I possess a beautiful, thick, full, black and tan coat. Much to my dismay my lovely coat requires some care in order to stay so luxurious. One of my students is required to care for my coat which is a task I do not much care for. I enjoy being petted very much. I also enjoy having the very top of my head lightly brushed and I quite like having my ears gently combed. However, working on the back end of my body can be very concerning.
My student uses tools that Sensei calls "Instruments of the Devil" to care for my coat. As much as I know she tries to be gentle, some of these evil contraptions still cause me discomfort.
The worst is the flat, sharp and ever so uncomfortable "slicker brush". It pulls on my coat and scratches against my delicate skin. I have indicated that I do not wish to be brushed with the slicker brush by removing myself from her lap when she attempts to use it. Thankfully, she has agreed to find equipment that is more acceptable to me and more comfortable for my body.
This leads us to the "pin brush" which is a much kinder choice. The pin brush has long, wire pins made for combing through long hair such as my own. I will tolerate use of the pin brush on my body however, if there are any tangles on my rear quarters, I may not allow it forcing her to change strategies. You might say that if I have any tangles at all, she is not doing a very good job of caring for my coat and that there should be consequences for this and you are correct. The consequence is that she will need to be extremely convincing in order for me to allow her to comb them out. She will need to work carefully, slowly and exercise great patience to complete the task. On the other hand, it feels much better when I am all combed out so I will typically permit her to finish, provided she is gentle and careful.
Most of the time she spritzes my coat with a pleasant smelling spray as she combs and brushes me to ensure that she does not damage my coat or cause any breakage. I allow and even enjoy the spritzing provided she is careful not to spray near my large, luminous eyes, which she always is.
Usually, she finishes up my coat care with a comb. The comb is acceptable as long as there are few knots and as long as she combs slowly taking care not to pull on my coat in any way.
I believe we have come to an acceptable arrangement. I will allow her to brush and comb my coat provided she is gentle, careful and uses equipment that does not cause my body discomfort. I am awarded with a lovely, soft, plush coat that is comfortable to live in. What is she rewarded with? She gets to live with and gaze at a creature as lovely as I when my coat is in it's most wonderful condition. An acceptable arrangement indeed.
