Matted dogs

Sorry this is so late, but its been one of those days. Tonight I would like to talk about brushing and combing your pets. There are 2 reasons I am writing about this now. 1 It works along well with last nights story, and 2 leads well into tonight's story. Brushing and combing is critical in the prevention of your pet becoming mated. I am not talking the mat here or knot there. I am talking about the indestructible chain that forms when those mats decide to link together. As you can see from the photos below:

Yes this rug is the fur of a Maltese. There are several reasons things like this happen. One the owner washed a dog that was mated. Then allowed it to roll on carpet to dry. Understand that static is in the rug, and builds into the coat of the animal. Remember the little shock you get when you walk on a rug with socks? Another skin and coat killer, dogs swimming in pools filled with chlorine. Much of this could be avoided with regular grooming, and using a brush and comb at home. In the case of the dog above, we get groomed once a year. I understand that sometimes, people who are new owners don't realize things like this happen. When a groomer tells you the dog needs to be shaved, at this point accept it. Please don't say things like I don't want it shaved. It is cruel to yank on a dogs skin when its mated. I for one will not do it. I say things like, god doesn't groom dogs, and I don't do miracles. Another saying is Harry Potters wand is not here today, sorry. Most of the time we all chuckle and off comes the hair. It's the repeat offenders that get me. Which leads me to a thought, do your homework before you purchase a pet. If you can not manage lots of hair get a pet like a Pug. So I become the dogs voice, because grooming once a year is cruel. So here is what I may say to them. I want you to understand what is going on with your dog, here is where we are. Go home, do not shower, or wash your hair. You can not brush or comb your hair, but you can scratch it all you want. Then for an added bonus, roll in the dirt, pee and poop in it. Then in 6 months go to your hairdresser and see what they tell you. Sounds bad double it, and we have your dog.

Now for tonight's story:

I was friendly with a local groomer who now has moved out of state. She groomed in a shop that was a pet/aquarium store. I bought lots of fish there. I went back to see her and saw what looked like an animal, resting in a cage. It looked like it had died to me, so I pointed it out to her. When she reached in and grabbed the animal, I was amazed to see it was hollow. Just a shell of fur, that could stand on its own. To the left was the cat it was pealed off from. Seems the owner thought that the cat had a fungus, and decided to give it a bath in Lystol. Thank god the cat was alive, and yes its a true story.Good night until tomorrow.