Justin bathing Dibble earlier this month. Bathing the dogs has become a form of great amusement & entertainment for the staff !Our dogs all get bathed once a month, after which they are Frontlined (tick & flea treatment) – the cats are too, only they don’t get bathed ! The Frontline is imported (and expensive) but I won’t take a chance on using anything else for my “indoor” animals, especially since biliary (a tick borne disease) is rife during certain times of the year and I have heard stories of people losing beloved pets here due to this awful disease. I also don’t want ticks in the house as we humans can contract tick bit fever, which my poor daughter had recently and which we have all had before, too.
The village dogs are dipped once every 2 weeks and during the rainy season (when ticks are rife) , once a week. Justin goes into the village and dips the dogs up there, and we provide dip for anyone who wants to dip their dog and Justin does it for them. (The village children simply love watching this event, and shriek with delight !)
Most local people here do not love and care for their dogs, or even feed them. They believe that dogs (like hyena, jackal and lion) should ‘hunt’ for their own food and the thought of taking a dog to the vet, or even bathing a dog – is completely foreign to them.
So, you can imagine that the monthly dog bathing (& towel drying) episode is a great form of entertainment for the farm staff. The first time we moved here and did it, word quickly spread and we had all the garden staff and workshop staff (peering over the fence) watching us - according to Justin it was the talk of the day amongst the farm staff (some who were out in the fields and had not witnessed the event did not believe the staff who had seen it !).
Justin was teased a lot in the beginning but everyone is now used to this monthly event. Although he says they still think I’m crazy getting the dogs bathed once a month, and that he is crazy for doing it. I tell him that’s okay – it’s fine to be crazy – and that he must tell the staff the main reason we bath the dogs is so that they keep the beds and couches clean when they jump up to sleep on them.
That should keep them quiet, and make the monthly bathing pale session in comparison !
The village dogs are dipped once every 2 weeks and during the rainy season (when ticks are rife) , once a week. Justin goes into the village and dips the dogs up there, and we provide dip for anyone who wants to dip their dog and Justin does it for them. (The village children simply love watching this event, and shriek with delight !)
Most local people here do not love and care for their dogs, or even feed them. They believe that dogs (like hyena, jackal and lion) should ‘hunt’ for their own food and the thought of taking a dog to the vet, or even bathing a dog – is completely foreign to them.
So, you can imagine that the monthly dog bathing (& towel drying) episode is a great form of entertainment for the farm staff. The first time we moved here and did it, word quickly spread and we had all the garden staff and workshop staff (peering over the fence) watching us - according to Justin it was the talk of the day amongst the farm staff (some who were out in the fields and had not witnessed the event did not believe the staff who had seen it !).
Justin was teased a lot in the beginning but everyone is now used to this monthly event. Although he says they still think I’m crazy getting the dogs bathed once a month, and that he is crazy for doing it. I tell him that’s okay – it’s fine to be crazy – and that he must tell the staff the main reason we bath the dogs is so that they keep the beds and couches clean when they jump up to sleep on them.
That should keep them quiet, and make the monthly bathing pale session in comparison !
