overdue.

Drying area: When I bring in muddy dogs, they go right to their crates. After about an hour of sitting on towels, they're almost dry and there's loose mud/dirt in the bottom of the crate that can be vacuumed out.



Quick Rinse: If the dogs are dripping mud, I'll take out jugs of water and give them a quick rinse and then a towel dry before going into the house. This helps the drying-area part go faster and I'm sure the dogs are more comfortable.

A Good Mop: Actually, a good mop bucket is more important. When I worked at the boarding kennel I spent a huge part of my time mopping. Mopping up where dogs had eliminated, mopping up mud, and just extra mopping to get everything clean. I was really good at it. I thought that if I had a good mop bucket at home I would mop more often there too. And it would be easy to do that tiny room several times a day. Yeah right..... But I did get the same mop bucket for home use and I do mop a few times per week. And I always say I'll do it more often. I've had mine for about three years and it's in great shape, doesn't look faded, the plastic isn't stressed. They lasted forever at the boarding kennel even with full time use. And it's only $10! Super easy to use.


Limiting Access to Mud: If it's really wet out, I'll keep the dogs to dryer areas, walk on the road, walk on the gravel areas near the barn, or go in town. We just don't deal with the mud. Luna has a ton of hair, but the others really don't, though it's still more than I want to deal with. Three is a lot. Sometimes if Griffin really needs a run, I'll let him go for an off leash walk and then give a bath afterwards. But I do keep the dogs out of the fenced yard, this preserves the grass and the better it is, the more days per year we can use it. I love my grass.

I'm prepared for the rain and mud. Anyone else?

In the morning: A timing challenge, Griffin's dogwalk mishap, and coyotes!