Shedding

It's that time of year again - Chester is shedding his winter undercoat. We had always dismissed the option of getting him shaved because of our vanity (we think he's a gorgeous dog with his beautiful coat), but a couple years ago the oppressive southern heat started convicting us that we needed to get over our own selfishness and be better dog owners. So I did some research and was greatly relieved to discover that shaving golden retrievers wasn't recommended. Instead they recommended a special brush called an undercoat rake. We got one and it was incredible! His undercoat just started flying off in amazing amounts. This is our third summer shedding season using the rake, and I still never cease to be amazed by the amount of fur we gather. We are very tempted to save all the fur to either stuff pillows and toys or to spin into yarn and knit cozy Chester sweater so we can cuddle with him for years after he's gone. But it just seems gross, so we end up throwing it away.

Last Monday night I brushed Chester while he was sitting in the living room. He doesn't like to be brushed, so I have to catch him wherever he's laying down, get him in a good embrace and start brushing. In just 10 minutes (my embrace can't hold him much longer than that), I accumulated an impressive pile of fur. I didn't take a picture then,

But this is what I got in 10 minutes on Tuesday night in the kitchen:

And this is what I got in 10 minutes on Wednesday night in the front hall:

And this is what I got in 10 minutes on Friday morning by the back door:

And this is what I got in 10 minutes on Saturday afternoon in the garage:

And this is all from his back and sides. He's very protective of his belly, so it's harder to brush through his thick belly fur. But Casey's home tonight, so maybe we'll double-team him...