Why I'm a much better critic than a dog groomist

Remember when I posted this picture back in December 2010 of the family's long-suffering dog, Ally?  Well, it's beginning to be warm around here (already had a temp above 90 earlier this month) and this dog's coat is extremely thick.  Since she's so skittish around vets, I thought it might be a good idea to buy some electric clippers and shear her myself.

Well...

There's a fine art of running such through such a thick coat, as I learned to my chagrin...

The blade got caught when I was cutting her neck fur and it jumped and got stuck and...

You can see the results for yourself:

Yes, I'm SO good that I gave my nearly 14-year old mix a bald spot.  Well, she's nearly 100 in dog years, so maybe she won't mind it so much.  She didn't even blink when it happened, oddly enough.  Well, I guess this is better than taping bacon to a cat, I suppose...

Snow and dog...go well together?

Here's a picture of the family's 13.5 year-old mixed-breed dog, Ally, outside during a rare December snowstorm here in the suburbs of Nashville, TN.  Despite all the snow on top of her, she would much rather be outside than inside (even when there's a detached garage/shed where she can seek shelter).  Her coat is so thick that her body heat doesn't reach the top half of her fur.  Thought some of you might find this to be an amusing picture, so enjoy?