The Great Dog Spa Debate

From Halloween to Christmas (and everything in between), this cozy reindeer look has your pup covered.
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What’s Wrong With Your Dog?

Fall is fur season — your dog’s coat thickens, skin dries out, and suddenly that simple bath becomes a full-blown science experiment.

Every 4–6 weeks is enough unless your dog’s been mud-wrestling. Over-bathing strips natural oils right when their skin needs them most. Instead, brush more often — it loosens dirt, prevents trapped shampoo, and keeps the coat shiny.

Fun fact: brushing before bathing helps prevent “post-bath itch.”

Keep your dryer on low heat or warm air (85–95°F) — dogs’ skin runs warmer than ours, so “comfortable” to you may be too hot for them.
If you can’t hold your hand near the nozzle for five seconds, it’s too warm.
Always dry with the direction of fur growth to prevent frizz and heat pockets.

Double-coated breeds (like Goldens or Huskies) have air-trapping undercoats for insulation — too much heat collapses those layers and makes them colder outside.

Pro tip: static is a fall villain. A light mist of dog-safe conditioner or a pass with damp hands neutralizes it instantly.

Add a drop of dog-safe coconut or sunflower oil in moderation to food once or twice a week (vet-approved, of course) or spritz with an aloe/oat conditioner to calm dry skin. Coconut oil is high in saturated fat so even more moderation needed here (or skip the coconut oil). Check with your doggie doctor for a plan right for your babe.

You don’t have to wait for warm days — a low-heat blowout and cozy towel wrap keep them comfy. Turn bath time into a science-backed spa day.

Up: Don’t give my dog more ideas
Oohlala: Sniff this one out
New script: The best medicine

Environment

Squirrels are nature’s clumsy gardeners. Every fall, they stash thousands of acorns for the winter — and then promptly forget where half of them went. I can relate. I don’t know where I put anything after I organize it. It sounds like chaos (mine is), but that forgetfulness of squirrels quietly plants millions of trees every year.

But, ya know, squirrels don’t just dig randomly. They actually use a kind of mental GPS, mapping nut locations based on landmarks — but when snow, rain, or hungry birds change the landscape, the memory map goes fuzzy. Each “lost” acorn becomes a tiny tree startup.

Gray squirrels even practice “deceptive caching.” If another squirrel’s watching, they’ll pretend to bury an acorn, cover the spot with leaves, and then sneak off to hide it elsewhere. It’s espionage… with snacks. Brilliant.

Some scientists estimate that a single busy squirrel can scatter hundreds of potential oak trees a year — making them one of the world’s most adorable reforestation programs. You might just see one this week darting through the leaves and you’ll remember that the little acrobat might be planting the forest your grandkids will walk through. Pretty cool.

Is Last Year’s Sun Damage Showing Up As This Year’s Dark Spots?

You can’t go back in time and prevent sun damage from last year, but you can do something about it this year.

Chuckle

The fib is B. In folklore, black dogs appearing at crossroads in autumn symbolized protection, not bad luck.

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