Scatch N'Sniff Wasabi

I have had two cats in my life - one for 19 years and one for 13. I don't remember anything about their scent, except for the second kitty who smelled terrible on the day before he died from renal failure. Other than that, all of my sensory memory of them is about their sharp little kitten teeth; their silky, soft fur; their dry, raspy tongues; or their freaky, yodely meows.


My dog, however, is a whole different experience. Yes, he's soft and fluffy. Yes, he barks (and growls and sometimes whines, if there's a squirrel to be seen.) But mostly, he smells weird. Even when he's DRY, he smells weird. I suppose it's my fault for naming him after a spice that makes my nose run and eyes water. Scent karma or something. One reason Wasabi smells strange is that he frolics in the yard and regularly crashes through the herb garden in pursuit of cheeky chipmunks. Last week the yard rodents must have lured him out to the furthest edges of the garden because Wasabi smelled of jasmine and sage. You could smell him the minute he walked into a room. Havoc said, "He smells like one of your candles." His odor is not always so savory. Once he chased a squirrel under my 12 year old car and came out smelling like grease and gasoline. Squirrels are his downfall. Not only does he follow them to places he shouldn't go, but now he's begun to act like them.

This morning I've been cleaning house and doing laundry with a little help from my furry pal. I sat down on the couch to take a break (and check the final score of last night's game). Wasabi jumped up beside me and gave me a slurpy dog kiss. I scratched his ears and snuggled with him. Wasabi's breath smelled like Bounce-scented acorns, his fur like rosemary and his paws like corn chips. Ah, the heady perfume of my bizarro dog. I ask you, is this normal?? Do you think he's the canine equivalent of the "too much cologne wearing man"? Will other dogs turn their noses up at (or away from) him? I wonder about this* because he has a playdate on Thursday with our friend Jeff's dog, Grace. Should I try to de-stinkify him? Or let him be himself in all of his olfactory glory?
Peace.

*In lieu of stressing about money and holidays and crap with my ex and the evil teacher and what to cook for dinner tonight and whether my kids are as well adjusted as they seem and...