The leaves are turning and as we walk through the woods surrounded by that gorgeous golden glow, we are happy, the dogs and I. These cooler temperatures bring a sigh of relief and a breath of fresh air is welcome as our canine companions can enjoy bursts of energy on our long walks together once again.
Of course it's not all plain sailing. With these cooler temperatures comes the darker, longer nights and the more frequent rain and most unwelcome of all, the mud! Ah! The mud. An all too familiar nemesis of us country folk but your dogs new best friend for at least the next 6 months! Other than bathing or hosing after every walk . . . How do you manage the mud?
Do you wipe down after every walk? Or maybe you have invested in a pet towel? Or a mud mat? What about dogs on the furniture? Do you adopt a prevention approach and just not let your dog anywhere near it? Or do you have a dog that avoids the mud altogether?
Hillcote's Chief Canine Companions, Artie and Gizmo are relatively sensible when it comes to mud. Gizmo, the Chihuahua, is light enough to totter across the top and tends to avoid it altogether. And Artie isn't a fan of muddy puddles! A very unusual trait for a gun dog. While he does inevitably charge through it when we're walking in the woods and across the countryside, compared to some of Hillcote's guests he is relatively tame!
So, Hillcote's Head Human's task this season is to explore what's available on the market to manage Hillcote's beloved mud monsters. Muddy paws and muddy dogs in general post dog walk are inevitably something to learn to live with to some degree but a solution is out there! And I will find it.
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