Bark-lez-vous Français? C'est ma journée de bain… Bark Bark :
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| I just love a good bubble bath |
First a little background: Do you know where the word “Bath” came from? The Old English boeth, goes back to a hypothetical German batham. Use of bath as a verb dates from the 15th century, Old English Baed “immersing in water, mud, etc.,” and from Proto-Indo-European language bhe- "to warm" The Original sense was of heating, not immersing in water.
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| Bathing in Ancient Egypt |
In Ancient Egypt, The homes of the wealthy were airy and roomy, literally. There were bedrooms, servants' quarters, halls, dining rooms, and bathrooms. An important practice throughout ancient Egyptian communities involved rituals centered on cleansing. Bathing was held in high regard among the ancient Egyptians, which often took place during daily trips to the river. Sometimes, bathing occurred at home using water basins. If you were a wealthy individual during these times, you would enjoy a bath within a separate room in the house. It was the job of the servants to pour water on top of their master. This could be seen as their way of having a shower without all of the necessary plumbing. The excess water collected in a drainage system that consisted of a pipe that transported the water to the garden. This was a nice way to reuse the water for another helpful purpose. The ancient Egyptians did not wash with bars of soap, but instead used a certain type of cleansing cream, which consisted of lime, oil and perfume. Soap for cleaning was first recorded around 2800 BC in Ancient Babylon, in the reign of Nabonidus (556-539 BC). A recipe for soap consisted of uḥulu [ashes], cypress [oil] and sesame [seed oil] "for washing the stones for the servant girls". A formula for soap consisting of water, alkali and cassia oil was written on a Babylonian clay tablet around 2200 BC.
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| The ancient Roman Spa in Bath, England |
Going forward a bit in history, my ancestors came from Yorkshire, England, but long before they lived there, the Ancient Romans lived in a territory, they called Britania. There they discovered a hot spring and named it “Aquae Sulis” (“the waters of Sulis"), thus beginning a city in the ceremonial county of modern day Somerset, in south western England, about 97 miles west of London. It was controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and about AD 410. The city, of Aquae Sulis, in the time of the Anglo-Saxons, gradually, became known as Baoun, meaning “at the baths”, so called from its hot springs. The modern name ‘Bath’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon ‘Baðun’ which means to bathe (i.e. immerse in water). This is simply a description of what went on. This was the source of the present name of the city of Bath, which then coined the word “Bath” as an acronym, becoming part of the human English language. The Roman legions left their town of ‘Aquae Sulis’ in AD 411, the people stayed and the hot springs remained a place of importance. Even though this was the source of the present name of Bath, the Romans themselves had kept the Celtic Brythonic name ‘Sulis’ who was goddess of these magical springs.
So as you can see, the name ‘Bath’ goes back a long way.
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| Rembrandt's Bathsheba at Her Bath |
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| Mosaic from Pompeii |
Through the centuries, there has been much ado about “The Bath”, everything from religious ritual to art. When exactly dog bathing became popular is something lost to history, but the importance of the dog, and it's relationship with humans, had been noted, even in mosaics on the walls of ancient Pompeii.
Now, on to MY Barkowash (see Dolly’s word of the day): Bathing is important because it; decreases the chance of various health problems, promotes my general cleanliness, helps monitoring of the my health by checking for cuts, heat, swelling, lameness, or changes in temperament, all of which could indicate illness and finally it forges a closer bond between me and my “D”.
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| My Rubber Ducky Booper and I in the Bath |
Yorkshire Terriers (Yorkies) have Hair like a human, fine and silky (not a two layer coat like most dogs), some care should be taken to keep it clean, untangled and shinny. My “D” gives me a bath, at least every two weeks or more often if I need it. I like to roll on dead frogs on my morning walks, so, sometimes I need it once a week. “D” carefully schedules my bath day so it is 48 hours before or 48 hours after my scheduled, monthly Flea and Tick treatment with K9 Advantix II. He uses a nice Tearless Shampoo called “Fresh ‘n Clean”,by Lambert Kay that has Vitamin E & Aloe. I like the water so I do not put up a fuss (well not much), with the gentle spray in the sink. I actually like the use of a cup in stead of the spray of the hose and of course, I have to have my rubber ducky Booper.
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| Maybe if I stick my tongue out you will stop taking Pictures |
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| Stop Taking Pictures "D" |
After Towel Drying, I get the hot air treatment, whilst he brushes me smooth and dry. Then he sprays me with my favorite “BuddySplash”Lavender & Mint Spritzer & Conditioner, from Cloud Star, this makes me smell really nice, as he yet brushes me a little more.
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| It's not nice to photograph a lady in her bath |
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| All this has been exhausting, I need a nap |
There you have it all about “Le Bain” (“The Bath”) and that’s the truth, cross my paws.
