Big Boy's Trip to the Barber

Big Boy is our Great Pyrenees livestock guard dog.  I think if cows and chickens could talk, they'd tell you that he harasses them more than he does potential predators, but since we adopted ol Big Boy, we haven't lost an animal to predators - so there's that. Big Boy positions himself stoically in the pasture atop the chicken tractor, scanning the horizon for nefarious creatures.  It's in his genes.  Pyrenees dogs are native to France where they were working companions of shepherds high up in the Pyrenees Mountains that border France and Spain.

As you might expect, a dog with a heavy winter coat that is comfortable in the upper elevations of a mountainous terrain, might not be especially comfortable in the hot, humid, sultry, appropriately named "Dog Days" of Summer in South Louisiana. Although he has shade, we can tell he's hot.  So, we figured it was time for a haircut, so off to the dog groomer we went...

Strike that.  We opted to do the grooming ourselves.  Tricia got a pair of scissors and I got a pair of scissors and we started cutting...  And cutting...  And cutting...

Getting a crew cut...

I wish I would've gotten a before and after picture.  Have you ever gotten a bad haircut?  One that you just couldn't wait to grow out?  One that made you embarrassed to go out in public?  I don't know if it is possible for a dog to get embarrassed.  He doesn't look embarrassed, but let's just say that Tricia and I are not going into the dog grooming business and Big Boy is not going to win any awards at the Dog Show.

Taking "a little bit off the top!"

We lacked the ability to blend the cuts and it gave Big Boy an odd, funny appearance, but you know what? I guarantee you, he likes the fact that we gave him a haircut - not for the appearance, but for the functionality.

Modeling the haircut

With two 'barbers' cutting, it didn't take long for Big Boy's trip to the barber to be complete and Benjamin walked him back out to his post.  It might have just been me, but it appeared he was happy, relieved, and walked a little lighter in his steps. Hopefully, since Big Boy now lacks the aerodynamic properties of the long, flowing, smooth, hair he once had, it won't affect his ability to keep the animals safe from varmints.

Contours of the Haircut

Tricia swept up a very large pile of Big Boy's hair and will work this on her loom to make me a nice sweater.

A white pile becomes a sweater for Kyle?

I'm only joking!  We threw it away.  The white pile smelled downright vile!