Swimming 101

Rejoice!  Mr. Sawyer has finally taken the plunge (pun intended) and mastered the dog-paddle.  With yesterday's extreme heat, a trip to the Hamilton beach was warranted.  Sawyer had no idea what we had in store for him, as we were packing up the vehicle.  Once at the beach, there was no turning back.

We were relieved to see half a dozen other dogs wading in the water or chasing after their prized fluorescent balls.  It was safe to let him off-leash. Off he went.  Mr. I-Love-To-Network-With-Every-Dog-in-Sight Sawyer is definitely not a shy dog. He met three beautiful retrievers (tried stealing their balls), another Berner (with a haircut, who had absolutely NO interest in Sawyer) and a number of other mixed breeds.  Some were more receptive to his advances, while others blatantly told him off.

(networking with his friends)

MJ was very determined to teach Sawyer to swim once and for all, and never gave up.  She coaxed him with sticks and lots of encouragement.  Finally after half an hour standing in the water, our boy finally paddled over to her.  Way to go girl!  Although MJ maintained that he was cheating by allowing his back paws to touch bottom while paddling to his destination.  It was a joyous moment for us, as well as other bystanders who joined in on the cheers.

Bravo Sawyer, you've earned your Level 1 swimming badge!

(splashing about)

 (standing on your back paws, eh?!)

 (almost there Sawyer!)

 (Hanging on tight to mom!)

  (hey, someone needs to teach that dog to cut back on the splashing!)

(After a good swim, Mr. Sawyer just had to roll in the sand, then shake the excess all over me....sigh!)

Patio

Some time ago, W laid down a little vintage brick patio along the shaded fence-line for Sawyer to enjoy on hot days.  It was also designed to keep him somewhat cleaner, rather than lie in the mud.  This past weekend, W embellished Sawyer's pad with a driftwood sign using a lovely, worn plank  found on the shores of Lake Erie.  Great job W!

WARNING!!

Due to the somewhat-sensitive nature of this blog entry, children and anyone sensitive to animal cruelty, may find the contents of this entry upsetting.  Please be forewarned.



Sawyer made a new discovery in our backyard this morning.  I noticed a lot of sniffing & earth digging behind my prized Zebra grass.

(guarding his "stash" behind the Zebra grass)

He appeared very focused on his mission.  Putting my knitting aside to investigate , I walked over to explore.  Before I knew it, I heard a squeaky sound emitting from his mouth as he ran away from me.  I was chasing him through the yard like a psychotic puppy mommy, begging him to "drop-it!!".  When he finally released his "squeeker",  I realized with horror he had captured two baby bunnies! They were a mere days' old and had not opened their wee little eyes.   Both little bunnies fell to the ground when Sawyer realized I meant business.

(trying to hide from Sawyer)

Although I was appalled at Sawyer's lack of remorse, I had to accept that animal instinct & curiosity kicked in.  His sense of smell was remarkable and once he snagged a bunny or two, he merely used them as play toys to paw or to pounce on, not meaning to harm them.  The "squeaky" sound emitted by the bunnies made it that much more fun for Sawyer.  I observed him rolling on the grass with joy, after he elicited a reaction from the bunnies.

(the survivor)

I was very concerned that while Sawyer is on a raw meat diet, he may have considered them as tasty appetizers.  Thankfully, once they stopped emitting any noise, he soon lost interest and ready to snatch another one!

Sadly, one bunny didn't survive his journey on this planet, but I managed to save the rest.

(Poor little bunny....)

  

 (Determined to get at those bunnies again!)

They are now all cozied up back in their warren awaiting their mom's arrival.  With a little creativity I rigged up a pathetic fence to deter Sawyer from raiding the den once again, using twine, metal poles , sticks, a little chicken wire & the existing fence.  Will it keep Sawyer out?  Not likely, which is why we are taking turns supervising the little rascal.

(Awww, mom! You ruined my fun!)

At this point, we are thankful he didn't raid a skunk or porcupine nest!!