I think Sadie aged 10 years this evening.
Ryan had a work event to attend tonight and since it was still pouring outside when I left the office, I figured it would be a great night to take Sadie to get groomed for the very first time in her little doggie life.
Fortunately vizslas are the kind of dogs that don’t really have that doggie smell, so we don’t really have to bathe Sadie that often. We’ll wash her after an afternoon at the dog park or a day on my parents’ boat, but for the most part she doesn’t smell or require much grooming.
When I took Sadie to the little salon at PetSmart, the woman said to come back in an hour to pick her up. I took that as my cue to run to a nearby store where I knew I could waste some time.
I meandered in and out of the aisles and simply took my sweet time. Eventually I left with a small bag of goodies, including one from the bakery.
Though I usually go for my all-time favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, since I gave up sweets for Lent, I opted for an almond croissant instead.
Oh my word. It was light, buttery and totally fantastic.
I ate the whole thing before even leaving the parking lot.
I also drank a Zevia natural diet ginger ale soda that I absolutely loved.
I’ve seen these sodas at Whole Foods for a while now and was always intrigued since they’re all natural and use the stevia plant to sweeten them rather than aspartame or other freaky deaky sweeteners.
The ginger ale flavor actually reminded me a lot of ginger beer (it’s non-alcoholic) that I tried when I was younger. It had a strong ginger taste that I really liked a lot! Now I want to try a bunch of the other flavors.
As I was driving back to PetSmart, my stomach realized that it was past dinner time and even though the croissant quenched my hunger a bit, I found myself diving into a bag of chestnuts.
I stopped myself with one serving of chestnuts left because I bought them to use in my yogurt bowls and I was determined to do so at least once!
Once back at PetSmart, I sat on a bench outside the grooming area waiting for Sadie to come running out. Once it was 30 minutes after the time the groomer told me Sadie would be done, the groomer told me it would be another 30 minutes. Two-plus hours to groom a dog with 0.5 inches of hair!?
I was convinced they were going to present me with a bald dog.
(I now realize Sadie was probably in a kennel for a good hour before they even worked on her since I was a “walk in” without an appointment. Lesson learned.)
While waiting, I texted back and forth with Ryan who said he was hungry and wouldn’t be eating dinner at his work event. Since my dinner thus far included a croissant and chestnuts, I figured something a little more substantial was probably a good idea and offered to order us a small pizza from Pizzeria Del Dio, a little pizza shop we drive by all the time and have been meaning to try for months.
After ordering the pizza, the groomer finally came out of the back room with a fresh and clean Sadie!!!
She smelled fantastic and was beyond excited to get out of there. The groomer said that Sadie wasn’t a fan of the bath or the nail clipping (duh) but that she loved the hair dryers. I wasn’t surprised since this is a dog that loves to be toweled off!
With Sadie in tow, I picked up the pizza and headed home.
I arrived about 10 minutes before Ryan and once he walked in the door, we dug into our dinner!
The pizza was fantastic! The crust was the perfect combination of doughy and crispy and the cheese was flavorful without being overly greasy. Ryan and I both said we’ll definitely order pizza from Pizzeria Del Dio again. I want to try their veggie lover’s and margherita pizzas!
Sadie even got her own slice for being such a good girl.
Doesn’t she look beautiful? She smells awfully nice, too.
Time to shower Sadie in lots of lovin’ for enduring quite a stressful night. Clipping nails, cleaning ears and bathing aren’t exactly her favorite activities.
See ya in the morning!
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I LOVE it when Ernest (our schnauzer) gets groomed. He smells so soft. He has an anxiety attack, and shuns me for hours, but eventually he forgives me and we cuddle =) Have a good evening!
aw, i love schnauzers! my mom grew up with them and i think they’re such adorable dogs.
We got Charlie groomed for the first time this week too. The groomer asked me afterwards if we were “planning on trianing him” – um we have, why!? Apparently he didn’t like the sound of the buzzers and was playfully nipping at her hand. Um, I would have done that too you crazy lady!
