In an effort to keep our houses clean(er), before entering a house and taking off our boots, we hose off all the mud and “stuff” we have collected on both the bottom and sides of our boots.

We have also, on occasion, been known to strip off more than our boots before entering a house due to more extensive mud issues. This, of course, lacks photo documentation.

Managing mud migration into houses is slightly more complicated due to our resident German Shepherds. Unlike most farm dogs here in Uruguay ours live inside and so contribute greatly to the necessary cleaning regime. Resi, with her double coat, wallows in any water puddle she can find to cool herself.  So, she gets a shower, not only to wash of mud, grit, sand, other stuff I don’t want to know about, and help with the smell of the other stuff, but also to cool her off.  She loves the word “shower”.  She also loves the word “towel” as she gets toweled dry. The dogs also, incidentally, contribute greatly to the laundry.

Virkha, who surprisingly has not developed a double coat, barely tolerates a shower as she does not particularly like running water, nor does she wallow in mud puddles. But what one dog does, so must the other!