When I look at this photo of Cruz, I still sigh with a little chuckle.
I wasn’t happy about bathing him that day and Cruz clearly wasn’t enjoying the experience either. Not because he doesn’t like getting wet. Normally, when he sees me take out the dog shampoo, he follows me – probably smelling the roast chicken in hand – to our ‘dog washing station’ at the side of our deck.
But on this day, Cruz wasn’t happy about being bathed because we were washing away his newly-found “eww” de toilette, as I like to call it. My beloved canine companion spent a good part of that morning rolling in horse manure during my daughters’ horse riding lesson.
Cruz smelled so bad that we drove back home with our heads out the car window. Cruz seemed happy sitting at the back of our station wagon, his ears pressed against the ceiling of the car with a silly grin on his poo-smeared face.
When we arrived home, I didn’t know how to begin decontaminating him. I stood over Cruz on the deck wondering if I had enough shampoo to get rid of the stench. Maybe I should use dishwashing gloves as I try to rinse the sticky poo off his coat first.
“What about shaving Cruz’s fur?” mumbled my 6-year-old as she covered her mouth and nose with her hand. “Good idea but not an option, darling,” I said (gag…gag…cough…cough).
Then, my husband appeared – the same guy who disappears when I ask him to pick up the poo in the backyard. At that moment, Erick seemed to me like a hero walking out of a burning building with uplifting music in the background and a smoke-choked survivor clinging to his arms. When the dust settled, I realised he was armed with a box of Melanie Newman Salon Essentials Everyday Collection dog shampoo and conditioner.
I had planned to road-test the products on Cruz after a day at the doggy beach. Never had I imagined we would be using the 100% pure, natural and beautifully smelling boutique-ey shampoo on a dog covered in horse poo!
Erick soon began scrubbing and washing Cruz’s coat and it wasn’t long before the fur began to show its true creamy colour. It then occurred to me that I should be capturing the moment for Melanie. So I quickly brought out my camera to take photos and then joined in on the scrubbing fiasco.
Erick and I agreed the shampoo and conditioner smelled heavenly (too heavenly for everyday use, at least). The products spread very well and lathered quite easily on Cruz’s thick, double coat.
Cruz looked and smelled marvelous! Despite his expression, Melanie Newman Salon Essentials Everyday shampoo and conditioner are great and passed our horse manure de-stenching test.
Wish I could say that was the last time Cruz rolled around in horse poo!
