Maggie in Venice

PHOTOS: Maggie after a bath and a drying session with three towels.

Bathing a Beardie isn't a casual undertaking: It's like shampooing a 30- or 40-pound string mop and attempting to dry it afterwards.

Our Maggie-bathing technique is fairly simple:

• First, we turn up the thermostat (unless it's summer, when we wait for a day that's warm without being humid).

• Next, one of us gets into the shower with Maggie, soaps her up with dog shampoo, rinses her, massages detangling conditioner into her hair, then showers off the conditioner. 

• After the shower, we say "Big shake!" and let Maggie shake off a quart or two of water before we release her into the bathroom. After she's shaken a few more times, we give her a rubdown with three or four large towels and turn her loose to finish drying.

Years ago, on a trip to London, we visited the pet department of Harrods and saw an item that we've always regretted not buying: It was a large toweling bag with a zipper and an opening for a dog's head. After bathing the dog, the bag's owner could place the dog in the bag and let the animal jump around until it was at least half-dry. We don't know if the bag is still being made, but on our next trip to Harrods, we'll have to look for it.