Dirty Dog

Because of my illness and hectic schedule the dog actually made it a month without a bath. Yes, I am blushing to admit that. HOWEVER, I did manage to take showers myself, so I suppose it could have been worse.
You couldn't look at her and tell that she was filthy. The dirt was deep in her hair and clung to her like grapes to a vine, but I knew she was disgusting. I knew that underneath all of that thick, winter coat was a dust bunny reproducing at an alarming rate. Partly I knew because of the funky smell that started emanating from her a week ago, but I also knew because she hadn't visited the bathtub in a long time.
I tried to give her a bath last week, but the tub I use had a hole in it and water was leaking all over the kitchen floor. It was too cold to stick her outside in the water, and so the bath had to wait.
Today I took the new tub outside and filled it with water using the garden hose. The dog was off on a walk and didn't notice the impending doom. When she and her boy came back home, she slunk into the kitchen where I was boiling some water to add to her tub. She saw the towels and the shampoo and cup, and she knew what was going to happen. Tail tucked, she tried to hide.
She quivered through the whole procedure. She wouldn't look at me. She even tried to jump out, something she hasn't tried in years with me. She was dirty and happy about it. The thing is...she wouldn't be happy if I let her filthy ways continue. Soon she would be eaten alive by fleas and ticks, and she wouldn't be allowed in the house with the rest of us.
As I poured out the gray-brown water from the tub, I thought about myself. Sometimes I stay away from my "shower" much too long. The dirt of the world clings to me, hiding beneath the coat of Christianity that I slip on each morning. But I don't fool my owner. He knows the dirt is under there, and he can smell me. He warms the water just a bit, grabs hold of me and dumps me in. I don't like the cleaning. I try not to look at him. But when it is over, He wraps me in a warm towel, dries me off, and welcomes me back into the house.