"Shave and a Haircut -- Two WFTs*

OK, so we survived all the fireworks boomers last night -- but today was another matter: Stripping and clipping day! When I woke up, I had a sense something was up. "Harry dog, oh Harry dog?" "Jakers!! Jakey come!"

We know those enticing tones. The next thing we know, we're in lockdown with soothing words and treats to beguile us.

Here's the drill: first Jake and then I get plucked as much as we can stand -- usually just across our colored wirey jacket. Then we get clipped and snipped and it's not fun! Actually, it can be downright undignified!!!

The resulting fur balls on steroids from the two of us...

No, that's not another dog -- it's our stolen furs!!!

But then, once it's over, we start to feel good about ourselves.

Jakey looks trim, doesn't he? Mom can't call him her roly poly porky dog anymore -- at least until he blooms again.And. gee, my speckles are back!!!
So, we guess all's well that ends well. Dogdad reports that when he took us out after our ordeal, we raced and gamboled and stacked and ran circles in a way we haven't for a while. Could it be that our innate bouncy terrierness was weighed down by all that extra fur?

Just Harry

* For our friends who may not be familiar with the joke from "Shave and a Haircut, Two Bits," here are a few facts from Wikipedia:

"Two bits" is a colloquial expression in the United States for 25 cents, a quarter.

The tune has been used innumerable times as a "wrap-up" in musical pieces performed through the years.

The first known occurrence of the tune is from 1899.

In West Side Story, Leonard Bernstein incorporated the phrase at the end (and punch-line) of the song Gee, Officer Krupke, with the text "Gee, Officer Krupke - krup you!"

American captives in the Vietnam war would authenticate a new prisoner's American identity by tapping the first 5 notes of "Shave and a Haircut," against a cell wall, waiting for the appropriate response.

The couplet was a plot device in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the idea being that Toons cannot resist finishing with the "two bits" when they hear the opening rhythm.