So, firstly I have to apologise for bringing this blog post a day late again. I was having technical difficulties. Well, Mummy El who’s my technical advisor was having difficulties. I’ve been looking forward to telling you about the highlight of Louis’s visit, which took place late on Thursday.
It was pretty late at night and he went into the garden to relieve himself before bedtime (why dogs can’t learn to use a toilet like a civilised person or rabbit, I’ll never know) and started leading the household a merry dance, quite literally actually! He was bouncing around the garden shaking himself and cavorting in a manner we hadn’t seen before. On closer inspection Mummy El realised why. He had a slug stuck to his chest. Ew.
They managed to get him indoors in the usual way: bribe him with treats. Then came the slug-ectomy. Mummy El, who is not a big fan of anything remotely creepy, crawly or slimy, had to get a piece of kitchen towel and try to prize the slippery little sucker out of Louis’s ample chest hair. It left behind quite a nice sticky mess, but as time was getting on and they didn’t have any brushes or dog shampoo they wanted to avoid bathing him, so Mummy El grabbed Frodo’s wet wipes and gave him a good rub down in the sluggy area thinking that would suffice. It did suffice… For his chest.
Mummy El was pretty pleased with her mollusc removal efforts until she looked at his head. Apparently, Louis had made efforts to remove a mollusc from his little self as well, one that had sat itself in the little tuft of hair sitting on his forehead, right between his eyes. Here’s the thing though, Louis’s method wasn’t quite so delicate as Mummy El’s, he’d either scraped his head on the path or he’d got it out with his paw, either way the slug hadn’t survived the ordeal, as its entrails were smeared in his hair in something Mummy El described as a “There’s Something About Mary” quiff. I don’t understand that reference and I’ve been banned from taking to YouTube to see if I can find out what it means.
Mummy took another wipe and tried to get it out the same way she had with his chest, but she said it had set completely solid and wouldn’t shift, so a bath it was.
Thank goodness for Nana is all I can say, because Mummy J had work the next day and is a very grumpy bear if she has less than 10 hours sleep at night, so she toddled off to bed as Nana was very luckily there and offered her (maimed – but that’s for another day!) hand.
I can’t tell you how badly I wanted to take pictures or video it for you, but I wasn’t allowed because it was past my bedtime, it’s not sporting to make fun of others and it was too late for any of my shenanigans and for anyone to put up with me mucking about, apparently. Whatever. He looked hilarious with this big orange and yellow quiff sticking right up between his eyes though!
I was good enough to lend my shampoo and comb to the cause, despite my not being allowed to document it and mock him mercilessly, and I left them to it when I realised that slug guts don’t just wash out, but have to be scraped out, one sticky shred at a time. I’ve got a strong stomach but that was too much! Also, I got a bit jealous as Nana kept picking him up mid-wash, holding him close, snuggling him and rocking from side to side, cuddling and kissing his head and neck, which I thought she only did with me. Oh, the betrayal.
I heard the hairdryer going on a bit past midnight, and if I know Louis I think there would’ve been fun and games trying to get him dry. I don’t know what time Mummy El came to bed because I was fast asleep, but I do know that Louis was an angel the next day. I think he was exhausted, the poor little chap.
Yuck. Slugs. Just another reason I’m glad I’m an indoor rabbit!