Washing the Huskies, Friday 05-22-2026.

Lars and Misha, super clean! 

 So, on Friday the 22 of May, 2026, it was time to wash the Huskies again.  Being that they are indeed Huskies, they stay naturally clean, and they don’t smell much, but they still need their regular baths.  We usually take them for self-service dog washing at Unleashed by PETCO down at the Bressi Ranch Village Center in Carlsbad, CA, since Unleashed has low washtubs tubs that Lars can get in to, and they supply shampoo, conditioner and clean and dry towels.  Also, since we had dropped off our son Matthew at the San Diego Airport, we thought it was a great time to take the dogs for their bath, and with gas prices at a premium, we need to combine trips as much as we can!  Also, by being reasonably frugal, by washing the dogs ourselves, we save a couple of bucks, and we don’t have to expose fragile little Lars to any additional torment.  So, on the way home from the airport, we stopped off at Carlsbad for a little dog washing experience (and an experience it is, believe me)! 

Unleashed by PETCO; Bressi Ranch Village Center, 2663 Gateway Road #103, Carlsbad, CA 92009.

By the way, Bressi Ranch is an interesting place; built primarily between 2003 and 2007, it is a self-contained, master-planned suburb some ten minutes inland from Carlsbad State Beach.  Nice homes, some 200 acres of preserved open space, and over eight neighborhood parks, it is a really nice place.  Bressi Ranch is centered around the Bressi Ranch Village Center, which has a “Main Street” walkable feel, and the lovely Bressi Ranch park and gazebo. 

Bressi Ranch Gazebo Park.  We usually take them here after their bath to relive themselves, and they love all the new smells!

  

Bressi Ranch Park; you can see the gazebo in the background.

 

Bressi Ranch Park; really nice and clean!

As usual, the dog washing experience starts with getting the dogs into the wash tubs; Misha jumps right in, but Lars usually needs a little help, and he usually cries the whole time.  Nevertheless, we got them both in the tubs: 

Misha in the washtub.  You can see the big blow dryers on either side of the washtub.

Lars in the washtub.  He is not too happy…

Now, we start with a good soaking; with the Huskies and their thick coats, just getting them nice and wet takes a bit of time.  Then, we move to the soap-up:

Lars being soaked.

 

Misha being soaked.  That coat is soooo thick!

 

Lars is being soaped up.  Gotta get down deep in that thick coat!

 

More soap on Lars!

 

Look at the Husky face!  Gotta love it!

 

Misha is being soaped up.  I usually wash Misha, while Kathy works on Lars.

 

More soap on Misha!

As you can well figure out, after the soaping and the conditioning, it is time for a through rinse and then the drying:

Misha being dried off; starts with the towels, then we go to the blow dryer!  You can see the towels on the floor, it is soaked!

 

Lars is being blow-dried, you can see is thick fur!

 

More blow drying for Lars; it usually takes about 15 minutes just to get him reasonably dry.

 

Sooooo fluffy and clean!  It almost looks like he likes it!

Washing the dogs makes a mess; with their shaking there is water everywhere!  Good thing that Unleashed provides aprons which keeps us reasonably dry! 

The floor between the two wash tubs; water and fur everywhere!

 

The fur left behind in Lars’ wash tub; must be shedding season!

The whole dog washing ordeal usually takes about 45 minutes; after that I take the dogs to the park so that they can do their business, and then we walk over to Trader Joe’s for some snacks!   

After about 45 minutes, the torment is finally over; after we are done with the washing, we walk down to Trader Joe’s to buy some stuff.  I stay outside with the clean dogs!  Here is Misha!

 

Misha can’t wait to get home!

 

And here is a clean Lars!

 

Lars looks soooooo regal and clean!

 

Fur everywhere!  This usually goes on for a few days, even with a good brushing…

 

Can’t leave without stopping at Trader Joe’s!  Since our local San Clemente Trader Joe’s has pretty bad parking, whenever we are down in Carlsbad, we stop in here.

After we are done, we get the dogs back in the truck for the 45-minute ride home to San Clemente.  Even with towel drying and blow drying, the dogs stay a bit wet for a few hours afterward, and we put towels in the backseat.  Anything for the dogs!  After we all get home, we are usually exhausted; the dogs just lay around, and I usually take a nap!   

We usually get the same stuff at Trader Joe’s; cranberry juice, my crumbled blue cheese and some cheese puffs that we ate on the way home.

The day after the dog washing, it is time for the obligatory brushing.  So, on Saturday morning, we spend a good while brushing them both out, and it is surprising how much fur comes out!  I call it a Furnado!  Nevertheless, they are both super clean, and they smell sooooo nice!  Well worth the effort, and now we don’t have to do it until sometime in the fall! 

The Saturday Furnado!  But now they are both clean and brushed, and they smell sooooo good!