Barking Blondes: That Dog Can Dance, Paul O’Grady and wet pooches in cars

• By Joanne Good and Anna Webb
• Sunday, 30 December 2012 at 4:00 am

Whoever would have thought that in the fight for top TV Christmas ratings, two dog-themed programmes would have been placed so prominently in the schedule?
That Dog Can Dance and Paul O’Grady’s Christmas at Battersea Dogs Home showed how mainstream owning a dog has become. To transmit a programme about rescuing dogs on prime time Christmas Day television would have been a risk had it not been for O’Grady. This was the culmination of his already successful series and was a real emotional roller coaster, leaving you as was intended, wanting to reach out and help animals.
The bonus of having O’Grady at the helm was that with his sharp wit and good humour it never for one moment felt “worthy”.
We wonder how many will actually act on this goodwill once we sink into the January blues? Strictly fever as well as Ashleigh and Pudsey’s landslide victory on this year’s Britain’s Got Talent, inevitably led to a show about doggy dancing. This doggy sport has been around for years thanks to the likes of Mary Ray who started a doggy disco at the Crufts finals.
However, That Dog Can Dance took on the format of the now familiar reality talent show with a Simon Cowell-inspired panel and for anyone who decided to sit through it, it really delivered the wow factor. Lucy Heath’s routine with Inde was an amazing achievement. Did either of these programmes  manage to attract non-dog lovers? Well, apparently East Enders won over the dancing dogs but given that we are a nation of animal lovers with 27 per cent of families owning a dog, we think it was a risk worth taking.

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There were some very amusing sights over the rather wet holidays on how to deal with getting a wet dog into the back of the car. In Sussex, deep within St Leonard’s Forest, we followed a very wet and muddy springer spaniel and its owner back to the car park. Along with other drenched owners, we stood with the boot open whilst deliberating on whether it was best to dry the dog or risk the upholstery. The answer was in front of us.
We watched with admiration as the spaniel’s owner took out, what looked like a toweling draw string bag. She then placed the obliging dog into it, leaving his neck free and placed him on the back seat. Then drove off with him looking out the window, seated in a bag. Brilliant.
As they drove off we turned our attention to a middle aged couple, dealing with a caked in mud golden Labrador. Whilst the dog stood on a towel on the ground, the wife brought out a washing up bowl from the boot. The husband filled it with warm water from a flask and they then proceeded to scrub their dog from head to paws. Having wrapped him in a towel, each car mat was then removed, vacuumed with a hand held appliance, replaced and then dog, still in towel, placed on back seat.
So it’s a big cheer for The Spaniards inn in Hampstead. Being directly opposite the Heath, they have in their car park the only automated dogwash in Europe. It works along the same lines as a car wash. The dog is shampooed, conditioned and blow dried all for a small fee.
Not only do we recommend giving Fido a try we also suggest you give it a go yourself. Boxing Day saw both of us, along with our dogs, emerging, coiffed like two Farrah Fawcett Majors, prior to a pub lunch.
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND WOOF! WOOF!