Some dogs avoid a bath at all costs. Then there’s Zoe.
Zoe, an 18-month-old golden retriever, proved to be one of the more enthusiastic customers of Girl Scout Troop 50’s Doggy Day Spa on Saturday. No sooner had she been washed, dried and dolled up in a bandana than she charged right back into the wading pool, ready for another round.
“She is lovin’ it,” laughed her owner, Tammi Douglas of Emporia. “She has a pool at home and she’s always getting herself soaked.”
No matter. With a hot sun and high winds at the city dog park north of Wal-Mart, Zoe and her friends were sure to dry out quickly.
The scouts put on the dog wash with the help of Buck Fund members as a bronze medal project.
“They (the Buck Fund) were going to plan a dog wash anyway, so the Girl Scouts offered to run it for them,” said Angela Cheever, a field specialist for the Girl Scouts.
Over the last few weeks, the girls have also helped clean pens at the city’s animal shelter and have become strong advocates for spaying and neutering pets. One table at the dog wash had a taped-up sign quoting the statistics: 70,000 dogs and cats born every day, compared to 10,000 people. Between 10 million and 12 million dogs and cats are put down by shelters every year.
“Spay now or pay later!” a nearby Girl Scout sign read.
Owners at the dog wash could also get a quick picture of their prettied-up pet — sometimes just a few minutes before they started rolling in the dirt again. Still, most seemed to enjoy the quick dip.
“He likes the hose more than he likes the water,” Susan Howard of Neosho Rapids said as she watched the girls go to work on her border collie, Hank. “He likes to play in it.”
“We haven’t been out here yet,” she added, looking around the dog park. “This is a nice place to bring them to run.”
The dog park opened this year. No aggressive dogs, dogs in heat, or puppies under four months are allowed. All dogs in the park must have a current city license and rabies vaccination tags. Smoking is prohibited, as are rawhides, food and glass bottles.
Between 25 and 30 people brought their pets to the day spa in just the first 90 minutes. That included one seeing-eye dog, a 6-year-old yellow Labrador named Kiley, brought by Dale Anderson of Emporia.
Kiley whined and pulled eagerly at her leash as the Girl Scouts began re-filling the wading pool.
“My wife says she’s going to pull me in the water someday,” Anderson said with a chuckle.
Finally everything was ready.
“Now go in the water!” Anderson said with a smile as he unsnapped her harness. “That’s what you want!”
Kiley leaped eagerly ahead. Bath time was about to begin.