“Catch me if you can!” Lucy called, as she ran after the Frisbee.
“I’m not even going to try,” Jo replied. He trotted over to the base of the tree nearest the restroom, where Elbie was studying peemail. They both scratched around in the dirt, and then both left their own messages, Elbie’s message being scant inches from the ground, JoLee’s message about a foot above Elbie’s.
Mom was walking toward the picnic shelter, two towels, a couple of bright orange toys (a flying ring and a flying squirrel) and all the leashes in her hands.
“I wonder what’s up with the towels,” Elbie said. “Mom doesn’t usually bring towels out here – she leaves them in the Dogmobile.”
After depositing everything on the picnic table, Mom grabbed the Frisbee and flung it way out in the lake. Both JoLee and Lucy ran for the water, Jo with a sense of purpose on his face; Lucy with a goofy grin on hers. They both swam out to the Frisbee, JoLee scanning the surface of the water, and Lucy splashing around in circles. She’s getting much, much better at swimming, and doesn’t look nearly as dorky as when she first started. Jo finally spied the Frisbee, and once he had it securely in his teeth, Lucy grabbed the other side of it, and together they brought it back to shore!
“Very good!” Mom cheered and clapped her hands. “What good doggies I have!”
After a few more throws – some on land, some into the water, Mom called Elbie to her, clipped his leash on, and led him to the picnic pavilion, where she hooked his leash to one of the posts and locked it in place with another of the leashes. Elbie stood there, a look of uncertainty on his face. “What’s going on? Where are you going?” Mom just gave him a reassuring pat, and then turned and said to Lucy and Jo, “Let’s go swimming!”
Mom took the orange flying ring toy and waded waist-deep into the water. Lucy and JoLee swam circles around her, and there was lots of laughter and splashing going on. When she threw the ring, it hit the surface of the water and disappeared! Lucy made her way over to where the ring had disappeared and tried to look for it, ducking her head under the water, and snorting. Jo was on the shore, Frisbee firmly between his teeth.
“Huh! I could have sworn that was a floating one,” Mom said, shuffling over to where the ring had disappeared. Her feet were getting stuck in the muck on the bottom of the lake – she was having troubles walking at all, much less finding the bright orange ring. She finally gave up, and waded back to shore.
Elbie was looking a bit anxious and warm, waiting in the shade of the pavilion. And then you could see the idea, as it was being born, on Mom’s face. She detached Elbie’s leash from the pavilion and brought both Elbie and the leash to the water’s edge. Then she unleashed him and carried him out into the water. Elbie didn’t struggle, but he sure didn’t look very excited about this whole idea. And he knew what was coming next, you can believe that! About knee-deep for Mom, deep enough to ensure that Elbie’s whole body would be covered by water, Mom gently set him down. She made sure Elbie’s face was toward the shore, so the water wouldn’t slap him up the nose, and that his back feet could touch the bottom. And then she just held him there, a supporting hand under his chest. Elbie didn’t seem to mind! In fact, when she took her hands entirely off Elbie, he just stood there, the water gently swaying his body, a relaxed look on his face.
“Wow,” he said. “I didn’t know this was what swimming in the lake was like!” He stood there for the longest time, until Mom went to fetch the Frisbee for another toss, and then he made his way to the shore, shook about a gallon of water out of his fur, and started exploring the shoreline again.
Mom, Lucy and Jo splashed their way out of the lake. “Now that we’re all cooled off, let’s go for a little walk!” Mom hooked Elbie back on his leash (since he has a knack for disappearing at inconvenient times) and all four went for a leisurely stroll along the banks.
There was plenty to explore, for sure. A big flock of Canada geese were complaining loudly, and a blue heron looked up from where he was fishing. Elbie investigated the rocks along the banks, just sure he’d find something interesting. Lucy ran from Elbie to Jo to Mom and back again, and Mom kept flinging the Frisbee for her. JoLee was looking closely at something on the ground, and when Lucy ran up to him and asked, “What are you doing?” he looked up, with a big green grin.
“Jo! Your tongue is green!” Lucy gasped. Mom gasped at the same time. “Jo! You’re eating goose poo! Oh, ick!”
Oh, yeah. It was back to the water for everybody!
Later that night, near bedtime, Elbie was snuggled up against Mom on the couch. She ran her fingers through his fur and started laughing. “Elbie, you’re STILL damp! That’s some thick fur you have there!”
It was a great afternoon escape!
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