Hi Kids!
Duke Here!!
Well I got to go swimming in a lake the other day. I usually just kind of walk around near the shore but the other day I walked out a little farther and the water was over my head!!!
Boy, was I scared. I didn't realize the water was that deep. Have you ever had that experience?? Well, if you did, I hope you knew how to swim!!!
I kind of flopped around a little at first but then I calmed down and started to swim!!! Wow, was it fun. I loved it. My humans had a long rope tied to me just in case I got into a little trouble and needed some help getting back to the shore and also to keep me from going out too far and getting tired and not being able to get back...they didn't really want to have to jump in and swim out to get me!!!
I really took to this swimming thing. Mom says I was bred to be a swimmer so I could go after things like birds and ducks that hunters would shoot. They call this "retrieving." I've never gone after any birds or ducks but I sure know how to go after a tennis ball!!!
My mom is thinking about getting me a swimming pool of my own but she is not sure how she can keep me out of it and apparently doesn't want me jumping in all the time. I don't know why not...it sure would be fun.
I bet some of you have swimming pools. Why didn't you tell me how much fun they were???
But of course you should never, ever go in water without a teenager or adult around and hopefully they are good swimmers too. Even a little bit of water can be dangerous if you are not careful (even a little water in the bathtub.)
My mom says that her parents told her that when she was about a year old they took her to a lake and she jumped in and went under the water and scared them to death. They said she held her breath and swam under water and in a little while came back up for air and started to "dog paddle." Sounds like she went to the dogs to me!!!
They call it dog paddling because that's what dogs do in the water - paddle!!!
But as my mom got older she got a lot smarter about the water and realized that water can be dangerous so she took a lot of swimming lessons to learn what to do and what not to do in the water.
I hope all of you get to take lessons too because unlike us dogs lots of humans get scared in the water and don't know what to do and sometimes even fight and hurt others trying to help them.
Even good swimmers can get cramps or swallow too much water so no one should ever get in the water alone!! My humans would not knowingly let me in the water without them being there either.
Well I'll keep you posted as to my adventures. I'm looking forward to swimming in that lake again. Wish you were here with me!!!