Do Corgis shed?

Last evening I bathed the girls, hoping to remedy the increasingly 'doggy' smell in our environs. Neither pooch is very happy about bath time, but Elky, to whom all grooming constitutes torture, sulked and hid and, when finally dragged to the tub, stared at me with her shocked and injured look. For reasons that escape me, this week both dogs are (in the parlance of Corgi people) "blowing coat."

Corgis have what's called a double shedding coat. Contrary to all the supporting evidence, this does not mean that Corgis shed twice as much as other dogs. It's a technical term that distinguishes dogs with a certain kind of hair: some dogs, like Poodles, have hair that is like the wool on a sheep: it just continues to grow and grow. I don't think they ever shed. Corgis, and many other dogs, have two kinds of hair: stiff guard hairs and a much finer, softer undercoat. They shed more or less continually during the year, but on special occasions (known only to themselves) they shed 98% of their undercoat. Dog show people refer to this as "blowing coat." If this were a competitive event, Corgis would take the gold every time, hands down.

This link will give you an idea:

http://www.terenelf.com/SpockShedding/Shedding.html

So last night it was shampoo and conditioner rinse for the Elky girl, who has been looking increasingly shaggy and dull. The hair came off in handfuls...and this morning I sat down with her (that is to say I sat down on her) to see about brushing some of the remainder out before it got all over the house. (Corgi hair shows up everywhere...it may be their attempt at immortality: I have no doubt it will drift merrily around this house long after the dogs and I have shuffled off our mortal coils.) I bribed her with kibbles while filled a plastic grocery bag with what I removed with a comb. Then I ran the vac over the rug where I had her cornered, and got another bag full.

One would think this coat blowing business would happen in the spring, which it does, when dogs no longer need their undercoat to keep them warm. One would not expect it to happen in the late summer...but I'm still learning how surprising these girls can be.

Whose woods these are....

Across our dirt road is a 40 acre patch of woods, one of several parcels that constitute The Grand Forest of Bainbridge, according to the sign at the crossroads, and thus technically owned by the city. Happily, they are the least used and virtually undeveloped section, and when Tassel, Elky, and I walk there every day we almost always have them to ourselves. And so we have come to think of them as our own.

On a sunny morning the light streams in under the high canopy, brightening little spots along the trail. Here are some photos I took today while the girls explored "our" woods.

Monks and dogs

We had visitors from California this week: Rev. Master Kinrei Basis, prior at the Berkeley Buddhist Priory (left) and Rev. Master Seikai Luebke, assistant prior at Pine Mountain Buddhist Temple, stopped in for a couple days on their way north to visit fellow monks in the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives in Canada. Elky and Tassel soaked up lots of affection and I think if they'd have fit into Rev. Seikai's luggage he might just have taken them with him.

We had glorious patio-living weather and a good time was had by all.