Remember when I talked about how cute Teddy is and how everyone loves to stop and talk to us when we walk the neighborhood?  Well, I fear that will no longer be the case.  This is the story of what happened:

Everyone knows that doodles need extra coat maintenance.  They don't shed, which is a plus.  The trade-off then is that you have to brush your animal to limit tangles and mats.  Further, you have to bring him to a professional groomer to be clipped and otherwise beautified.

Sadly, I failed in these essential obligations, and Teddy became horribly matted.  By the time I got serious about the situation, the only solution was to have him shaved.  I told Liz the Groomer this much when we arrived at the pet salon.  Still, when I picked him up, she forced me to look at tangled dog shaped sweater of fur she'd removed from my animal.  "This is how bad it was," she said. I nodded and squinched up my mouth.  "Ugh," I said.  Then, she made me hear about how the mats were so terrible for his skin and how he was clearly suffering during the shave.  Obviously, I was so, so sorry.

"Oh my gosh," said Mac when he saw the damage.  "He's a rodent of unusual size!"

"He looks ridiculous," Dan keeps saying.

I will admit that the shorn tail is especially off-putting, but I'm hella grateful for the fresh start.  This time, everything's going to be perfect.  Teddy, I'll never fail you again.