Mom Took A Head Dive Into The Lake

Yep. It's only 1:30 in the afternoon, and today has already been a very eventful day. I need to head into town to get some major grocery shopping done today because I haven't really done any for a couple weeks, but I decided that first I would take Brutus for a good walk, and maybe a swim. It's a beautiful morning, and I always feel bad when I have to kennel him, so it sounded like a plan. The best made plans are typically the ones that bite you in the ass!

We headed down the drive way, and since it rained yesterday and we didn't get a walk in (because he was too busy snuggling with his dead chipmunk) he was really eager to go, and the first thing he did was wrap himself around a tree at the end of the driveway, so I called him back while I was pulling on the leash, and he slipped right out of his collar. Of course the first thing going through my head was a two hour escape, but I managed to get a "COME" out of my mouth. He took off. Oh God Oh God Oh God. What is that word that he knows? Think think think!!! Oh yeah, it's heel. I yelled HEEL, and he sat right down on the spot. Whew. Tragedy, and my entire day being spent waiting for a dog to come home, averted. I put the collar back on him, loved him up, and off we went.

I have to say that I have been a little hesitant to walk him the past few days anyway because there is a momma bear with three babies hanging out in our neighborhood, and she's been spotted twice this week within what would be about a block from our home. Some people have said that if you see a bear, you should get as big as possible and make a bunch of noise and it will scare them off. Others have said to stand perfectly still and leave them alone. Personally, I would first wet my pants, and then I can guarantee that I would stand perfectly still out of sheer terror. Now Brutus on the other hand would probably look at the three little cubs and say "wow, they are just my size, lets go mom" and off he would drag me. He, and I, would be lunch.

So we're walking along, and I swear to God that the dear flies have grown overnight from the rain into the size of large bumble bees. Brutus, at any given time, has about five riding on his back. He seems oblivious to them. I, on the other hand, have about three bites on my arm that are swelling nicely. We're doing great so far. :)

By the time we get back to the house, we are both pretty hot. I grab a second bottle of water and suggest to Brutus that we go for a swim. He knows exactly what that means, and he is definitely game. We're walking down the hill to the lake, and the whole time we're going down I'm thinking what a good boy he is being. He's staying in our yard, and not trying to scoot through the woods to the neighbors, and he isn't pulling on the leash, which is a good thing because I'm using the long leash which is actually one of those really rough ropes that burns your hands if it gets pulled through them. And this is where my dream sequence ends.

I am literally jerked to reality. We are just about to the lake, and all of a sudden I am at the edge of the lake on the bank, then on my knees, and then in the lake. I have lost a hold of the leash somewhere in there, and Brutus is already swimming past the dock after a duck. Holy crap. I stood up and tried to get my whits about me and brush off some of the rocks stuck to my palms so I could figure out what to do. Nothing. That's what. There was literally nothing I could do at that exact moment other than get out of the lake and stand on the dock yelling for him to HEEL, which sounded absolutely ridiculous because we weren't walking!! Thankfully the nut head started to run out of breath, so he started swimming back toward the dock, and I was able to get a hold of the rope, but as soon as I did, the stupid duck came swimming back toward him, and Brutus took off again. Bloody finger from the rope. Yahoo. I managed to get the rope again, and hook the end of it onto one of the posts on the dock, and I literally stood there for a good ten minutes (soaked) while he swam and ran back and forth in place choking himself. I finally caught him by the collar (which if you remember isn't all that tight) sat him down on the dock and repeatedly said "No Ducks". He just looked at me like "you've got to be kidding mom, I'm a lab". I had to walk with him all the way up the hill and to the front of the house with  him between my legs and holding onto his collar. He was breathing so hard, and kind of whimpering. It's hard to tell in this picture, but my shoes are soaked. Ugh.

Two biggies here. 1)I didn't have his tone collar on him. Lesson learned. Would it have made a difference? Not sure, but it would have been worth a try. Although, I'm not sure that my end of the control would have worked if it landed in the lake.
2) I didn't have my camera with me THANK GOD!!! My laptop just got sent in for repairs, and I swear that I could have just about bought a new laptop for what they are charging to repair it. If I would have hurt my new camera, I would have been absolutely devastated.

So, I am NOW going to go grocery shopping, and Brutus is going to go in his kennel, and you know what, today I am not going to feel bad. I think his day has been very active and fulfilling, the little shit.