Bathtime for Barkley

Barkley & the Bathing Brigade

After seeing the vet on Monday, we changed the scheduling for bathing Barkley with the medicated shampoos... We normally bathe demo dogs every two days for the first two weeks so we can get ahead of the condition, but the vet felt once every three days would be sufficient... 

Kathryn normally comes in just once a week on Thursdays as part of TLC's "Bathing Brigade" but she agreed to be in charge of Barkley's bathing if we rescued him... So on Tuesday she arrived early to do his bath - it takes a LOT of time to do with Barkley because he's so big and so much extra stuff needs to be done... 

Barkley is really a good sport about all of this though... He's now at 85 pounds so it takes two of us (female) volunteers to lift him into our wet grooming station at the rescue shop... Someone grabs the front half of him and the other half is lifted by someone else... Most big dogs do NOT like being lifted up and off their feet, so this is not only a challenge because it is not something they are accustomed to (or enjoy like little dogs), plus you have all of that weight to lift (and safely)...

Kathryn and Barkley... sharing secrets!

Barkley has almost come to enjoy this aspect of his new life though... He gets lots and lots of massages as we wait the 10 minutes for the medicated shampoo to do its work... And sweet talk... Cuddles... Treats as he waits... 

Thankfully, we buy this medicated shampoo by the gallon, even as expensive as it is... And we had it in stock to take on the 'Barkley Bath' every three days... 

At TLC we have two grooming stations - one wet and one dry... We have several groomers as volunteers and the stations are set up according to their standards and needs... 

We have a custom made insert for the wet grooming station that normally stays in place - it is better on your back because we bathe a lot of small dogs so you are not having to lean into it and then and down when bathing... In Barkley's case, we have to remove the insert, disinfect the entire tub first and then lift him into it... So it really does become a major process to bathe just one dog like Barkley... 

All done! Until 3 days from now!

The bathing brigadiers as they are called, are organized and trained by one of our senior volunteers, Teri... She keeps the grooming supplies replenished (out of her own pocket) and the volunteers scheduled... They generally come in (one a day) after the shop is opened and cleaned... They work through our dogs and puppies, one by one, so that each TLC dog is bathed at least once every 10 days... It is a complicated system, so we are grateful that Kathryn stepped up and took Barkley on as her special bathing project!

The bathing brigade is another module of the TLC's rehabilitation process... Most dogs don't care to get wet or being bathed... And we INTENTIONALLY ask the brigadiers to not push through dogs like a production line... We ask them to take time and cuddle, reassure the dogs this is a good thing... And at the end - nice, warm and dry - we have special treats the dogs just love... So with a few baths, they all come to look forward to their baths... By the time they are ready for adoption, their new owners don't struggle with this part of the adoption process...

Just another one of the unseen aspects of TLC and what we do!  If you have time to devote once a week, we'd love to have you become part of TLC's bathing brigade.  If you don't know how to professional bath a dog, we have professionals that will teach you... All the tools and supplies are provided... You just need old clothes, dedication and a desire to help us all march towards the victory of No-Kill in our communities!