“There’s a farm supply store in town that has a dog washing station in the back.”
“I’ve used those before, but there was no way I was putting his muddy, stinky, wet ass in my car and driving to a store every day to wash him.”
“Yeah, I can understand that.”
When we arrived at Dice’s house, I made sure to wipe Diablo’s paws off before we went inside.
“Do you need any help washing him?” Dice asked.
“No,” I said slowly as something occurred to me. “But I need dog shampoo. I don’t suppose you have any, do you?”
“No, but I know who probably does. One second,” he said and pulled out his phone. After a few text exchanges, he grinned. “Harper has some she’s going to bring over.”
Harper pulled into the driveway a few minutes later and got out, carrying a small basket filled with bottles. “I brought shampoo and a bunch of other stuff you probably won’t need,” she said and handed the basket to me. “I may or may not spoil our furry family members.”
“Does Carbon know that’s how you refer to him when he’s not around?” Dice teased.
“No, and you better not tell him.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I didn’t even think about dog shampoo when I was packing. I’ll get these back to you as soon as I’m finished bathing him.”
“You can keep those. I have duplicates, if not triplicates, of everything in that basket.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course,” she said kindly. “I enjoy spoiling all the fur babies, not just mine.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I really appreciate it. Dice was showing me around the farm, and Diablo decided to go for a swim in one of the ponds.”
Harper laughed. “I know what that’s like. We have one that loves the water so much, he jumped off our boat while we were pulling up to a shore. It’s a miracle he didn’t get run over.”
“That must have been terrifying.”
“It was,” Harper said. “Now, we make sure someone’s holding him when we beach the boat.”
“I’ll have to remember that. I haven’t taken Diablo out on a boat, but I could totally see him jumping into the water before he was supposed to.”
“If you do take him on a boat and need to borrow a doggy life jacket, let me know. We’ve accumulated quite the collection overthe years. In fact, if you ever need to borrow any size life jacket, from infant to adult to dog, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you. I know my dad has several at the lake house. Well, he did. I’m not sure if they survived the fire last night.”
“Let us know if they didn’t. We’ll be happy to help you replenish.”
“Thank you,” I said for the umpteenth time.
“Well, I better get back. Harlow is hate-baking, and my kitchen will be destroyed if I’m not there to secretly clean up behind her.”
“Hate-baking?” Dice asked.
Harper laughed. “That’s what I call it. She claims she likes to bake, but she gets really pissy every time she does. And she’ll bite the head off anyone who offers to help her. I’ll see you guys later.”
“Bye, Harper,” Dice said.
“Bye,” I waved. “And thanks, again.”
I turned around to look at Diablo. “Time for a bath, Stinky.”
After giving Diablo a bath,I was more or less soaked and covered in dog hair, so I took a quick shower. Then I blow dried both of us, laughing when Diablo barked and snapped at the air.