Sniff, Sniffles, Joy

Last week our training and blogging friend KB waxed poetic about how much she loves the smell of her beautiful, brilliant lab K. I chuckled because I feel the same way about Lilly. Don’t get me wrong. After a day playing outside in the pastures, creek, and pond, she definitely smells like a dirty, mountain dog. BUT, her day-to-day scent is sweet. It must be individual, though, because Tom could not disagree more.

He often says his pillow smells like Lilly and that it makes his eyes water. Or, when I rave about how fresh she is after a bath, he says he only smells soap PLUS Lilly. He uses more colorful language than that, just so you know.

I can only assume that we each perceive smells, like colors, in different ways.

During our trip to PC’s Pantry, I grabbed some rosemary-scented “deodorizing” shampoo from Earthbath. I figure with cold weather coming … perhaps I can appease Tom’s nose somewhat. And, who doesn’t love the smell of rosemary?

So, the weekend’s happy, happy carnivores got baths.

We refer to this as the canine version of Bed Head. It’s known as Bath Butt at our house.

Once the dogs dry, I give them a vigorous furmination, and all is well. Even Tom said Lilly looked SUPER SHINY that evening.

I’ll have to dig around. I made a big batch of dog soap years ago that had MANY kinds of oils and skin conditioners in it. I might have a few bars tucked away somewhere, but in the meantime, I really like this new dog shampoo. It’s called Mediterranean Magic. Ooooh La La!

However, I’m willing to keep eye drops, antihistamines, and inhalers in the house so that I can live with dogs because I literally cannot imagine life without them. Like air, like food, like the blood pumping through my veins, these canine souls buoy me.

It’s worse in the summer/late fall, but more because they bring pollen in the house on their fur. Usually, though, in the winter, I don’t have to take any medications. I just accept that I’m a little stuffed up most of the time. I accept that sometimes when we cuddle, my eyes water.

I feel sad when I hear about allergic people going without dogs. There was data presented back when I sat on the board of the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy that showed allergy doctors often recommended people get rid of dogs (or cats), even before they knew if there was indeed an allergy to the animals themselves.

When I was a kid, I had those awful tests … where they poke allergens into your skin and measure the results. Two separate times, they poked me 100 times in my back and 22 times in each arm. It turned out I was allergic to pretty much everything they tested, including something called “smut,” which cracked me up. I had years of allergy shots, and things are much better now than when I was a kid. Before they figured it out (at age 13), everyone just thought I was sick all the time.

So, I’m allergic, but I share my days, my nights, my heart with dogs … who I think smell pretty darn good.

P.S. Personally, I think the “hypoallergenic” dog thing is a crock, but if anyone else would like to weigh in, please do.