A Dripping, Wet, Muddy Dog is a HAPPY DOG!

I have had the most amazing and fun experience this afternoon with ATB here.

Last fall John began our pond project, something he has wanted to do for a long time.  This spring he is continuing to work on this and it's really coming along very nicely.  Of course it does tend to get muddy with the tractor going back and forth in between here and there.  The  upper edge around the pond is very dry and flat.  Easily walked upon.  John has scattered hay and grass seed in those areas.  There is an intentional gentle sloping off to one side where we hope to eventually have a little area for wading. We'll have some fish eventually and perhaps even a little dock.  Anyway, today was the day for the dogs to discover that a pond meant more than a surface of ice to play upon.

They explored the pond with the curiousity of a 6 year old kid.  Piper and True scrambled down over the edge and put a paw in and then took it out, fascinated by the action of the water.  Treasure ran around and around, dipping down one bank not quite going in, climbing back up and dipping back down again a bit further.  Rose and Pippin ran side by side on the topside, Pippin doing it just because Rosie was doing it and she wanted to be cool like Rose.  Wish ran right down into the water for a couple of feet and it was easy to see how happy she was!  Molly... hmm... well Molly is ever the prima dona, and while I was busy watching the other Brittanys, Molly was busy finding where the fence ends and came up on the opposite side.  Now she must have known she was far enough away from me that I really couldn't tell which side she was on because she just stood there watching. What a brat.  Eventually each of them went all the way into the water and amused themselves and each other playfully. 

I love Scooby. I  mean I REALLY love Scooby.  He's a doodle, and that means he's from my Timberdoodle who waits at the Rainbow Bridge.  Scoob's a heart dog and a liver and white boy just like his dad.  Scooby lives to make me laugh and he never fails in that job.  Oh there's the serious field dog hunting companion side of my Scooby, but when it's me and him, it's me and him.  So today he discovered a brand new way to make me laugh, a way to keep my eyes on him, and a way to spend some precious time with each other.  Today Scooby showed me that he is a fantastic natural water retrieving Brittany!

In trying to interest the dogs in the water and lure them out a little deeper, I'd yell 'FETCH"!  and throw a stick out further.  They all would go into the water and give fetching a try and did quite well. But it was Scooby who understood what I was asking and it was Scooby who offered the behavior with little bribing or coaxing. Standing seriously, waiting for a command that meant business, Scooby was poised for take off.  So I seized that moment regardless of the playfulness of the others.  "SCOOBY!  FETCH!" and I leaned towards the pond with my right arm straight out towards the water. He hesitated long enough to mark where the stick I'd tossed out hand landed in the water then suddenly Scooby gracefully leaped into the deeper water and swam like a champion towards his intended goal.  I was like a little kid clapping my hands and praising him and encouraging Scooby to keep going.  Then he turned around, made eye contact with me, and headed back to shore (the very muddy shore). I was so proud of him and he knew it.

After a few more just for fun retrieves, fun because I was laughing my head off and he was loving my reaction, it was time to shape this behavior for the future and we worked very deliberately together.  Scooby could not have given me more than he gave me this afteroon.  And I like to think I gave him back just as much too, by letting him know by my behaviour that indeed, he'd succeeded at pleasing me, something Brittanys live to do for those they love.

I'm not saying I love my dogs to be dripping, wet, and muddy.  But I do love my dogs to be happy, and they seem to love seeing me be happy too. I look forward to things drying up down back, and the conditions will only improve.  I have suggested that maybe we think about making some kind of walk way if possible, to make it more enjoyable but that of course means more work for John who has enough to do as it is.  The water in the pond is clear and clean and once the vegetation begins to take hold and the ground continues to dry up it is going to be quite enjoyable.

Sometimes things are way too serious in our lives and we are afraid of simply letting go and letting 'whatever' happen.  Did I really intend for all our Brittanys to experience a mud bath after their time down to the pond?  Was I happy that I came back up with mud all over my clothes and shoes?  Do I really look forward to giving them all a bath? Absolutely not.  But it was all worth it for so many reasons.  Most importantly, I have discovered a wonderful new way to spend time with our Brittanys who obviously love the water and are going to get a lot of enjoyment out of the new pond.  And I have experienced yet another dimension of enjoying All Things Brittany - with the absolutely exhilarating and joyful discovery of Scooby's love of water and retrieving.

On a more serious note, a friend of ours lost her senior Brittany today, the day after Easter. As I extended sympathy to her and her husband the subject of Timber came up in my note to her.  We talked about the impact of these amazing animals on our life, and how God does indeed care for His 'lesser creatures.'  In our sharing, she sent me a most amazing video which I find somehow applicable to where my head and my heart are currently.  I pray it touchesyour heart... God Bless you, John, Ann and ATB