[Dailydrool] Bathing bassets

[JACQIE MARVICH]

After reading the post from Onslow's Mom, I thought I'd post a few things I've learned through years of trials and tribulations bathing my bassets. 

First, bending over the bathtub for bathing several dogs for shows kills my lower back but I used to do it becaue I don't like bathing them in cold water from the hose outdoors. They didn't like getting "a cold shower" either. I could tell by the evil look I got when I was done and they're shivering and shaking while I'm furiously rubbing them with a towel to dry them and warm them. So, enter the BOOSTER BATH. A pvc plastic bathtub that is raised on 4 legs that puts your dog at about waist height. It has a crosstie attached inside with a collar to keep your basset in the tub so you have both hands free to bath your dog. It has a nice non-slip matt permanently attached to the bottom. It has a shampoo caddy and a spray nozzle that attaches to the end of any standard hose. The nozzle has a on/off switch and hangs on the side of the tub when your not spraying your dog. There's also a drain hose attached to the bottom of the tub so the dog is not in standing water and the tub stays empty during bathing. It works great and eliminates the back ache and having to hold onto the dog and trying to bathe them at the same time. I've had mine for 4 years now. I ordered it from JB Wholesale pet catalog as they had the best price at that time. Worth every penny and I wished I had gotten one a lot sooner. Another benefit is that I don't need spend time cleaning all the hair out of the bathroom and tub and I don't have to unclog the drain anymore. 

I also wanted warm water to bathe them so I went to Home Depot and purchased a "Y" shaped adapter that has two connectors that hook up to the faucets for my washing machine, one to the hot water and one to the cold and then comes together into one connector that attaches to the hose your using. I can adjust the water to just the right temperature and bathe them in nice warm water which they really appreciate and so do my arthritic hands. The tub is light weight for it's size and easily moved to wherever you want to set up. I'm usually set up on the deck off the kitchen. You could easily use it indoors if you ran the drain hose into the bathtub or shower. I still had to towel dry them off somewhat before bringing them inside so last year I invested in a blow dryer made for use on animals and it is a wonderful thing too. It blows warm air. Not hot, just nice and warm and it literally blows the water out of their coat. They are dry much sooner and don't get chilly while waiting to air dry. They seem to enjoy the warm air blowing over their bodies once they get used to the feel and sound of the blower.

Booster bath now sells a set off steps that attach to the entrance of the tub so the dog can climb into the tub and you don't have to lift them. This is next on my wish list and now I'm wanting the bathing nozzle that Onslow's grandma bought him.

Jacqie Marvich
Oakrydge Bassets
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