"I swore a solemn oath to NEVER again allow Speedy out even with dark clouds on the horizon...let alone in any friggin' rain! "
That's easier to do in CA than in other parts of the country. Here in coastal SC we have pop-up showers pretty much any time during the warmer months. The heat and humidity are such that all it takes is the right wind to squeeze the air a bit and a thunderhead forms out of nowhere. You have to be prepared, and you have to accept that at some point you WILL get rained on.