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A grandpa scrubs a blue car with a sponge while a merle Border Collie holds the garden hose and bites at the spray. 17 / 22

Grandpa Was in Charge of the Sponge. Skye Put Herself in Charge of the Hose.

AI imageborder colliecar washsummer

The plan was simple: soap up the old blue sedan, rinse it off, done by lunch. Earl is doing his part, leaning over the hood in a gray T-shirt and his tool-stuffed vest, scrubbing hard with a blue sponge while suds slide down the paint. Skye has taken charge of the rinse cycle, sort of. She has the green garden hose clamped in her jaws, her front paws braced against the car door, and she is snapping at the stream of water that arcs out of the nozzle, mouth wide open in pure delight. Her merle coat is dripping, and the driveway is turning into a lake. Earl is squinting through the spray with a look that says this happens every single time.

Many dogs love chasing water from a hose or sprinkler, and on hot days it can be a fun way to cool off. A little care keeps it safe. Avoid spraying directly into a dog's face at high pressure, and do not let them gulp huge amounts of water in a short time, since excessive water intake during intense play can be dangerous. Short sessions with breaks are best. Also, keep car wash soaps, waxes, and other cleaning products away from your dog, as they can irritate the skin or stomach if licked. Rinse off any suds that land on fur afterward.

The car will get clean eventually, though perhaps not in the order Earl intended. Skye, meanwhile, has already declared this the best Saturday of the month, and her soaked, grinning face makes a pretty convincing argument.

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