Designer Fur

I decided that our dog has designer fur.  You know, when you buy something trendy and expensive because it looks and feels gorgeous but after you bring it home you realize it's not practical?

That's how I feel about Watson's fur.  It is a gorgeous red color, fluffy and is so soft!!   Everyone loves to pet him.  And to top it off he doesn't shed at all.  It is wonderful not having fur and dander
stuck to everything in the house.

The downside is that it needs to be combed several times a week to prevent matting, and it is a magnet for anything and everything.  He constantly has hitchhikers in his fur -  everything from leaves and twigs to paper, dirt and icicles.  The other day he had a full-on stick stuck in his fur that he drug around the back yard.

He also needs a bath at least every few weeks to keep him smelling decent.  His fur sheds water like you wouldn't believe, but once you do manage to get him all wet, his size is reduced by at least a half. He is scrawny under all that fluff.

And that's only what we have to deal with.  As this dog routinely goes out and lays on our back porch in 20 degree weather to cool off, I have a feeling he is going to be absolutely miserable in the summer.  I do think the solution is to keep his fur short, thus keeping him cooler and lessen all the crap that gets stuck in his fur.  It will be a much more practical haircut.  That is on the schedule come spring.  I will miss the soft fluff.