So Lena went to the “beauty parlour” for the first time this week. In all our many years and many dogs we have never used a groomer before, instead spent hours and hours brushing collies, taking some to the vet to have nails trimmed so we didn’t get our arms bitten off.

Through our weird little community of Borzoi here we have a special friend connection to a top notch big dog groomer so here we go. Lena thought it was going to be a treat-fest but soon learned the hard truth about beauty – that it can be hard – or at least hard to understand and expressed that she’d had enough half way through getting beautiful with bites and yowls.

Beauty is hard for us people too. The concept changes so often; eyebrows, no eyebrows – shiny eyeshadow, no eyeshadow – acrylic daggers for fingernails – interesting inserts giving comical body shapes to jiggle for likes and views. Social media can take us so far down the rabbit hole of beauty that we end in the bar in Star Wars not recognizing who or what we’re sitting beside.

How about all the face contouring makeup? If you’re not aware of the sets of varying dirt coloured creams – you are meant to draw lines, triangles and other squiggles all over your face, smear real good, cover up with more makeup and voila! you have a pore clogging covering worthy of well….a social media post. There’s a news anchor lady who has contour stripes down the sides and centre of her nose so obvious that I look at her and just see a badger. Can’t help it – it’s a badger reading the news.

But back to beauty for Lena. It’s a learning thing for a puppy with nail trims, baths, weird blow dryers and all to keep her healthy and bring out her gorgeous soft curls. The smile at the end makes it all worthwhile. Here’s to more beautiful smiles and patient dog groomers who love their clients!