It was time. Despite family pressure, I decided to clip Moke, my almost 3-year-old English Cocker Spaniel, even if his fur wouldn’t be as silky soft. The call proved to be a good one. Not only was my already super cute pupper instantly cuter but I found a handful of cheatgrass barbed seeds working their way toward the skin on his back or just starting to graze his flesh.
Of course, living in Bend, Oregon means that winter temps can drop to single digits. We also get a fair amount of snow, which given the right water content collects as snowballs on his feathers, the fur under his belly and on his legs. So, though I’m into dressing up my dogs, it was clearly time to buy Moke a coat.
I found a discontinued style with short sleeves at Ruffwear, an awesome local dog gear company. Not only would it keep him toasty, its unique cut would prevent snowballs from accumulating along his belly and under his armpits, two areas that can immobilize a dog when too many icy spheres accumulate.
He looked very jaunty in his new coat. It even matches the headband with ear pockets he wears to keep the cheatgrass out of his ear canal, a problem that helped support my vets when my two prior cockers were still alive. The coat, I realized, will protect most of his body from the surprisingly sharp and dangerous grass that likes to migrate in dogs’ bodies. And the coat and the headband will both keep him from getting covered in the poop he has recently decided he likes to roll in.
In short, I love this new coat as much as his ear covering. Moke, not so much.
Our daily off-leash, two- to three-mile walk always starts off with vigorous head shakes as Moke tries to ditch the headband or at least get it down around his neck. I’m fine with that, since it still keeps his ears covered and closed, which is the whole objective. I’m less fine with him rubbing himself in every bush he can find in order to get the ears off, and I suppose the coat as well. I had to repair the shredded ear pockets, which are getting shorter and shorter, twice just this past week.
“Time for an attitude adjustment,” I want to yell.
Of course, when Moke focuses on all the smells around, running down the trail, trying to catch up with his brother, or enjoying the treats dispensed at every trail crossing, he forgets all about his apparel.
This made me think about how much time we spend in our daily lives and our writing lives focusing on what makes us uncomfortable rather than putting that aside and simply enjoying the process.
I reminded myself of that today when I wanted to do just about anything but write this blog post. And guess what? Once I convinced myself to start writing, the moment claimed me and I was all in.
Note to self. Let’s make that kind of attitude adjustment happen on all fronts from now on.
