Nobody Loves A Dirty Dog

I was killing time on a poetry website yesterday – anything to put off working on my next Bark – when I got lucky and found this strange little poem by a guy named Billy Collins.

“Nobody here likes a wet dog. No one wants anything to do with a dog that is wet from being out in the rain or retrieving a stick from a lake.”

Billy Collins may have once been the poet laureate for the USA, but I could write better doggerel than that. Really!

I got to thinking about some of the most fun times Journey and I have had. There’s often lots of water and mud involved.

After a long walk when we’ve had our fun getting dirty, me and Journey like to stand real close to Mom and shake. Before we get ready to jump in the back of the car, we make sure to rub our muddy selves on her pants.

Once I’m in the car and if I can get away with it, I wrap my paws around her shoulders and give her a big sloppy kiss. She always wriggles away and mutters “Yuck, Finn! Nobody likes a wet dog!”

Liar! Liar!! She loves us no matter how wet and stinky and muddy we are. I know this is true because she’s laughing.

When I was a young pup I thought Mom was serious when she pretended to scold me and Journey for playing in the mud. You can see me in this picture looking real sad like I did something awful.

Right after this picture was taken, Journey told me it was just a game. Us dogs had a very fun time getting dirty and Mom pretended she was mad. No harm, no foul.

I was sure relieved to learn that Mom wouldn’t ever stop loving me, no matter how filthy I was. The worst thing that could happen after a romp in the mud was she would give me a bath. Not my favorite thing, but better than her being mad at us.

Journey thinks dirt is a good thing. Like in this picture. She says it shows her warrior side – nose dirt from after she dug out and killed a mole. Kinda like how football players paint their faces.

You might think this Bark is sort of frivolous. I wouldn’t argue with that. But I leave you with this serious question to ponder: Can you love a dirty dog?