This was a fantastic summer and we couldn’t be more blessed. We bought a kiddie pool for the dogs to play in. I expected them to be in the pool everyday, all day, but they weren’t! A lot of times they treated it like an oversized water bowl! We drained the pool every other day, scrubbed it clean, and then refilled it with fresh water. Without fail, they walked through the mud we created by draining the pool, and then jumped in the pool as we filled it with fresh water!! Like they couldn’t stand for the water to be clean, even for a second.
Kai is part labrador so I was not surprised that she loved the water. It took a few times before Auggie felt comfortable enough to get in. Once she figured out how wonderful the pool was, she would get in at all hours of the day, even after the sun went down. We convinced them to get in the pool by putting ice cubes in there. The love eating ice so it was like a pool full of treats for them. It was all downhill after that!!
Diving
Kai was intrigued with the fish decorations on the bottom of the pool! After she figured out that she could “dive” under water, it was only a short time later that she started laying down in the water. And as usual, when dogs get wet, they get frisky!! A short while in the pool energized the dogs and they would tear around the yard, chasing each other, until they were exhausted. Auggie loves to chase, Kai loves to be chased…so it is a match made in heaven. Kai always ran back to the pool and jumped in, as if the pool was “base”.
Same thing every time……run at full speed 2 times around the entire yard, then make a B line straight for the pool and jump in. Auggie would always wait for Kai to bolt out of the pool so the chase could begin again.
Let’s go for a real swim
Auggie first
As the summer came to a close, we decided that we wanted to let Kai and Auggie go for a real swim, not just getting in a small kiddie pool. Unfortunately there are no pictures of the build-up because that is where the real fun happened. In our infinite wisdom, we decided the best way to let them swim without freaking them out is to let them swim one at a time. We played outside for a little while and Kai decided she had enough and wanted to go inside to sit in front of the fan!! So Auggie was the first to go swimming!! Lots of fun! I was sweating my buns off, in my bathing suit, chasing Auggie around the yard trying to pick her up. She thought is was part of playtime, so she kept running around the yard, playing “keep away” with a stick I didn’t give 2 hoots about!! Kym is waiting, patiently, in the pool for me and Auggie to wrap up the yard antics. Finally, I catch Auggie and heave all 55 pounds of her solid butt off the ground. The plan was for me to hand Auggie over the side of our above ground pool to Kym. Amazingly the plan worked, but it required slightly more work than I anticipated. Why, you ask? Because I did not consider how hard it would be to get on my tippy toes and lift this dog up over the side of the pool. The weight of her wrapped around my neck like a scarf and me trying to find the right angle to get her feet over the edge, while stretching as tall as I could, had me leaning like a drunk uncle at the holidays. Finally my hard work paid off. Auggie was a little leary at first but when she figured out that Kym was going to be there to help her, she relaxed and swam. I climbed in the pool and we let her swim laps between us, taking turns holding her up and giving her a break from swimming.
After a few laps, I got out and Kym handed her over the side to me. As soon as she was on the ground, she took off running, like she was totally jazzed up from swimming.
Next……..Kai
I opened the door and Kai came running outside. She only came out because she didn’t see how wet Auggie was until it was too late! She let me pick her up without making me chase her around the yard the way Auggie did. This dog is every bit 60+ pounds. More fun stuff that we, sadly, do not have pictures of. Our backyard is slightly sloped down to the area where the pool is and I am soaking wet, carrying a 60+ pound dog, trying to balance on slick-as-hell flip flops as I make my way to the pool. You know how it is walking in flip flops when your feet are wet, right? Exactly….your feet slide sideways out of the shoe but your toes have a hella grip on the strap, your arms flail wildly to keep you from falling, and you immediately look from side to side to see how many people are watching you almost kill yourself with cheap shoes. You’ve been there….you know! Ok, so I am doing this exact dance all the way to the pool while carrying Kai. Fun stuff. I make it to the pool but I am not able to lift her over the side because her legs are way too long and mine are way too short. The revised plan is for me to carry her up the ladder and down into the water. I scoot her over to my left hip, the way most people carry toddlers. She is clinging to me like spandex, her front feet are wrapped around my neck, and the toenails on her back feet are dug into my ribs like a bird gripping a thin branch. Many of you may know this already…….my ribs are super sensitive and I cannot stand for anything to touch them. Anything!! Not even my own hands!! So, this is super uncomfortable for me but there is no way I was going to let her feel insecure. So, we make the wobbly trek up the ladder, which is another issue even without carrying a dog. Have you ever climbed an above ground pool ladder? It’s the backyard version of carnival rides – you hang on for the ride, pray it doesn’t fall apart, and celebrate when your feet are back on the ground. Kai and I made it up the ladder and down into the water. We did the exact same thing with Kai as we did Auggie….we let her swim back and forth and then we would hold her to let her rest.
We eventually got both of them in the pool to swim together and then Kym was able to hand them to me over the side of the pool when they were done swimming. Kai and Auggie were super hyped up after swimming. They ran around the yard, at full speed, for about 30 minutes and then passed out for the rest of the evening. I hope it won’t be so hard to get them in the pool next year!! My goal is to teach them to climb the ladder themselves!! My ribs can’t take another trip up the ladder carrying a big dog.
The journey of life is sweeter when traveled with dogs!! It’s the little things in life that give us the most pleasure.
Savor your journey!!
CHOOSE HAPPINESS!!!
