As the last official weekend of summer creeps up on us, let me just remind you of one little thing: Pretty soon your pooch is going to want to spend more time inside. And pretty soon you're going to realize that just because your dog jumped off the dock all summer long, he is not a clean dog. Pretty soon you're going to realize that your four-legged friend needs more than a dip in the lake to wash that fetid summer smell off of him. 

I don't know about you, but washing Athena at home is a royal pain in the keister. During the summer we wash her out in the back yard, and that's cool. But once the autumn chill sets in we bring the bath inside -- to the people tub, and I find myself wishing we were the host family for a Cirque de Soleil performer who loved dog washing because I just don't have it in me to stoop, twist and wiggle and keep a smile on my face while trying to convince my girl that a bath is a necessary evil we simply need to make the best of. 

Since my house is relatively free of circus freaks, I've decided to save us all the trauma and head up to Dirty Dog Cafe. I can wash Athena myself in one of their waist-high washing stations, or I can have one of their dog-loving staff do it for me while I sit down and relax in the cozy cafe on the other side of the windows, with a beer or a latte or a snack.

She's happy. I'm happy and the house no longer smells like somebody rolled around in a landfill. Awesome. 

The photo is not Athena, by the way. Just some happy, good-smelling pooch I met the last time I paid Dirty Dog a visit. You'll find the Dirty Dog Cafe at 1314 S. Grand Blvd, toward the back of the mall.