From Bathing to Cheesecake

Ya just never know where a journey might take you.......

We decided Rox has been with us long enough to take her to the self-serve bath place at Petco. Why self-serve? Well, we want to be the only ones to handle her until she's been here a while. We're hoping for sort of a later-in-life imprinting. We're family number 5 and we're hoping she will finally "get it" that she is HERE to stay. No more homes, no more families.

So off we go, Bob and I and Little Baby Girl, full of hope for her first bath. We wandered through Petco to the back, and sure 'nuff, she found the cage of kitties. I'm getting smarter - I just turned her little butt so the kitties were on her blind side. Her nose was twitching, but she didn't try for a snack.

The bath went surprisingly well, considering there were two adults and a small dog. The sink was just the right height to break my back, and it only took 10 minutes to figure out how to get the water the right temp. In all fairness, there were two faucets, four knobs and a hose... Roxie took it all in stride and just stood there... the butt wash did garner us a dirty look though.

In case anyone is wondering, there is no picture of Roxie this time. She looks like she stuck a toe into a wall socket! The bath made her hair stand up in all directions - she's the Puff Ball from Hell. In spite of using a conditioner, she is going to need some serious comb and brush time before she will be ready for her public.

How does this lead to cheesecake? Easy. Follow me here, it winds a little bit.

Of course we wanted her to have a treat for her good behavior at the bath place. We got her a rawhide chew bone. And yes, I know they are controversial, but we thought just this once.

When we got home we gave it to her. BAM! as Emeril would say....... she grabbed that treasure and pranced and wiggled to the door to go outside. Thinking she had to pee, we let her out and she RAN to the back of the yard, behind the Pile of Junk, were we couldn't see her ----- the little stinker was hiding from US! Still damp from her bath, with the outside temp in the low 50s we thought "whose idea was this?!"

A kerfuffle. What to do? Not gonna reach down and take it from her, as we are inordinately fond of our fingers. Aha - a trip to Arby's for a roast beef sandwich to tempt her with - throw a piece of meat, grab the chewie when she goes for meat. And it worked like a meat-flavored charm! I threw the bite of meat, she dropped the piece of rawhide and I grabbed it. Bob had my back, he yelled out "she's coming back, look out!" Teamwork...

And so the two pieces of rawhide are safely put away for another day and we are watching her belly to see if it starts to bloat.

And the cheesecake? As I drove to the first window to pay, I saw an ad for "graham cracker dipped cheesecake with raspberry dipping sauce" - and I must say "YUM"...... nothing like fried dipped cheesecake bites from a fast food place to end the day. I suspect they may not be entirely healthy, but 'tough nuts', they taste great!

Roxie is taking her nap. Hard afternoon for her.............