“Bathing” Ezra, My Carolina Dog

The first two dates below were me having a text conversation with my amazing friend, Bre - dog trainer extraordinaire!

April 28, 2026

Bre, I finally did a “glove” bath on Ez today - oh my gosh it was hysterical. We had some gloves that we’ve never used that have these gripping ridges on the palms (see the photo). We save water in a 5-gallon bucket as we warm up our water for showering rather than letting it all just go down the drain. Then I pour the water on the plants in our yards.Today, however, I poured some Animal Scents shampoo into the water (already had some diluted in a bottle) and some liquid fractionated coconut oil. Not a lot. Gloves on, soaked in the water. I put Ezra on leash to make sure he didn’t bolt on me. Then I began cleaning him all over, re-soaking the gloves a few times. He was such a goofball. Hopping around, growling, being goosey. Then I towel dried him as best I could - felt like I was in a rodeo lol.He was such a spaz after lol. No scratching and itching as he has been so often due to our super dry/dirt/dusty air and pollen. His coat is so soft now too after drying. Obviously, this is what I’ll do as needed. He’s been much calmer too, so I bet it was all just irritating the heck out of him.

I had everything I needed. I decided not to buy the product by Neighked because of the fragrance and a couple of other ingredients in their product. This worked well and if it had been videotaped would’ve been hilarious lol.

May 9, 2026

Ez got another “bath” today. Still no video but it went smoother only he spazzed out running all over the patio and yard after for a good 15 minutes too lol. I got him wetter and cleaner this time as well, yay! He got all excited when I brought out the bucket of water/soap/oil mixture with the gloves and his leash. He knew what was coming lol. He didn’t fight it either. Did his growly thing (he’s so vocal about everything and that’s just one of his ways of expressing himself) and dang I was laughing so hard. Donnie wasn’t amused at all and wasn’t going to videotape it either since I was in my bathing suit and I’d not want anyone to witness that.  But I can write about it and post it on my website with pics of the ingredients and “tools” - i.e. bucket, gloves, leash, towel, shampoo and coconut oil. At the end I poured a tiny bit of the bucket water on him. Each time I’ll pour a little more and I think eventually he’ll be okay with a full bucket pour after washing him.

This last time I didn’t send this to Bre – I told her about it on the phone though. I’m writing this up just to share with ya’ll.

May 23, 2026

Third time is the charm or so we’re told. There was no bucking this time, and I was able to wash him really well – he was sooo excited about it too! He ran zoomies for what seemed like forever all over our yard. The only time it felt like I was back in rodeo mode is when I was towel drying him – he’s such a goofball. 

He doesn’t like running water from the hose at all – he never has not even as a little puppy. He’s fine if it’s raining but not with running hose water. So, at the end of this “bath”, I poured most of what was left in the bucket on him, and he started a new round of zoomies right after that. 

I did finally get to towel dry him – sort of. He did most of his own drying off by jumping on the dog futon and rolling around on it. And then I’d towel dry him as he zoomed past lol. All-in-all, I’m super glad Bre told me about the Neighkid product as she (as a former groomer) thought this might be a good solution for him. I didn’t like the ingredients in the product they used (fragrances primarily), but the idea was intriguing and worth a try. I’d not have thought of it to be candid, if Bre hadn’t suggested this to me. 

Now I have a solution to help him other than waiting for rain to show up in this desert or to wet a cloth with water after our afternoon outings and wipe him down. That’s what gets me the most – I knew I could do that, so why didn’t I see the bigger picture sooner??? DUH. At least SOMEONE did and now my feral boy can get “baths” – at least in the warm months! In winter he’ll still have to wait for rain or snow – things that have been minimal here the last few years, but at least now we have a solution for the warmer months – which are abundant here anyway most of the year.

Maybe this will help anyone here who MAY have a similar situation or know of someone who does – most of you I’m sure can actually bathe your dogs for real. Ezra is the first dog I’ve ever had this issue with, but it’s been a valuable lesson for me on several levels and something I can share in hopes it could potentially help someone else. 

June 13, 2026

This time it all went so smoothly. Ezra has grown to really enjoy this. He sees me get the “tools for his bath” out and gets a little hyped by that. He whines; he carries on with his usual wild behavior. He allowed me to pour the bucket water on him entirely this time. Something I didn’t mention is that I only used the five-gallon bucket the first time. I’ve used a two-gallon bucket since each time. I put fresh, warm water into it also with the shampoo and fractionated coconut oil. He absolutely LOVES this. My only question is, why I never thought to try any of this before now? He ran zoomies again and wore himself out. We have his rodeo act only when I try to towel dry him lol, so I just made a game out of that too.  The Animal Scents Shampoo has been my dog shampoo of choice for many years now!

I don't normally bathe my dogs more than once per month - the whole idea here was to see if I could get Ezra to both enjoy this as well as not fight me on the bath. Mission accomplished. So now I'll be doing this no more than once per month. His coat is doing very nicely now as well. 

FINALLY, we’ve found a solution to this challenge with Ezra the Carolina Dog. It’s a win-win for him and for us. 

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If you need a simpler solution, Muddy Mat has a bundle that includes rubber scrubbers, gloves, shampoo, Muddy Mitt, and a really great "towel" for your dog. I am not an affiliate as I don't think they have an affiliate program. I use their rugs in my house and they are great. So check out this new bundle they have: Muddy Mat Dog Grooming Bundle

Until next time…

Have a PAWSitively, tail waggin’, solutions-oriented day!

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I am an ANIMAL NATUROPATH. This means my sole role is to guide and empower YOU with confidence, through education, to remove any of your preconceived fears associated with health and illness enabling YOU to make YOURown choices in transforming the lives of YOUR dogs while promoting and building health and wellness for your dogs. Guiding you to natural, whole-health for your pets — practical, faith-friendly, and research-aware guidance.

Kim Bloomer, V.N.D., N.D. is an animal naturopath with years of experience in animal wellness. Honoring the call of my 8-year-old self who said to the Father, “All I want is for animals and people to BE well.”

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Have a tail waggin' day!Dr. Kim Bloomer, (VND, ND - animal naturopath)https://drkimbloomer.com