Hair today, gone tomorrow

I’m not a high maintenance dog, but even I knew a trip to the grooming parlour was long overdue. I wasn’t surprised, therefore, to hear my humans booking me in for a wash and cut but I was immediately anxious.

I wasn’t worried about the results, you understand, more about the process. In the past, a very nice lady has come to the house to groom me but, it seems, she was no longer available so an alternative was being sought and it would mean enduring a car trip to somewhere new.

I was booked in to St Just Pet Care and had an immediate hurdle to overcome. Outside their shop sits a big stone dog. I’ve been walked past him several times when visiting the town with my humans and every time he frightens me. I know he’s not real, of course, but there’s something about his cold, stony stare that makes me want to cross to the other side of the street, even when there’s a car coming.

When the day arrived, I was as brave as I could be and kept as close to my human as possible as we went in. There were several other dogs already there, including a dear little Spaniel, so I couldn’t let the side down, even when my human handed over my lead and left me in this strange place with its new smells and people I didn’t know. Gulp!

Luckily for me, a kind, gentle lady called Charlotte, who seemed to know how to handle me, was in charge and all went well. I can’t say I enjoyed my two-hour stay – I was so nervous I badly needed a wee and was very grateful for the patch of grass near the fire station on our way back to the car! – but I do like my new look.

My black patches have a glossy sheen and my white fur is pristine. I feel years younger and have received several compliments from the humans and fellow canines we have met on our walks. I shall have no worries about going back to Charlotte and the team at St Just Pet Care. And I might even be brave enough to look that stone dog in the eye!