Stanley is one hot dog!
With one week to go, Stanley is getting ready for his trip.
Like all good holiday makers, he had two important tasks today. Firstly, sort out his passport and secondly, go to the spa.
Good grooming is the mark of a sophisticated poochie and Stanley likes it provided Mum does it. Stan’s had a great groomer who was incredibly patient with his foibles. Let’s cut to the chase; Stan did not like being groomed. He moved from the lovable, chilled, couch potato Sealyham into a more aggressive dog that was not well liked! So something had to give.
I started grooming Stan about a year ago and bought a Wahl Arco Pro clipper from a German retailer. I was inspired by my sister, Kath, who can turn her hand to pretty much anything. So Stan doesn’t need to go anywhere but the garden for his spa time and, frankly, I’ve saved a lot of money.
The clipper choice was mistake no.1. When the batteries refused to charge up in the summer I realised that returning them to Germany wasn’t an option. Germany doesn’t allow imports of lithium batteries - the things you end up knowing about - who’d have thought! So after much to-ing and fro-ing I got my money back from the ebay reseller who sold me the kit. And then I went for a walk in the park.
Never underestimate the power of park networking I’ve had some of my most productive, enlightening conversations at the park. Last week was no exception. At Gillespie park I came upon the most beautifully groomed standard poodle frolicking with his mum. It did not occur to me that this was a mum with specialist grooming skills - a groomer herself. She told me everything I’d been doing wrong with grooming starting with my kit. A beautiful new clipper arrived yesterday, the Andis Ultraedge 2 Speed Clipper. And, my word, what a clipper it is. I will make no comment on the quality of Stan’s groom. In fact, I’m experiencing trepidation about what you think. I don’t hand strip him because he’s my pet, so I might offend the purists. And, I’m absolutely a beginner at this gig. But I think you will agree, he does look rather smart. And the clipper was so fast! It turns out that the Wahl clipper is fine on smaller jobs like legs and paws but not cut out for a full body groom. When I get back from Italy, I’ll be visiting @the_canine_gossip so I can hone my craft. But for now thanks so much for the grooming advice - he is one hot dog!
Vet in the city made his final visit. When I explained to a friend that the vet came to our house to provide all Stan’s vaccinations and the final paperwork for travel I think she thought I was a millionaire. It sounded so posh and convenient for the vet to come to me. A bit like having your own private doctor popping round when you’re ill. Despite explaining that Stan’s normal vet didn’t offer the service, I secretly enjoyed the idea of Stan having his own private vet. So, bottom line, the @vet.in.the.city service is incredibly convenient and if you want to show off you don’t have to explain he’s not your regular vet. To travel, Stan had his rabies vaccination some months ago so today involved checking his microchip and handing over the paper work I’ll need to show when we go to the chunnel. It’s an Animal Health Certificate similar to the one featured here. Each of these visits have taken under ten minutes. Stan was not at all distressed by the rabies jab. When I shared our plans with the vet today he even promised to send me details of common medicines that might help if Stan get’s a little sick on the trip. So, if you’re London based I can’t imagine a better service. And, if you live elsewhere and you’re worried about taking your pet abroad there’s really no need. It’s all pretty straightforward!
Given that I’ve referenced a few products and companies in this post I wanted to make clear that I’ve received no benefit from sharing their details. So, yeah, it just reflects our experience.
Before … you’re not going to try grooming me are you?!
Man, I am one hot dog!
The Animal Health Certificate replaced the European pet passport. It’s official Stan can travel!
