Shedding.

A storm of black and white hair swirled around on the cool autumn breeze.  Clamping my mouth closed and squinting my eyes against the floating fur, I kept brushing my line up of Border collies as they waited their turns to be pampered.  It was an endless task, or so it seemed.  The more I ran the brush through their coats, the more the dog's fine undercoat surfaced and clung to its bristles.  Like the silk scarves of a magician, the fine hair just kept coming and coming.  The seasonal ritual of shedding demanded my attention once again.  An hour of outside grooming would hopefully help keep the floors of my house from harboring heaping mounds of dog hair in the week ahead.

Border collies are definitely not among the breeds of dogs that earn their room and board on the fact that they “don’t shed.”  Actually, all animals shed hair, even humans.  But some dogs, like poodles, schnauzers, and less useful dogs, have a reputation for not shedding.  Because these breeds of dogs are generally clipped and groomed more regularly, their seasonal hair loss is less conspicuous than most canines.  Border collies are blessed with long feathers on their legs and a double coat of fine hair covered by longer, coarser hair.  You can count on them losing this bountiful coat twice a year, both spring and fall to make way for the new fur coat that matches the season’s temperatures.

As I finished the last dog, I looked around my feet to see my lawn adorned with circles of fluff.  Once the dogs exited the grooming space, I could have pasted together another dog from the hair left behind.  I decided to leave the interesting pattern the aftermath of my efforts painted against the green grass for others to admire until the next morning.

I was reminded of a woman I met years ago who spun her collie’s hair into yarn.  She carded her collie’s shed-out hair in the same fashion she carded her sheep’s shorn wool.  I walked away from watching her work her talents on her spinning wheel, creating long threads of fiber, wondering who would want a sweater made from dog hair.  As I looked at the mountain of hair shed from my five Border collies, I began to envision the potential market for black and white sweaters.  They would certainly be warm.  The hair coat of Border collies sheds rain, snow, dirt and whatever else they decide to roll in.  You’ll never see a Border collie shiver, even on the coldest day.  On hot summer days, they cool off in a tub of cold water or the creek to keep from overheating.

The following fall day found my abstract art creation transformed by the morning dew.  The wispy hair coating the tips of the grass took on the appearance of cotton candy before it is swirled on a paper stick.  It was time to gather up this water-crystal-coated web and tidy up the yard.  As I raked it together, the hair melted and matted into a tiny fur ball.  How could so much hair shrink into something smaller than a kitten?

This new art form of Border collie hair has taken on a new role under the holly bush where I deposited it.  It has become a replica of a skunk, and startles the unsuspecting passerby when they see this black and white decoy out of the corner of an eye.  While my aim was not to attract more visiting skunks, I get a chuckle every time I see the startled look and then relief of folks when they realize this “skunk” doesn’t spray!

This time of year there are plenty of skunks wandering nearby, and sending out their distinct aroma when frightened or hurt.  I am happy our dogs have not tried to tackle the real thing recently.  Bathing them in tomato juice leaves their white hair tinted pink.  And the combo smell of wet dog, tomatoes and the aftermath of a skunk encounter takes spaghetti off our family’s menu indefinitely, or at least until the smell wears off the dogs.

Shedding --- it’s just another way to celebrate the changing seasons on the farm.

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