COOL!

55 degrees right now. I have the patio door closed and am wearing a sweatshirt. What a change! Saturday was still pretty warm, but the humidity was down, and Sunday was perfect! Sunny, cool & breezy. A perfect day for brushing dogs - no humidity to make the hair stick to me (hate that) and a nice breeze to carry the hair away as I brushed it out of the dogs.

Argus gets brushed regularly, but the retirees had not been brushed in some time. Like most other Dal owners I joke about the shedding, but do little to prevent it. Dals shed even if brushed regularly, but the volume of hair is greatly reduced. Actually brushed everyone TWICE, and got LOTS of hair. Coral was shedding the worst this time, and Josie shed the least as always. Coral, Watson & Argus all have short, thick, very soft coats, while Josie's is longer, harder and not quite as thick. Her great grandma Eloise had that same coat and was never a heavy shedder either. Coats are all in good shape, no allergies bothering anyone.

Grooming time is a great time to check everyone over for any bumps or lumps that need to be checked out, especially on older dogs. In many areas of the country it is also the time to check for signs of fleas - fortunately not a problem here. (Knock on wood!) Argus has a sore on the inside of his left front shoulder that concerns me a bit. Thought it might be a hot spot, but he does not seem to be bothered, and hot spots are very itchy areas of pyoderma that come on suddenly. His is also not quite where a dog would normally scratch himself, and he never scratches, just not an itchy dog. Decided he probably scraped himself when he was over at the college campus and ventured into the edge of the woods. Am keeping an eye on it though.

There's a new Best In Show dog in the breed, a son of Argus's brother Andy. Not a bad dog, and with a particularly nice disposition. He could be a better mover, but has lovely dark eyes, correct tail carriage, and beautiful markings. He's professionally handled so is out every weekend and has more opportunities than dogs like Argus have. It will make the competition stiffer in this area, but works out fine for us as this is Argie's last year of active campaigning. NEXT year he needs to earn a couple of performance titles - IF I get up the ambition. Just as well, as I find myself suffering from Dog Show Fatigue.