Tumble-dried Doggie

Most dog owners know that baths are generally less than popular with pooches.

My own Round Houndini; despite being the friendliest of beagles under normal circumstances; becomes one soulful, howling hound when he realizes it's bath time.

I have a wonderful photo of him from his very first bath, when he was six weeks old, sitting in a small plastic tub with a priceless forlorn expression that only hounds can do so soulfully.

For years my family did the 'dog bath dance'. This included: chasing the hound; getting the hound into the bath (harder than it sounds); having the hound alternate between forlorn looks and growling; multiple escapes; and the inevitable shake (saturating us all) then the essential roll in the mud.

After my brother and I moved away my parents surrendered the 'dance' and now Houndini has the 'Puppy Spa' service come to the house to take care of his beauty routine.

However, dog washing now offers a higher-tech option with a dog washing machine that resembles the washer we use for our clothes. It's quite remarkable.

To see the demonstration video, Click here.

I'm not sure Houndini or my family would be able to use it, one sad look from Houndini inside the machine and my entire family would end up inside the machine with him to keep him company.