Every time he does that now he stinks like a swamp because the water has been standing around in warm weather for a couple weeks and is only starting to recede. So at the very least he gets hosed off before we get back into the truck to go home. Most often I have to give him a bath when we get home and usually I have to do it right away or I get too tired.

He acts like Im taking him off to the death house too. All I have to do is turn the water on in the tub and he gets this hang dog look on his face. Sometimes he looks real depressed and wont move. He lets his body go limp so I cant pick him up either. Other times he accepts the inevitable and trudges toward the bathroom with head and tail hanging low in his “dead dog walking” mode.

I have to make him lay down to soak all the cooties off of him. If I dont give him a bath he gets bug bites all over him (or at least what I think are bug bites) - little weepy bumps that he scratches a lot. He also gets ticks (which we never had before in this part of the state) but he is on Frontline and they seem to die after biting. But the bath also seems to prevent even that.

Also, he has taken to coming and sleeping at my feet but first he comes and nuzzles me. Nothing like a stinking swamp dog coming and rubbing his smelly ears in your face. Uhg…

I dont know what his problem is with baths. Isnt that water too? Geez. Even the hosings and nice and gentle and you would think I was giving him the New Jersey rubber hose treatment!

Here’s the other part. Tomorrow Scout and I are getting a new pal! His name is Trigger and is also an English setter but with one black ear. Trigger had been found as a stray with a bullet wound near Linton IN back in April and the good folks there nursed him back to health. (see his page on petfinder.com - the spam filter catches it when I try to post it here)

Originally they said they could ship him to me but that it would cost around $300. High gas or no, I can go get him for much less. So much for mass transit.

But the good folks at IL Bird dog rescue came to our rescue and are going to ferry him as far as the IN/IL border tomorrow. I am picking him up there and we are going to have an interesting weekend getting to know one another!