Today was a long day at work, and I was looking forward to getting home and spending a little time in the warm weather - grilling out steaks to dip in some Indonesian Peanut Sauce and sip on some cider beer. I hoped out of my car and breathed in the fresh farm air, and thought to myself "I can't believe someone is spreading manure on the fields in March!" It was pretty potent. Then I saw Tobshu - hooked to his chain in the front yard, instead of running freely with Luke like usual. I thought this was very curious, so I started to walk towards him and greet him. That's when the smell got stronger! Then I noticed the peculiar shade of green that was coating Tobshu's back...and ears...and legs...and stomach...and neck. The smell was revolting - a combination or manure, vomit, and pure decomposition - yuck!
Luke hadn't told me of any mishaps - so I decided to call him! He answered the phone nonchalantly, and I immediately asked "What the hell happened to Tobshu?!" He said, "Oh yea, I forgot to tell you - Tobshu rolled in my compost pile today when I wasn't looking," as if it was the most casual thing in the world. Needless to say I wasn't happy - he isn't exactly an easy dog to give baths. I mean he is okay, but it typically means I get a bit of a bath as well, which wasn't really what I wanted to do today!
I headed in to grab the shampoo and his leash, and as I was walking back outside, I noticed Grandpa Butch hunched over our black male cat, Banjo. Luke had said Banjo was limping around today, but in the chaos of the day I had forgotten about it. I quickly walked over to the house, and checked out Banjo. His back leg is severely injured, and any time I tried to touch it, he meowed, hissed, or tried to bite me! It was quite apparent he is in intense pain, and I couldn't investigate too much because his fur is so long and thick. I didn't want to hurt him too much, so I am going to let him rest and see how he is doing tomorrow! I just don't need another replay of "Kat," If you are unfamiliar with Kat, please read back to my post "Goodbye, New Friend." I don't really want to relive it!
Anyway - off to bath Tobshu. Luke hosed him down, and I scrubbed...and scrubbed...and scrubbed. And I gagged, a little bit - the smell was AWFUL! It was definitely a two-man job! The stench was literally pouring off of him, as was the food matter, algae, and dirt. He looked like a wet rat - running around trying to shake out his fur. We thought he was good to go, and then we brought him inside. The smell started to reveal itself very quickly - I literally sprayed him head to toe with dog perfume, and the stench still rang through. I really want to cuddle up with him on a pillow, but I can't get anywhere near him without getting nauseous! I'm hoping it mellows out a little by tomorrow.
Luke knew exactly what I needed to feel better however! He started a campfire, grilled some steaks, and put on some music! We ate together by the fire, and then we topped it all off with S'mores! The perfect way to make me feel better (and I just won't tell anyone that yesterday I SWORE I wouldn't eat chocolate for a month - yea....failed that). Better luck next time?
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