Sadie got a bath

I have to keep my Wayside Waifs mutt, Sadie, on a leash here at the house so she won't get run over. But when we go for our morning walk in the pasture, I turn her loose and let her run. Boy, does she run.

Often she chases some wild creature into the woods and disappears for awhile, but she always rejoins us.

This morning she found something dead on her rambling; because she considers slimy, rotting animal flesh to be her own special cologne, she rolled in it quite thoroughly. There was gunk visible on her neck where she'd carefully rubbed it in.

So she got a bath.

Once she'd been toweled off, she decided to use the spread on my un-made bed for a towel.


That's her in mid-shake.

Then I tied her outside.

I don't whether she's trying to dry off on the grass, or practicing what to do with the next carrion she finds.

Libby gets a bath

I worked Libby in the round pen this morning, and handled her feet a lot; I neglected her for too long this summer, and she had gotten downright touchy about her feet; when Cliff and Arick decided to trim them the other day, she staged a little protest.

My daughter kept an Arabian gelding here for one summer and left behind some horse shampoo. That's something I wouldn't normally waste money or time on, since horses will always thank you by rolling in the first dusty spot they can find as soon as you're done. I've cooled Libby off with the hose before, and it isn't her favorite thing; but I'm sure with time she'll learn to appreciate a nice shower on a hot day, just like Blue does.

It's unusual to see Libby without those ears perked up.


Can't you imagine what she's thinking? After all, this is a totally new experience.

She stood for it, at least.
She looks a bit humiliated, doesn't she? I think she's plotting a way to get revenge.
"When is this procedure going to be over?"

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead and take pictures and have your fun; the other horses are going to laugh at me when they get wind of this junk."

I rinsed the soap off, combed her mane and tail, and put her in the stall with some grain and alfalfa hay so she'd dry off a little before I turned her loose


"Silly woman was putting water all over my outside, but that didn't quench my thirst."

Blue says, "You smell mighty peculiar, little pal."

"REAL peculiar."
"Why is everybody smelling my nose and my butt?"

"Mom, what have you done to me? I'm an OUTCAST!"

Later, Libby came up with a way to get even.

When I went to check on her, exactly two hours after her bath, she had a surprise for me:



"See Mom? I fixed my problem! Now the other horses all like me again."