I’m a bad dog mom. OK, maybe that’s a little extreme, but looking at my precious babies this morning let me know that I have been a bit neglectful. Of course they have their basic needs taken care of, and then some. These guys are never hungry and never without a million toys and are well exercised. Definitely need more training, but that’s another post. My two Chihuahua mixes, aside from being very clingy, pretty much take care of themselves in the grooming department. And I mean that literally. I rarely clean their ears, because they do such a nice job on their own. Click here to see what I mean.

But Chewy is another story. He refuses Fudge’s offers to clean his eyes, turning away in complete annoyance. He loves to be brushed, however, and he absolutely LOVES going to the groomer. But with stray dogs on LBJ and conventions in San Antonio and work and life, I have neglected to pay attention to Chewy’s ever-growing coat. And with the temperatures in the upper-90s for the last several weeks, it’s time for him to get a haircut. No self-respecting Peke should have to walk around the neighborhood looking like this.

However, I think it’s time for a style I haven’t selected for him in years - the popular and sometimes controversial “puppy cut.” Now when Chewy was first rescued, he had a style of his own, albeit completely involuntary. His beautiful coat was so matted that it was hanging off of him like dreadlocks, and while much of it was saved, I knew I needed professional help. The groomer who saw him thought it would be best to “start over” and I agreed. Chewy seemed a lot happier and cooler, and I hate to admit, a lot CUTER. He looked like a puppy, which I didn’t get to experience with him because he was around 2 years old when I adopted him. Now I don’t think the cut was specifically a puppy cut, but it was probably a close relative.

So I’ve been researching puppy cuts and want to try it this weekend. I haven’t found many photos of what the cut should look like (and googling “Pekingese puppy” just about sent me on another rant about irresponsible breeding, but again, that’s another post), but in the end I just want Chewy to feel like his normal freshly groomed self, and have a lot less hair so he can handle the Texas heat a little better. If you are or know a groomer who will give my 5-ish year old Pekingese a trip back to his puppy years, I’d love to hear from you!