Swimming

Today was a nice hot sunny day, finally a day with no rain. Jim and I didn’t have any plans so we decided to call up a friend that has a nice pond in their front yard. The dogs haven’t done much swimming this year so we wanted to take them out.

The second I got out Charlie’s collar it was a mad house. They know when that collar comes out we are going somewhere! They run back and forth, from one room to the next with their panting faces and the look of delight in their eyes. They jump up and down, Dude barks and walks right next to you as if he is saying please don’t forget me while Charlie shakes with excitement.

We get the car “dog ready” which is getting an old sheet to put on the seats so that the dog hair won’t get all over the place. I role the windows down to air out the car; it was an oven in there and I didn’t want the dogs to be too hot. Jim and I gathered the dogs and off we went. Dude was sticking his nose out the window with his flapping lips and ears. Charlie isn’t big enough to get his head out the window but he was looking out, standing on the arm rest watching to see where it was we were going.

As we pulled up to the driveway the dogs are itching to get out of the car and start playing. Jim and I get out and make sure it was safe to let them out. This took us about two seconds but Dude wanted out right then and there and was barking his head off. The coast is clear, Jim opens the door and Dude leaps out. I wasn’t sure what my little man would do so I clipped his leash on just to be safe. To my surprise he jumps out and tries to run after Dude. He doesn’t even realize that he is on a leash and he does that whole “I’m gonna run and choke myself when I get to the end of the leash” thing so I finally caught up to him, unclipped him and he took off flying.

Dude is at the end of the field by then checking everything out as Charlie is trying his best to catch up. Jim and I meet up with our friend and start heading down to the pond. The dogs run back and forth and in circles around us with large smiles on their faces. It is a wonderful thing seeing them so happy.

By the time we get down to the water Dude has already jumped in. Charlie isn’t a big fan of swimming but he seems interested this time. He walks up to the edge of the water trying to decide if he wants to go chase after Dude or not. Of course, he doesn’t. Dude comes bounding out of the water, runs right up to Jim and starts barking. We all knew what it was he wanted so Jim grabs a stick and tosses it into the drink with Dude right behind it. He smashes the water with all his might like a kid doing a canon ball in a pool. Charlie wasn’t swimming so we tossed him in; we wanted him to cool down.

This went on for about an hour or so. Dude would come out, drop the stick and bark for you to throw it back in while Charlie would just whine. After a while it was time for us to leave. We walked up the hill back to the car. The dogs were rolling on the ground as if they knew we were getting back in the car and needed to dry off. We all got in and went on home. As I was driving I glanced back at the two mutts, they were exhausted and cuddled up with each other, and it was so cute.