Life with Arlo: Itchy Skin Edition
- Hannah Rae
- Jun 14
- 2 min read
I've been writing a new novel and I've hit my stride (and it isn't July yet; July is always when I hit my stride!) and even though I still have many words in me to write, I decided to take a little break and write about my dog Arlo instead.
Arlo has itchy skin.
This is nothing new. Arlo's skin occasionally flares up and becomes very itchy and he does things like chew all of the fur from his tail. (He did this just recently and now looks a bit like a poodle.)
The other day, I noticed just how very itchy Arlo had become and so I called the vet's office and requested special shampoo and because Confederate Woods is the best vet hospital in all the land, I was able to pick up some special shampoo (that smells really good!) an hour later. Then it was bath time!
When I had renovations done on my basement last year, I got a fancy dog tub.
Arlo doesn't enjoy the fancy dog tub, so I have to coax him into the basement on a leash and then lift him into the tub, even though the tub has built-in stairs. (Arlo is afraid of the stairs.)
So earlier this week, Arlo had a bath. The shampoo, because it is medicated, needs to stay on his skin for approximately ten minutes and this is the equivalent of approximately three songs. So I loaded Spotify, put on some Flannel Lobster, and sang along with "Uptempo, Down," "Jonesing for a Fix," and "Bumble Around" before rinsing the suds from Arlo's fur.
The special shampoo is meant to be used at least twice a week though, so we had another bath today.
Moments before the bath, I noticed Arlo licking at his paws while he sat on my feet at the opposite end of the couch. "Come on," I said to him. "Let's have a bath."
Arlo got very excited (he usually doesn't) and as usual, I put the leash on him to take him to the basement. The difference today was this: ARLO JUMPED INTO THE TUB OF HIS OWN VOLITION. He didn't quite make it; I had to catch his back end and provide an elevator of sorts... but he was EAGER for the BATH.
Once he was in the tub, prancing about like a majestic Clydesdale and awaiting the much-anticipated bubbles on his back, I turned on Spotify. Today, I serenaded him (very loudly, I might add) with Noah Kahan's "All My Love" and "Stick Season" (which is the absolute best song to sing aloud, in my opinion) and Caamp's "All the Debts I Owe." (Arlo stood for Caamp, and that's worth noting because Phil, Brock, and Emily didn't.)
It is also worth noting that two Noah Kahan songs plus one Caamp song is about the perfect amount of time for medicated shampoo to remain on a dog.
After singing two Noah Kahan songs and one Caamp song, I rinsed the suds from Arlo's no-longer-itchy skin, dried him with two towels, and followed him outdoors for an invigorating round of the zoomies.
Here's a picture of Arlo getting his treatment. Isn't he precious? He smells really nice at the moment.

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