LOL!!! the groomer at petsmart was like “um, sadie has no reservations about nipping at my hand.” i was like “yeah, i know. she hates it when we cut her nails… that’s why we bring her to you!”
Our dog died when he was 14, never having had a bath. He was soooo stinky haha, but we still loved him! Major props to Sadie for enduring that!
I would consider that abuse. Why didn’t you give the dog a bath?
How is that abusive? We tried a few times when he was young, and he hated them! He got plenty clean swimming in our pool and freshwater pond, and was healthy as a horse with no fleas or diseases until he died of cancer at 14. I find it incredibly offensive that you would call that “abuse” when my entire family loved him like a human and treated him very well. Pretty sure no one ever bathed their dogs until a few decades ago, and the species survived just fine…
Gabriela, we NEVER bathe our dog and he smells fantastic. He is also treated like a prince, as I’m sure yours was, too.
My dog Blackie had been in an abusive home before, and she was mistrusting of strangers and whiplike things (like a hose). So she never had a “bath” and was never groomed.
BUT she was brushed occasionally, and she swam in a freshwater creek in our summer home. She never had fleas, saw the vet regularly, etc. She died of cancer at the age of 13.
Finally, animal abuse is a serious issue, and not something you could discern from a single comment on the internet- not to mention the fact that the comment was obviously with love to the dog.. (But “Liz” knew that, I guess, and just wanted to stir up a little trouble.)
I didn’t mean to offend you. I work at a vets office and I see a lot of dogs that aren’t bathed. It makes me sick and I feel terrible for the dog. No dog is going to like baths, but they will like the way they feel after.
Abuse? get a grip. This reminds me of when i fostered an english bulldog (given up by a homeless man who was emaciated and underweight). While we were nursing him back to health, moronic people would ask “uhmmm do you FEED him?” or point at us and loudly say “you dog is WAY too thin!!!” + other passive aggressive nasty things. Not even worth a real response. I used to say “No, we like him this way.” or “You can never be too rich or too skinny.” Because REALLY?
Not bathing your dog doesn’t make you abusive. But saying something like that when you know nothing about the situation does make you kind of unintelligent.
people ALWAYS ask us if we feed sadie… especially when i run with her. i then order her to pee on their shoe.
I had a 35 year old horse with a heart murmur + cancer. She was old and sick and thin, but a neighbor came over saying he wanted to call the humane society about her. We had 2 other horses who were at an ideal weight, and I was waking up every hour during the night to take care of her. We ended up putting her down shortly there after (it was time), but people need to learn when to mind their own biz.
Awww! I love that last picture! Too adorable!
i love those WF natural soda’s too!! I recently gave up my heavy addiction to diet coke & have been using these to wean pathetic self! the lemon lime flavor that attempts to mimic “Sprite” is delicious! I like that they are caffeine free too — less guilt about fueling yet another addiction AND safe to drink at night without disturbing zzzz’s.
PS – beautiful Sadie 🙂
I took my Golden Retriever puppy to Pet Smart around Christmas time (with an appointment) and she was there for 3.5 hours!! I felt bad knowing she was prob just in a kennel almost the entire time =(
Aw, Sadie’s such a pretty little girl! Chestnuts in a yogurt bowl sounds interesting!
Mila freaked out so badly when we took her to the groomers at PetSmart, that they called us to come pick her up less than 30 minutes later….they said she was crying (CRYING, not barking or howling) so loudly it was making the other dogs agitated, and “quite honestly it was really annoying.” Thanks, PetSmart.
I must admit, when we bathe her (which isn’t often because she’s a husky and they’re not supposed to be washed more than two or three times a year–but we brush her weekly), she does in fact cry, and it kind of sounds like someone is trying to saw a limb off. I can’t help but laugh at the sound…but neighbors have come over to investigate because it is SUCH a sound. Haha
This is true… the kennels also have blow dryers/air in them that helps them dry off in between the shampoo and actual grooming stage. And although I didn’t like the idea of my pup in the kennel, I can understand why they do it just as a safety measure (for instance, my dog hated other dogs lol). But maybe they can make accomodations depending on your dog?
oops meant to comment on the one below @ #9.
