Emma's Annual Make-over

Emma drinks from the bucket while Harley the catahoula hangs around.

Emma, our 8-year-old mixed sheltie, has really bad hair. So bad, there's no telling what lives in there. So bad, poopsickles hang from it in winter, necessitating a partial clip. In late spring, however, Emma needs a full clip.

The first time we had her clipped, I hardly recognized her. I brought home half the dog I took to the vet. Her clip job also revealed the mystery of Emma's waddling gait: she has absolutely no waistline. She's built like a log.

Emma is our only bilingual dog, so she can disobey commands in both English and Spanish. She originally was raised by the Mexican migrants across the road. The named her Salavino, socialized her well, and couldn't take her with them on the bus to Mexico in 1999.

The Mexican's employer, no doubt knowing I ws a sucker for animals, said she was too nice a pup to take to the pound and did I want her? I crossed the road and looked into the pup's eyes—stockdog eyes. I love stockdogs. I took her.

She fit in well with the other two dogs I had then: Abby (my border collie) and Jack. She was, however, a free spirit who only obeyed when she wanted to.

When Abby died, Emma became the kennel boss. Jack, as senior dog should have taken over, but he's a laid-back sort who doesn't care for managerial responsibilities. Emma is bossy and snarky, so she was perfect for the job.

However, when Maggie reached full-size, Emma was edged out of her manager's position in what may or may not have been a hostile take-over by Maggie. Emma moved out of the dog stall and established residence in the dog house where she could have things her way.


Anyhow, Emma had her hair cut Thursday. Here she is with her new look.

Yes, I am aware that Emma looks like a Warren Kimble cow.