Welcome to Dogstar’s Wednesday Dog! Every Wednesday, we share a story from one of our dog stars. This week we’re talking about the dynamic duo, draper and Lou, of Megan and Dachshund.
Spring in Alberta is not the same as many springs around the world. The tulip fields that you can see on Instagram are not blooming. The days are getting longer, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re sunny. Our springs are often dark, dusty, and unpredictable (indicating random snow storms), and melted snow brings a lot of mud… especially when it rains!
For Dachshund duo Draper and Rue, the rainy season is scattered in puddles like 16 months, and there’s not much to share outdoor horrors. These two have a unique personality, uniting by slacking off rainy days with each other.
RUE: A passive adventurer
As our lively outdoor enthusiasts, Rue is usually any challenge. Rain and puddles don’t really bother me. She happily walks through puddles and sits in the mud. In fact, I sometimes think she likes to get a little dirty. But that’s what comes after a rainy day, especially after a rainy day… bath time!
When she hears the tub running before she goes back inside, Rue knows what’s coming next. She tries to dodge it and “hides” by darting as quickly as possible on our white sofa, but her muddy trail betrays her every time. The bath is unnegotiable for this muddy winer.
Draper: The Royal Raining
Our self-proclaimed king, Draper has even less patience with rain than snow. If the cold of winter is his archenemy, then the rain of spring is his archenemy. The sound of raindrops patterning on the window is enough to make him dig his face deep into his blanket fortress, refusing to appear unless bribed with treats. Getting out of the draper on a rainy day is a negotiation comparable to high stakes diplomacy. He inchs towards the door, smells the air, and quickly retreats, his expression screams “Absolutely not.” He does his business directly outside our door (along a small strip of dry deck to prevent it from getting wet).
In rare cases, we seduce him, the draper’s low-haired body behaves like a sponge, soaking moisture from the grass into any moisture. His long, gorgeous fur collects mud like a trophy, and his tiny legs leave a mark of flooded prints on his deck.
Bathtime Battle
The bath itself is always a struggle. Escape artist Rue writhes and writhes, hoping for a final two-second vacation. It doesn’t matter how little water is used to fill the bathtub. She is shaking out of fear, as if we had thrown her into the lake!
Draper, on the other hand, limps and adopts, “If I have to endure this, I’m as useless as possible.” The only silver lining of the draper is that when he gets great and clean he gets blown away a bit with a true royal treatment (yes, we actually do brush + broadride raper fur…and he actually loves it!).
This article features Meagan, Draper and Rue in the Wednesday Dog Star series.
