By Laura Read
Like most families, about three years ago we decided to get a dog. This was something that was not debated on much beforehand since my husband is allergic to dogs and I am allergic to cats. The verdict was “NO.” My husband had, in fact, toyed with the idea in his head and knew what his ideal pet would be. He wanted a sport dog that he could take out on the boat. Personally, I like big dogs that have a brain of their own and have a heavy coat of fur (also, our dog IS NOT that).
While eating at an Asian restaurant with friends one afternoon, my husband bribed our daughter to go pet puppies if she ate a piece of sushi. She did and “an evil plan” hatched in my head. I knew none of my favorite breeds would be there, so I didn’t bother getting my hopes up for that. I did know that my husband’s ideal breeds would be there. I tried to talk him into a poodle for his allergies. That was quickly shot down. Then ironically, the girl who greeted us put the puppy down she was holding and I went to the pin with the Labrador Retrievers where he was. Instantly, he rolled over and I knew it was him. This submissive snoozeball was the right personality for us. He was gentle for our daughter that wasn’t used to having dogs around her and submissive so we wouldn’t have to fight to stay alpha.
Also, like many of you, the jobs of training, feeding, cleaning, etc. now falls upon me. Hubs didn’t want him along on fishing trips and my daughter never took that much interest in the day-to-day responsibilities. So, now I have a breed I’m unfamiliar with that sleeps all day and refuses to leave me alone. How do I keep him occupied? He’s not interested in agility. He doesn’t like playing fetch at the dog park or if I want to play, only when he wants. The answer: WATER! HE LOVES WATER!! I learned I can stand on the shore and throw his toy into the water and the whole world melts away. Other dogs or people or boats don’t exist anymore, just his toy and the water. He would refuse to go on walks. The answer became the stream at the park! He’s okay to walk now because of his love of water. He even goes on the occasional walk around the neighborhood.
That got me thinking. There’s a club in the region for this. It’s called the Smoky Mountain Dock Dogs. You can either join as a member or practice with the club on a month-to-month basis. There are even events that the organization hosts and participates in. The practices are held a nice drive away in Morristown. There is a calendar and registration page on the website. You can go to smokymountaindockdogs.com and find out more information. On the website, they talk about three different events: how high the dog can jump - Extreme Vertical, how long the dog can jump - Big Air, and how quickly they can retrieve the bumper - Speed Retrieve.
I’m definitely checking out their calendar to see if they have anything on the schedule that we can join. If you have a water dog, maybe we will see you there or in another body of water, even if it’s a puddle!
Comments