Clyde my standard Poodle Tries his "paws" at house painting.

A few years back I closed in my garage to make a grooming shop at home.I opted not to do anything to cover the concrete slab of a floor other then to paint it with the usual gray floor paint.

All day long Bonnie and Clyde my 2 standards stayed with me ,every step I took, at the time I made the comment Bonnie was supervising and Clyde and I were actually the workers..

After dinner Bonnie went to bed and left Clyde and myself to get down to the real task of doing the actual painting as she just didn't care for the smell..

You step out of my kitchen and down into the shop..Clyde had been a wonderful companion all day ,staying right behind me as if he could read my mind,not once did I have to ask him to move or pay to much attention to where he was or what he was doing. He was just so well behaved.

Now I do know Poodles are clowns..and I should have paid a little more attention to him as my only guess is he must have become bored. Standard poodles are noted for being self thinkers,problem solvers if you will..One thing for certain he solved the problem of boredom..

I painted myself backwards to the kitchen where Clyde the little angel that he is sat watching so sweetly,I thought patiently waiting me to work my way to him. We had been at this all day off and on and it was now getting to be late evening ,I was quite tired and just thinking how good it would be to be finished let it dry over night and wake up to a nice shiny floor..

No sooner had I completed that thought, and thinking I only have to be bent over like this about another 2 feet, When I felt this draft of air above me, as Clyde went flying over my head and landed into the roller pan,which went skidding across the wet floor!! ( yes i could hear the song I believe i can fly in my head and think Clyde did too) He turns and runs back towards me and I know he meant just to jump over where he had just slid I'm certain his intent was to clear the paint bucket, But he didn't make it.. he got one foot in the paint can which he slung off as hard as he could ,it splattered him,me the walls, I just stood there in shock. Clyde got over his initial alarm of the noise of the calamity and decided he should jump over my head and into the kitchen to safety,Somehow he had picked up with his mouth the paintbrush I was using to cut in with. He was leaving paw prints on the tile all thru the house and as he came by the kitchen appliances the brush left a pretty thick streak across them all before he dropped it.

Then he just came up and sat right in front of me like the gentleman he is and asked kindly for a reward.

All I could think of was I only have a very short window of opportunity to save the floor,wall, appliances or Clyde's coat. So I took Clyde and put him in the bath tub an ran the shower on him telling him to STAY!!( that should tell you I have my priorities in order).I figured if i got him wet enough and applied a conditioner I could salvage his coat.Thank goodness he was accustomed to being groomed and sat right there for the almost 3o minutes I spent removing what paint I could that wasn't dry yet through out the house. Then I washed Clyde and as luck would have it It washed right out..

But to this day people say how did floor paint get on your appliances and Kitchen door? And I always say once upon a time Clyde thought he might like to become a house painter. I'm guessing it was only fun once though as the second coat went down a few days later ,Clyde couldn't be found to help me..