Well, it looks like I have a new bichon for Christmas. A little something to distract me from the dreaded anniversary of El Gringo's departure to the Bridge last Christmas.
This is Nana (can we change the name?). Cute as a button, but oh, what a mess. Nana's owner was seeking to rehome her because of a barking problem. They were leaving her outside alone while they worked in their restaurant every day late into the night. The neighbors were complaining threatening action. A friend of theirs had their dog poisoned by an angry neighbor over the barking issue. Whatever, that's their story and the dog came to me. This is what she looked like yesterday at 12 pm. They sure were not grooming her!
Normally the professional groomer would not hesitate to take the clippers to a dog in this shape and let the owner suffer through the regrowth. Here is a closeup of the matting on the dog's back. Pro groomers know that the back is usually the least problematic area. If the back is like this, what are the legs like?
To clip or not to clip? For my own self, in looking at a potential adoption, I needed to determine if the dog was tolerant of grooming. It would make no sense for me to own a bichon that was horrible about grooming. I need a bichon to model my grooming and instructionals. I also needed to determine if the coat was good for scissoring and if she would stand for scissoring and for photos. I am happy to say that this little girl was wonderful about her grooming and stood perfectly for scissoring. The finish is less than perfect, however, because she is only 2/3 combed out for these "after" shots. This is two hours later:
Here are before and after shots of the head:
Well, waddayaknow, there's a cute little bichon girl in that knarly mess. She is tiny, less than 10 pounds, maybe only 6. And a bit long of leg, or short of body, according to the standard. Not show quality, but a great bichon expression, and a lovely coat to scissor. So here is my new girl!
There's a part of me that wonders if El Gringo might have orchestrated this from Rainbow Bridge. I know he would have loved her and certainly would have wanted me to have a Merry Christmas. What a lovely gift. Thank you!
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