Petsmart and other grooming chains always put dog in the kennels between stages of grooming and other appointments, even if you are not a walk-in! So don’t feel bad, it is not your fault. I always make it a point to tell them when I make the appointment that I do not want my pups caged. If you make an appointment I don’t see why it’s so hard for my pups to go straight from my lesh to the table and back to me again. It’s something that extremely annoys me about pet stores.
Beautiful pup. Did they do anything for her breath? Koda has awful breath lately… 🙁
I had some time to kill yesterday (locked myself out of my apartment!), so I also went to WF!
Sadie looks beautiful! 🙂
What a cutie!! 🙂
oh my gosh my dogs would FREAK out at the groomer’s…it’s hard enough bathing them myself! she does look super beautiful though 🙂
mmmm pizza sounds good 🙂
i am jealous of you florida bloggers pretty much on a daily basis (it’s going to snow in new york tomorrow – NOT an april fools joke). but that pizza – yikes. you need to come to nyc!
I want pizza now… it sounds delish!! Have you ever had BJ’s brewery pizza or UNOS? They have the best crust ever… it is chicago style!
Sadie looks so clean and fresh!
That almond croissant looks delicious — a perfect dinner 🙂
Did you know that when they groom dogs, they pluck the hair out of the inside of their ears? It is like torture to them. My dog HATES the groomer, but ever since we told them not to do that to his ears, he is definitely less anxious. He also has less ear problems. This might be common knowledge, but I didn’t know it until I had had a dog for 6+ years!
yay for sadie!
my little 4 lb. yorkie goes to the groomers and it takes them 2-3 hours!!!
I want to go to Whole Foods RIGHT NOW for an almond croissant.
Sadie is so stinkin’ cute!! Seriously. 🙂 Pizza usually makes the best dinner for busy nights!
I have a Vizsla as well and he HATES getting his nails clipped. We have to give him “doggy-downers” before trimming them. Even on the downers it takes a few people to hold him down. He looks like a drunken puppy for the day!
Sadie looks so beautiful!!!!!! How cute!!
Whole Foods is heaven ; )
Lena (my black lab) has never been to a groomer. I just give her a bath in my tub and she goes nuts when I towel dry her. It’s so cute 🙂
OMIgosh i totally forgot about the no sweets thing! You must be doing such a good job then. I just went to whole foods for the first time and got a chocolate oatmeal cookie. The best ever. They are building one down the street I can’t wait.
Almond croissants are one of my all time favorite foods!! Good choice.
Why is it that everytime i come here to read a new post …i leave hungrier than i did before 😉 that pizza looks too good! and Sadie looks like a fresh and clean lil angel, so cute 🙂
I love that picture of Sadie, one ear forward, one ear back, she is so adorable!!
Aww, Sadie is so adorable 😀
We have found the best groomer for our little maltese; she keeps him 5 hours (!) in order not to rush things, so that he’s (a little more) relaxed about it all, and he’s allowed to run around the store in between treatments 😉 Just like Sadie, he doesn’t like baths, but loooves the hair dryer, haha!
WHAT A BABE!! all those doggies at the doggy park are gna be goin after Sadie- you betta watch out! you can eat chestnuts like that?? wow! what do they taste like!?
wow if you haven’t tried a chestnut, when the holiday season comes around again you better pick some up! they’re really good roasted. Just carve and X into the shell and pop them in the oven, the shell will peel back and reveal the sweet/warm/soft chestnut inside – I love it, and sprinkled with a little salt, sometimes even cinnamon.
But I do know quite a few people who’ll pass on it after trying them so maybe it’s an acquired thing? I’ve never seen them sold the way Julie bought them though, shelled and ready to go!
