Walley's relaxing day at Unleashed Spa!!

Last Friday, I took Walley to Unleashed Spa for a full groom. Walley thoroughly enjoys the affection and relaxing treatment he gets at this Spa. He's been going to Unleashed Spa since he was a 3-month old puppy!! The groomers at the Spa simply adore Walley and our little boy enjoys every trip to this fascinating place. It was already a little over two months since he had been professionally groomed and he definitely needed a thorough de-shed treatment as he has been shedding quite a bit this Autumn. From what I have noticed over the past year, I think Spring and Autumn are the two seasons when Golden Retrievers shed a considerable amount of their hair. It is a very normal phenomena but it also needs being taken care of at home by regular brushing and at the Professional grooming place with de-shed treatments as and when needed. The really nice thing about Unleashed Spa is that the professional groomers out there know exactly how to give a dog the best bath and relaxation treatment he/she so needs!! Here are a few pictures of Walley after coming home from a 4-hour relaxation Spa treatment that included oatmeal bath, blueberry facial, de-shedding, hair trimming and nail clipping. Our boy surely looked incredibly handsome and completely relaxed after his Spa treatment. In fact, he was so relaxed when he came home that he took a nice and long nap! And my oh my, he looked so cute! The pictures say it all!! He chewed on his favorite bone and played with his tennis ball for a few minutes before he fell into deep sleep only awaking to Elwyn's arrival that evening. You will also see that Walley is wearing a smart and colorful Bandana that the groomer tied around his neck before he came home. Take a look:

Our "moody" Retriever!!

For a very long time, months in a row actually, I wondered if our Golden Retriever is or isn't the retrieving type. I mean, generally, he retrieves all sorts of things on his own without being asked to; be it a tennis ball or a chew toy or sometimes even random stuff like say a crushed tissue paper that accidentally happened to be hidden underneath the couch. But, he was never really persistent on playing the "fetch" game that all retrievers so love! Usually, he would retrieve a thrown tennis ball once or twice and then just sit and stare at the ball when thrown. Sometimes, much to our pleasant surprise, he would retrieve a thrown tennis ball several times in a row without getting bored. And then there were instances when he wouldn't retrieve at all. I would fret about it very often. I mean, this a pure bred Golden retriever we are talking about; the breed that was originally bred to hunt and retrieve dead birds. I tried various different things like hiding all his toys for a few days and then suddenly one morning surprise and excite him with one toy at a time, throw it at a distance so he would be really enthusiastic to retrieve. It worked for a while but then even that did us no good! Rewarding him with treats wasn't working too well in this one case because he would get so obsessed with the treats that he would conveniently forget he has to fetch something to get the yum treats. It was a bit frustrating but then I eventually realized that Walley is just moody when it comes to playing "fetch". If he was in the mood to play the "fetch" game, he would be really into it and do whatever it takes to fetch a tennis ball or toy no matter how far or deep the "fetch item" went and if he wasn't in the mood to play the "fetch" game, then it didn't matter to him where the tennis ball or the toy went. Neither Elwyn or I wanted to push Walley too much into being an ace retriever. Maybe, in due course of time, he just might like playing the "fetch" game more persistently. I have to say though, he definitely prefers fetching indoors than outdoors. I really expected the opposite considering how tiny our apartment is and the space to run around isn't much. But, he does fetch thrown tennis balls pretty well in a small-sized Manhattan apartment whenever the mood suits him, that is. Well, that's our moody retriever; not to mention; who is also in his teenage/adolescent phase. We love him immensely though. Retrieving may not be his favorite game but who cares? So what if he prefers the "chase" game to the "fetch" game? He's the best companion Elwyn and I could ever ask for. He just never leaves our side come what may. He is the most loyal friend Elwyn and I have ever known. Isn't that why we really wished we had a dog, in the first place? It certainly was!!