The Dirty Rotten Blanket - a Dog's Best Friend

The dirty rotten blanket was originally a horse blanket. It is woolen, green and gold checked with a cream background. It is itchy, smelly, difficult to launder, and has been treasured by many personalities.

For many years it was an expensive fashion accessory of a thoroughbred mare who won many blue ribbons. The mare moved on to greener pastures and the blanket remained for years at a farm in Southborough, Massachusetts. The blanket is at least fifty years old, a tribute to the original maker.

The blanket is now the prize bed of the second and third adopted golden retriever at my house. I adopt older dogs and they always gravitate to the dirty rotten blanket, no matter how uneasy their very first night at home.

Yes, it smells delightful if you are a dog. There are actually a good number of doggie beds at my house, tons if you count furniture but the dirty rotten blanket is always the first choice.

It has a history of "smell". It doesn't matter if it has been washed; apparently there are just enough layers of historical olfactory delight.

When the last two dogs arrived, they were seeking a new and happier history. When the evening comes creeping in they find comfort with the dirty, rotten blanket. It seems to help bridge the gap between the prior and current residence.

The woolen blanket has been in more than a few places through the years. The dogs found a great place to be easily petted while traveling and looking like they really were genuinely concerned about your most pressing problem. The blanket was between bucket seats and on back seats of more than a few trucks.

It has traveled to four different homes with me alone. If someone observed me moving and glimpsed the blanket they would be hard pressed not to think I was impoverished. It makes moving blankets appear sophisticated and glamorous.

The blanket does have faults. It particularly reeks when combined with a wet dog; exponentially more than the usual almost-but-not-quite-there-disgusting-odor. It also traps fur that you can't remove easily until you find matted, wet fur balls in the washing machine, rather disgusting in its own right.

Would I throw the dirty rotten blanket out? Of course not! It is a constant in the dog's life that they grow accustomed to. It helps them adjust and of course, it has that magnificent smell that only they can appreciate.