Bad Hair Days
by Janine Adams
My poodles are having a bad hair month. Their regular groomer couldn't groom them because she was injured. Kramer and Scout are standard poodles-about 55 pounds apiece-and their hair had grown quite long as we waited for their groomer to feel better. But her injury didn't heal quickly. Since grooming them myself was beyond me, I took them to a grooming parlor I'd never visited before.
We keep their hair in a very simple cut. I explained to the groomer that I wanted a short cut, but that we like to keep the legs longer than the torso hair. I wanted the classic shaved face, feet and base of tail. The groomer nodded and took my dogs away. I should have figured something was wrong when the groomer told me to come back in two or three hours (they're usually at a grooming shop at least five hours). When I picked them up, I barely recognized them.
The furry, curly bears I'd left had been shaved virtually to the skin. They had small topknots and pom poms on their tails. But otherwise their coat was all one length. And that length was very short.
Kramer is 26 inches tall at the shoulder; Scout's only 22 inches, but the two weigh about the same. Kramer needs some coat to cover up his skinniness. Scout has a sluggish metabolism and is somewhat plump. She relies on her coat to give the illusion that her girth is mostly made up of fur.
What I saw before me was a canine version of Jack Spratt and his wife.
I managed to choke out something like, "Your hair's so short!" but otherwise made no comment to the groomer. After all, she couldn't put the hair back on.
Once I got Kramer and Scout home, I examined them more carefully. With their usual haircut, their joints are covered. With the shaved legs of this short 'do, they seemed all joints. Kramer was like a colt, Scout like a well-fed spider.
We all know it's better to feel good than to look good, right? Well, Kramer and Scout felt better after their haircut. They had renewed energy. The morning after the haircut they ran and played with abandon.
So you think I'd get philosophical and just not worry that they looked so bad. But to my shame, I found myself not wanting to take them anywhere because I was embarrassed about how they looked. I almost canceled the appointment I'd made at the vet's office for their annual wellness exam.
The strange thing is that I don't care about my own appearance. My own hair is cut very short for convenience. Makeup is reserved for very special occasions. I consider myself dressed up if I'm wearing pants with a zipper. Yet here I was wrapped up in my dogs' looks.
It got me thinking about the choices we make in dogs and how our dogs' appearance is such an important part of choosing the dog, for many people. I love the fact that I have flashy looking dogs. I'm sure I'd adore sharing my life with a more nondescript dog. But why would I want that when I can have the glamour of a standard poodle?
Some people, men in particular, aren't interested in having a poodle, because they find them too fancy looking. Even emasculating. They might choose tough-looking breeds, like Rottweilers or pit bulls, because they think those dogs make them look tougher. I see it differently: Show me a man walking a poodle and I'll show you a man confident in his masculinity. One of my favorite sights is my husband, Barry, out on a walk with Kramer and Scout.
Short-haired dogs never have bad hair days. Unless they get really muddy, they always look good. Even getting wet doesn't change their appearance. I can see the convenience of that. But I love the fact that I can get creative with my dogs' looks, even though I don't choose to exercise that creative option very often.
I should be a big enough person not to care when my dogs have a bad haircut. They didn't seem to feel embarrassed, so why should I be embarrassed? So I've resolved to walk them with my head held as high as theirs. Besides, within just a few months, they'll be looking glamorous again.
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