For those of you just tuning in, I am the owner of an insanely beautiful yet slightly deranged English Crème Retriever named Pearl Bailey. The name derives from the fact that she is a lustrous crème color and her name was Bailey when I adopted her. But it also stems from my love jazz and the legendary jazz singer Pearl Mae Bailey herself.
Now all that being said, my acquisition of this beautiful dog came on the heels of losing my two male dogs just five weeks apart. The hole left in my world was cavernous and so the Professor set about finding me just the right canine spirit to accompany the next phase of my journey. Enter Pearl Bailey. Now, at this juncture I should tell you, I longed for a sweet feminine canine that would hitch up and go with me everywhere, however, that was not what I was delivered. This dame of a dog is rough and tumble and holds a propensity for rolling in dirt. That is certainly not what I was dreaming up, I assure you.
In fact, Pearl Bailey refuses to even acknowledge the importance I place on her keeping clean. Take for example, exactly 144 hours ago I picked up from the groomer, a spectacular looking dog with silky white hair that smelled of lavender and lilies! Fantastic, right? Well, Pearl Bailey clearly holds a different viewpoint. Just look at her this morning after being let out to do her morning toiletry. Yikes!
When I think about what God did in 144 hours; the fact He was able to make a perfect world in just six days, I guess I could muster up some more tolerance in myself in that same time frame. Frankly speaking though, I would prefer to change the behavior than acquiesce to it!
I guess my vision of a dainty femme fatale is just not meant to be. Pearl Bailey is a tom boy, and that is just the way it is!
“Better warm and dirty than cold and clean.”
~ Pearl Bailey, the Dog not the Jazz Singer