My dog was the most miserable dog in the world yesterday.  Or so he would have you believe, what with the “why would you do this to me?” face and the “My life is so awful” eyes…

We gave him another bath.  =)  He *hates* it.

We went to the bark park with Dave and Claudia and their Kaiser after work yesterday.  Jake was hot and miserable (it’s very warm and muggy out) and sweaty.  We let him cool down a little on the 20-minute ride home, then we grabbed his short leash (the one we can’t use to walk him with because he constantly trips us), hooked his collar to it, looped it around this mysterious pole sticking out of the ground in the backyard (NO idea why it’s there, but works find for this purpose), and grabbed the hose and dog shampoo.

Once the hose gets turned on, he freaks out.  He knows what’s coming and really hates to be wet. 

After a few minutes of *really* hard struggling, he just gives up (as long as I’m holding onto him and he can’t get away - and by that, I mean straddling him and locking him down with my knees as I scrub).  That’s when he turns on the misery faces - he’s so morose, it’s almost comical.

(btw, Tom, good call - he doesn’t shake off as long as I’m touching him.)

I was struck, as I was torturing my dog thus, with how much his background must affect his happiness.

Kaiser, Dave and Claudia’s dog, has never known anything but loving touches, security, fun, and comfort.  They’ve had him since he was a young puppy, and before they got him, he lived with a family who took good care of him.

Kaiser loves water (he’s actually really ridiculous about HOW much he loves water).  He loves other dogs.  In fact, he loves everything.

We adopted Jake from a breed-specific rescue.  Before they found him, emaciated and starved for attention and affection, in a pound, he had been a stray.  Someone had lost him or thrown him out - whatever the case, all he knew for a long time was hunger, cold, and other horrible things.  I’m sure the only wet he really remembers is being soaked in the rain and not having a warm place to dry off…

No WONDER the dog doesn’t like to be wet.  No WONDER he is so mean to other dogs who want to love on us.  No WONDER he freaks out when we leave him alone for any long period of time.  I think that, as he gets older (he’s only 1 1/2) and as he lives with us long enough to forget some of being a stray and long enough to trust us like Kaiser trusts the Ebersoles, he’s going to be happier.

After we dried him off, we gave him extra loving to make up for the misery we’d put him through.  He’s back to normal - happy and goofy - again today.