Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)
My pal, Joe, has a large German Shorthair dog which has learned to love the water. Even though he had experienced a life-threatening experience not knowing how to swim properly, he has overcome his fears thanks to his owner, who coaxed him into his arms in deep water. (Dogs that do the “dog paddle” have not learned to use their back legs and will tire before long.) In any event, it’s a joy to watch the fearless canine, which will simply swim for the joy of it.
Watching Junior at a lake recently brought back memories of my black Labrador Retriever, Otis, about 50 years ago. He suffered a similar experience and nearly drowned in the Au Sable River and carried with him the fear of deep water until one fine day frolicking around in a small creek chasing butterflies. Then it happened.
He got caught in the current and was heading downstream and it was sink or swim! Something within Otis instantly transformed his fear, as he engaged those hind legs and powered out of trouble. He never looked back and became a strong swimmer.
Like many loyal dogs, he didn’t like being separated from his owner, who in this case was me. What follows is a case in point.
The scene played out at a small lake in Oakland County, where my pal, Don and I planned to spend some time in my tiny inflatable boat fishing. Otis was along for the trip but was to be left ashore, where I figured he’d be able to watch us. I commanded Otis to stay, as Don and I took the “yacht” to deep water.
The farther away we paddled, the more Otis became concerned. Back and forth along the shore he ran and barked. “You stay there” I shouted across the water. But, he wasn’t having any of it, as separation anxiety took over his brain.
Otis was motoring directly toward us now and there was no stopping him. His plan was to join us in my two-man boat. That little boat was barely big enough for two and we were headed for a sink-and-swim lesson of our own, as the dog did his best to climb aboard.
We poked at Otis with our paddles in a losing battle to keep him from his plan. The frantic dog sunk his teeth into Don’s paddle and now owned it. Foolishly, I tried to paddle away, but the dog’s will and pure muscle overpowered my single-paddle effort. Like it or not, we were being escorted to shore, as Otis towed us against our will with a paddle full of teeth holes.
That was the end of our “fishing” excursion for the day – a true testament to the connection that can develop between man and his loyal companion.