Aaaaww Sadie is sooo cute! 😀
My doggie hated the groomers… but I once worked for the Petsmart Hotel and got to see the behind the scene process of all the pups getting squeaky clean… some do really great, others do get kind of stressed out (like my pup did), but you should know that from my experiences at least working for Petsmart, EVERYBODY is an intense animal lover and we all treated each as if they were our own (if the pups let us that is lol). I’m pretty sure Sadie was in good hands! She looks beautiful as always =)
“I think Sadie aged 10 years this evening.”
Homigosh your intro line had me CRACKING UP… ryan thought i was crying last night when i read this. I hope sadie has fully recovered from the experience! Hopefully she got an extra pbfinger out of it 😛
Haha, poor Sadie. She does look beautiful though 😉 And so does that pizza!!
Aww..Sadie! She looks so beautiful! 🙂 I love how dogs smell after they’ve been groomed. They are so fresh and clean! Haha. That pizza looks tasty!
I bet the Whole Foods trip made it a little easier to leave Sadie. My pup gave me the most pitiful look the first time I left her at the groomer’s!
Thanks for the info on the natural ginger ale! I LOVE diet ginger ale but have been thinking for awhile how I need to search for a natural option. I’m picking some up this weekend!
aww poor sadie! we have to take our cat to get her nails trimmed because we can’t do it to her (she attacks us) and the woman who does it always talks about how well behaved she is, which i just find hilarious 🙂
Aw, pretty girl Sadie! My dachshund hates to get his nails clipped too! When we take him to Petsmart, they have to put a muzzle on him, because he will snap at them!
We have been looking into getting a dog, but my husband is convinced that all dogs have that dog smell. I now have proof that not all dogs are smelly and not all dogs shed!
She really is a beautiful dog!
I have had my golden, Barkley, groomed at Petsmart once before. Last weekend, I was like “maybe I’ll buy the at home grooming kit so I can trim him up myself without spending 60 bucks every time”. Let me just say that it’s well worth the 60 bucks. My boyfriend buzzed a little too much hair off of Barkley’s butt/tail and he will be looking a little silly for a few weeks. Lesson learned.
I love the taste of zevia but for some reason it makes me feel really bloated when I drink it. I use stevia all the time but something in the soda does not agree with me. I hope you have better luck with it.
We bathe Jersey (weimaraner) in the shower with us!! She’s a scaredy baby and runs away whenever the shower turns on hahahha! 🙂 but it helps de-stink her, she has a little more hair than vizslas and can get a little rank!!!
XOXO
S
Sadie is such a beautiful girl. She looks so muscular in this picture. Has she been doing the shoulder exercises with Ryan? Just kidding, but are all those breed of dog so muscular?
haha yeah they’re naturally very athletic, lean dogs so their muscles show. i always say that sadie has my dream body.
YAY! She looks squeaky clean. I love that her ear is inside out in that last picture! Hahaha! It’s so funny when it happens to my dog!
Sadie is so cute. I love the look dogs give when food is near by and they want you to share.
So, I was just wondering. What time do you get up and when do you have to be at work? You just seem so productive in the morning: gym, long walk with dog, healthy breakfast, blogging. I have to be at work at 8 and I have an hour commute so in order for me to be as productive as you I would have to get up at 4 or earlier!
check the link on my “favs” page for my morning routine!
I tried the Ginger Root Beer flavor of Zevia and it was REALLY bad. Worse thing was that I got the 6 pack. Haha. They’d be good for April Fools. “Hey wanna try the best soda ever?! April Fools! It’s aweful!” LOL.
Zevia is so good! They have it at Chamberlin’s too, we love it 🙂
Sadie is so adorable!!! I just want to give her tons of kisses and cuddles:)
I hope to have a dog someday, but with my shift work it wouldn’t be fair. I have a cat named Norman, he’s my baby and I do treat him like my child:) He’s my little snuggle bug!