Hey Bernice!

Don’t you hate it when you pat someone else’s dog and the minute you run your hand down their coat you can feel weeks of grime stuck to their coat (and now your hand – Yuck)? You then surreptitiously bring your hand close to your nose hoping it doesn’t smell as bad as it felt. When you realise it does, your single focus becomes how quickly you can excuse yourself to find the bathroom to wash your hands. I am determined not to let anyone experience that with Jack (have I just set myself an impossible task???).

Our ‘little man’ Jack, of the four-legged kind, is a key focus of our life (with no kids of our own yet!).  Not having to bathe kids every night we have time to treat Jack to a bath once a week. Those who have a dog of their own are probably wondering how I could describe a dog washing experience as a treat (for Jack or me) .

The trick is in the dog washing apparatus and products used:

• A hairdresser-like extension for the tap in the bath with a shower head end to aid in wetting and washing off the soap.

• Use good quality dog wash for my enjoyment the benefit of others who will pat your dog.

When we first got Jack we were told that because he was Staffy X we needed to be cautious of his potentially sensitive skin, so we bought Fuzzyard.com.au (a quiet chuckle is expected) which is an organic pet care range. I was surprised to learn that apparently dogs also require shampoo and conditioner, and that Fuzzyard releases seasonal collections of products for animals – Mercedes fashion week look-out.

The sensitive skin range was oatmeal & mandarin (trés exotic), and cost more than I spend on my own shampoo and conditioner, but what would you expect from a dog wash sold in the exclusive Harrods Department store in London (although 100% Australian owned). The large pump bottle was great, and lasted ages.

More recently my sister has purchased a replacement dog wash for Jack. She made a special trip to our place before Christmas to present this to Jack (not me!) – gift wrapped especially. She raised the bar a little and purchased Aesop Dog Wash. Apparently it was time for a change.

For those not familiar with Aesop (developed in Melbourne, Australia) Aesop is a range of superlative products for skin, hair and body, remaining committed to including the highest-quality plant-based ingredients. The exquisite scents for which Aesop is renowned are an incidental treat.

Quite the treat for humans, let alone our fury friends! So I was (on behalf of Jack) very jealous grateful for this Christmas gift.

Aesop Animal is described as:
A mild body and fur wash containing botanical extracts to cleanse even the most delicate animal skins and furs. Animal is formulated with the same research, development and care that we apply to our human product range. Enriched with Lemon Rind, Tea Tree and Spearmint Leaf extracts www.aesop.net.au

We have already used it twice on Jack, and it smells wonderful. Several family members over Christmas have commented on how shiny, and soft his coat is (hmmmm….it must be the spearmint leaf extract). I have been informed by my sister that it can double as a human hand wash, so watch-out Jack you might end up with home brand Dog wash!

Jack loves bath time so much that when we get home from a walk (and he is wet and muddy from wading in the creek) he will walk through the house, down to the bathroom, and jump straight in the bath ready and waiting for the new range of shampoo (or is it the all over rub down after wards?). Who knows what creative organic combination we will try on him next: ‘comquat, rose hip and orange blossom’ or ‘clove, lychee and honeysuckle aged in oak barrels for 5 years’ either way (hopefully) no one will be running to wash their hands after patting Jack.