Sunday, September 22, 2013

The Most Hated Chore for Man and Beast

Do you have household chores you put off for as long as possible?  I'm not talking about the "regular" household chores like vacuuming and (gasp!) dusting - I put those off too, but they still happen at relatively regular intervals.  And dishes - I hate doing them too, but they don't count.  I'm talking about seasonal kinds of things like cleaning the garage, sorting through clothes, or dusting the ceiling fans.  

Mine most hated household chore is grooming the dog.  He's a cocker spaniel, and he's a really wonderful dog.  I love him, I do!  But I HATE grooming him.  Before I had kids, he used to get baths every 6 to 8 weeks and hair cuts every 8 to 12 weeks, like clockwork.  I didn't like it, but I never let it get out of hand, and he's pretty good about things.  All that changed when I got pregnant with Lily.  

Suddenly, grooming the dog (at that point, dogs, because Brook was still alive...) meant painful pregnant heartburn from bending over through the grooming process and miserable household clean up (including the bath tub and wherever I shaved them, usually the garage unless it was sub-zero temps).  Post-pregnancy, grooming the dog simply means time away from my girl, and frankly I don't like it.

After weeks of saying how badly I "needed" to groom the dog, I finally broke down and cut his hair...  


I set the razor's box and a large aerosol can to the right of the fur so it would be possible to have some concept of how much fur there was, but it really doesn't do it justice.  Frazier looked like a miniature buff-colored bear - a friend lovingly referred to him as "Fozzy Bear."  He couldn't see because his eyelashes and eyebrows were so long, and the fur around his paws not only made them look like St. Bernard paws, but also drug in so much dirt, grass, and other junk from the yard that I don't even want to think about it!

Frazier (the dog) hates the task as much as I do, which is a slight consolation for me - misery loves company.  And he's equally as thrilled as I am when the job is concluded.  However, he always feels a bit naked, which reads as "ashamed" in his expression...


There are three major benefits to having the most miserable Francl household chore completed:
  1. Frazier tracks in SO much less stuff via his paws, which means my floors stay cleaner!
  2. Frazier is SUPER cuddly when his hair is this short (yes, I know it's not a traditional cocker-cut, but it's what works for us), because he's cold.  :)  Couch snuggling, bed snuggling, lap snuggling, lots of snuggling, and I don't mind snuggling with him because he's freshly clean!
  3. I don't have to do it again for 3 to 4 months, or until I can't stand his fuzzy fur any more...
What is your most hated household chore?

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