I've been away from my fluffy pal for life, Nadi, for quite a while. This is the longest amount of time that her and I have been apart from one another for all of her life and thankfully, I had a guy staying in my condo to look after her rather than taking her to a kennel or to a friend's house where she would be uncomfortable every night because of the strange and unfamiliar environment. It really worked out perfectly and I could tell by the pictures of other people that were not looking after her were sending me that she was being extremely well looked after in my absence. When I did tell the guy staying in my condo (for free, I might add) that I was coming back in a few days he was a little bit disappointed because he was really enjoying staying with her and looking after her. This was nice to hear and I assured him he can visit with her any time that he wants. I do hope that he will be available for babysitting in the future because a big part of the reason why I never go on vacation is because I know that most people are not capable or willing to look after my dog as well as I would.
During the 5 weeks I was away I would get regular updates from the guy watching Nadi and she was out and about on the town even more than she would have been had I been home. I also got pics from other people that showed her happy and this put me at ease while I was abroad. I did realize during that time that her hair was getting really long and since this is also the rainy season time of year I knew that for Mark (the guy watching after her) that this meant baths and lots of towel drying since the design of her low-rider chassis is one that picks up all the water and dirt on the road when on walks.
When I got home she was really happy to see me and I kind of felt bad because she basically just ignored the guy that had been looking after her for the past over 30 days. I suppose you can't really blame her. I am the only constant thing that has existed in her life for the past near 11 years of her life.
But when I got back I could tell that she needed a haircut badly... but since I know she hates them I didn't subject her to it right away. I got back on a Friday and had already decided that I was going to wait until Monday before I took her to the dreaded doggy beauty salon. By luck the salon was booked on Monday so Nadi got another full day of no torture but when we were walking to the salon, my smart little puppy stopped wagging her tail and tried to resist walking any more because even though we were still over 100 meters away, she knew where we were going.
It had to be done though, and I carried her the rest of the way.
I think she is cute like this with her long hair, and it actually comes in handy during the cold season. The problem is that she can't see and she gets so dirty so fast. Plus there is the added problem of her nails being too long and that had to be rectified. Nadi doesn't give half a damn what she looks like and was perfectly content being a long-haired pooch.
If she sits, she sleeps if I take too long to finish whatever I am doing. Nadi is content to do anything really but she really just wants me to be there and becomes kind of anxious when I am not. Friends have told me this when I am somewhere in public but run around the corner to the store. She stands looking in the distance waiting for me to get back.
her perch on the sofa looks right at my workstation and this is how we spend most days while I am tapping away at the magic screens for hours on end.
One day when we took that walk to get the excess hair chopped off, I wasn't staring at screens that day and she was happy until we got kind of close to the salon. Then her glee turned to terror. Nadi doesn't fight going in, she knows it is futile, but she does resist as if that has ever worked. She does try to not be handed over to the haircut techs, but she doesn't try to bite them or anything. It does break my heart a little bit when she maintains visual on me for as long as possible. She must go through some rather intense fear when she finally can't see me anymore and she is being taken to her least favorite place where she will be clipped and prodded for about 2 hours.
When she gets out the end result is pretty good and she gets lots of attention and treats. I try not to act too over the top when we are reunited because I don't want to traumatize the situation any more than I have to. Nadi is no spring chicken, she turns 11 this year and according to people I have spoken to including @bdmillergallery and @bozz there will come a time when I have to do the grooming myself because the trips to the shop will be too negative for the dog in their old age. This is something I have to prepare myself for because I am really afraid to cut her nails in particular and this comes from when I accidentally made her bleed something like 8 years ago. People don't forget!
As cute as I think she is here I believe this is the last time I am going to do a designer floof-floof cut on her like this. The shaved down parts are overkill and for a few days after it is done she is in a constant state of scratching. I think she prefers to have her hair longer and in the cooler time of year that we are in right now, this longer hair probably makes her more comfortable. On the first night after the haircut I could feel her shivering in her little dog bed that is right next to me on my bed, I let her get under the covers with me that night and the next night I provided her with a towel or "doggy blanket."
Maybe I baby my dog too much but I don't care. As I am the only source of stability in her life, she is the same for me. I have lived in 5 different cities in 2 different countries since she has been alive and at most of those my life changed dramatically including needing to make completely new friends and being alone in a strange land. Dogs are wonderful conversation starters and I met most of the people that I know today in DaNang not because I am super interesting but because I have a really cute dog that is very well-behaved.
So in that regard, I need her just as much as she needs me. I look forward to seeing her every time I do and even though she gets in the way of my feet often, I know it is only out of love that she does this.