There is a level of angst that starts to stir in me once the end of August approaches. Holly is immune to this sort of distress. Every day is what it is and for her it is generally worry free. She finds her fun with whatever is happening, whomever it might be with and whichever toy may be around at the time. I recall wondering what she would do when winter is over because she loves snow so much, now I am wondering what will she do when summer is over because she loves the lake so much.
We squeezed in a Saturday afternoon of fun at DeeAnn’s cabin with Lana and Adam, and of course Kooper! Natually there was swimming involved, mostly by my dolphin dog, Helen. The others swam as well but much of the time was also games of chase, tag, tug and a rousing round of fetching the blue duck flung mostly by Adam. All the dogs believed this blue duck was a hot item and everyone tried their hardest to retrieve it, then hold on to it. Helen even seem to be interested until she realized it was work to hold and carry it around.
We feel blessed to have this family of five dogs that accept and understand each other’s quirks and preferences. They all do well with each other and have their own versions of friendships and playtime rules. It was interesting watching Holly, Keltie and Kooper play as a threesome. Holly showed some confusion on that combination and turned into a cheering spectator until a twosome would spin off. Holly also took liberty to visit Jimmy, the cabin neighbor’s dog, because there just weren’t enough dogs in her own yard! Jimmy is an elderly dog with visual impairment. Holly does her yoga pose – head on the ground, butt straight up – with her head directly under little Jimmy’s nose. He’s making noises at her that aren’t exactly growls but they are not giggles either. Holly is determined to win him over. I’m betting on Holly.
To round the week-end off, DeeAnn & I took the dogs for a picnic down by Lake Superior. It was Holly’s first time in the big lake, perhaps Helen’s too. I’m not sure if Tess had Helen to the Lake Superior beach. Because the water was cold, wavy and quickly reached deep depths, I had both girls on a long lead. The cold water did not seem to bother either one. Helen ran the shoreline most of the time, got blasted by a few waves but went right back in and on occasion faced straight center and swam like she was heading to Wisconsin. Holly went out a few times to the end of the lead but mostly swam/walked parallel to the shoreline when by the water. All the dogs were tied up while we ate our deli sandwiches, a good lesson in learning picnic behavior. Some rested on the warm rocks, others found sticks to chew or new smells to sniff. They adjusted to what they had in their surroundings for fun and pleasure. No apparent angst. And once again I remind myself – who’s giving who the lessons?
On the Beach
Pontoon Ride
Stacking Balls
Talking Eyes
The Prized Blue Duck
They Love Lana
Keltie and Holly
Holly & the Duck
First Dip in the Big Lake
DeeAnn & Most of the Dogs
After A Good Day
