mY bALd SPots.........

I just don't understand it..... This morning, out of no where, mom decided to ruin my beautiful coat.... I now have 5 little bald patches on my lower back and down my thigh.

Mom got a video called "How to Groom an Airedale" (http://rangeairevision.com/educational/grooming.php) about a month ago, and has been wanting to try it out ever since. The video teaches people how to "strip" an Airedale and not "clip". However, because I have a sheepcoat (meaning 99% of coat is undercoat, lacking top wiry coat) stripping for me would be very painful and unenjoyable. While brushing me this morning, I could see mom's head thinking, which is never a good thing. Sure enough, she went and got her stripping knife!!! Mom explained to me that even though my coat is mainly a sheepcoat, I have little patches here and there that are of the correct coat texture. She promised me that she would only pull my hair on those little spots and it shouldn't hurt me at all.

See some of my wiry patches (photos taken previously)

On my thigh

Around both of my eyes

Mom gave me a large beef rib bone to chomp on while she satisfied her own curiosity by stripping away at my wiry patches. I trusted mom but was honestly a little doubtful that having my hair pulled out by the roots wasn't going to hurt. Much to my surprise however, I didn't even feel anything the entire time mom was working on me and just kept gnawing away at my rib bone!!! I did give mom that "owie...that hurt me mommy...." kind of look when mom got close to the border of where my sheepcoat begins. Mom gave me a kiss on the head and stopped immediately. This is why it is recommended that sheepcoated Airedales be clipped and not stripped, because it can really HURT...

Look at my bald patches.....SIGH...

I was not very pleased with my "baldy" look, but mom assured me that new hair would grow in in less than three weeks, and she will never do this to me again. You have to know, my mom is a very curious lady. She loves to try new things just to see what happens next. For example: stripping my wiry spots to see the kind of hair I grow out!!!

***To read more about the difference in coat texture (sheepcoat vs wiry), please visit my previous post (Difference in coat texture)