Robin Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 To get the full duck story check my post of 5/20/11 as it is too long to repeat...but the followup goes as follows... Today as it was too hot to walk all the way to the lake on my noon walk, I took my labs to the pond behind my house to cool off, and my yellow lab (Duke) goes swimming as usual. He is 10 years old and has been a swimmer since he was a puppy, but today he got out toward the middle of this pond and starts flailing his front legs kind of straight in the air like he all of the sudden forgot how to swim. I called him and the more I watched him I thought "he is going to go under"...so I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and dropped my dog collar remote on the ground and in I went. I could walk most of the way to him but had to swim a bit, grabbed his collar and pushed him in front of me to plane him out and kept pushing him to shore. Scared the heck out of us both! So, I'm trying to get the chocolate lab (Dillinger) back to leash him so we can walk home, but he stumbles on (you guessed it) the duck from my previous posted story. The reason I know this is she could not fly, she had an injured wing. (The good news is she had a bunch of good sized ducklings with her so they survived our previous visit.) So, Duke gets all excited and forgets he just about drowned and goes in after them and Dilly(who just figured out how to swim 2 days ago) jumps in and thinks he is going to swim across the pond to catch up to the ducks. So now I have two dogs flailing around in the middle of the pond. Well, no brainer here (or I should say no brains) I go right back in, only this time I have to swim to get to them, gave Duke a push, then Dilly a push, then Duke, luckily Dilly caught on again and swam to shore but I had to pretty much help Duke most of the way. I have said it before but I'll say it again, animals are going to be the end of me!! I guess I should ask for daily prayers for my daily walks with my dogs so I don't get into too much trouble! Well, I've had my lunch and some chocolate now(and my 4th bath of the day (2 in the tub, 2 in the pond) so I think I'll go quilt where hopefully I will not get into any trouble!!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyLake Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 Sounds like quite an adventure! Animals keep us young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 What a day! Or maybe a fence around the pond would be good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s.waits Posted August 25, 2011 Report Share Posted August 25, 2011 Yep, we'll do anything for our kids. Even 2 trips into the pond on the same walk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Posted August 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 Actually, the swim was kind of nice...the water just right when I had a chance to think about it. This pond is one the Corps of Engineers used to start baby fishes or fingerlings in, but now we have a fish hatchery here so they don't use it any more. Maybe it could just be my swimming pool...but no dogs allowed down there anymore!! Now that I know mama duck and babies are still there it will be off limits. And I'm thinking that I should get some doggie life jackets for my labs. Do they make such a thing?? Except then they would rely on the life jackets too much and probably swim out in the big lake which I would have no chance of catching up to them in unless my husband got his boat out. Maybe just a long rope on each of their leashes so I could just pull them back if they get in trouble??? I used to have a life before dogs...I think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamu Posted August 26, 2011 Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 :D:D actually Robin, they do make life vests for dogs of all sizes and I am thinking that getting a couple for your dogs with a very long rope attached to them, would be a good thing just have to watch and make sure the rope floats and doesn't get caught up around the legs of the dogs.....or..... you could just not let them around the ponds anymore, but that isn't any fun...for them or for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srichardson Posted August 26, 2011 Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 Perhaps is time to buy Duke a doggy lifejacket, the type with a carry handle of the top! Sue Whoops, we both had the same idea at the same time Laura. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBQLTN2 Posted August 26, 2011 Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 too funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Posted August 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 I'll have to post a picture of my boys, Duke and Dillinger, so you can see their personalities. Kind of like the picture of "Mr. Handsome" on Meg's post. You can just see his personality. As we live on Fort Peck Lake which is a huge man made dam, I can't avoid the water, but I will look into life jackets for my doggies, but don't tell my husband. He already shakes his head at me with all of the trouble I get into and all of the goofy things I do. I went for my morning walk the other day with my dogs as usual and got hungry on my walk and thought I must have forgotten to eat a bowl of cereal before my walk like I usually do. Got home and ate another bowl of cereal only to find my first cereal bowl there in the sink from that morning. He said he wasn't worried that I ate two breakfasts, but he was worried that I didn't remember eating the first bowl. Help me!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted August 26, 2011 Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 Robin, my son's fiancee has a life jacket for her black lab. He won't get out of the water because he likes it so well, but he gets so tired she gets concerned for him. They also have a huge screw-in stake that they use on shore with a cable that attaches to the top of his life jacket. Now they know that they can pull him in any time they need/want to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted August 26, 2011 Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Posted August 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 I was thinking this morning before I go on my walk...maybe I should be the on who wears the life jacket!! I suppose it might look kind of funny walking down the road with a life jacket on!! Pray for me, I'm going on my walk now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted August 26, 2011 Report Share Posted August 26, 2011 Perhaps all three of you should have a life jacket!!! i can't say I blame you one bit jumping in there after them. I could not have watched either one of mine drown - that would have been like a person out there!!! It just shows you love your babies. A few years back when we first moved here our Papillion fell into the deep end of the pool. He started swimming but where to go? He had no idea. I heard a big splash and Mike, my hubby, had jumped in after him. In a few out came them both soaking wet. What I haven't told you in this story is that it was Feb. and the temps were below freezing. Mike ran and jumped in the warm shower and I put Champ in the warm utility sink. Both were fine. Over the years champ has fallen in about 4 times and has been saved each time by his dad who loves him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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