Meet Baxter, our almost-two-year-old Golden Doodle. A “designer” dog was never something we envisioned, but when we learned that Hadley was allergic to dogs, a hypoallergenic pooch was our only option.
Baxter is actually called a “crossback”, which means he is 3/4 standard poodle and 1/4 golden retriever. With this comes a lot of maintenance because his hair mats up and should be brushed at least every other day (which we never remember to do). Finally, after about six months of having him, we broke down and sent him to the groomer. I find it a bit ironic that the groomer felt she had been given an absolute abomination of a creature to work on, yet this is how she sent him home. My husband picked him up on his way home from work, and we all laughed so hard that we were crying within minutes of his arrival. He could not have looked more out of place next to Gordie in his khakis and Brooks Brothers shirt. The groomer had mentioned that she would blow dry him, but it also looked like she had massaged his coat with an entire can of mousse. Baxter was now the laughing stock of the family, and cowered in the corner with his newly permed look. An injustice had been done to our family pet, and a call to action felt necessary. Never mind the $100 tab that came with this situation! Would YOU pay to look like this?
The only path forward was to learn how to groom him myself, and that is exactly what I have done. I’m not great at it yet, but I am learning. Not only are we saving money, I am also able to cut him to more of a “sporty” look, in hopes of showcasing the 25% retriever genes as much as possible!
Baxter spent the past week at the kennel, and I admit he was in need of a trim and a wash before he went. It’s been a few weeks since I last coiffed him, but he looks totally fine in my opinion. Gordie called them from the airport yesterday to let them know we would be coming to get him later in the day, and asked them to please bathe him before we arrived. The person on the other end of the line bluntly replied, “Sir, we can’t possibly bathe your dog in this condition.” Beauty, particularly when it comes to dogs, is clearly in the eye of the beholder!
