April 2001
Oak loves water. No ifs, ands, or buts. He has a favorite place on the creek (not the same as Mom's favorite place.) I carry him in the Jeep to the creek (a run-off actually) that is farthest from the house and he charges up and down the small water way splashing water and biting at the drops. He puts his head under to chase the tadpoles and other small critters that inhabit our seasonal creeks.

I believe he is so in love with water because his original puppy yard had a nice pond in it. He has grown up playing in water and knows it's the fastest way to cool off.

Oak is also a great dam buster. I love walking the creeks around our home and when I come to a  "log jam", I like to clear it away. After watching me break apart a few of these natural dams in the creek, Oak has decided it's fun to bust them open and watch the water rush by. While I daintily balance myself on the bank and use a stick to poke and prod the debris - Oak jumps right in and "digs" his way through. He can break a large dam in just a few minutes. There have been times that I spent as much as an hour clearing the obstructions.

Oak is a also a great teacher. Recently we were following a creek and I knew we were getting close to a trail. I wanted to cross the creek to get to the trail, but I couldn't find a place to cross. The water at this place was only about a foot deep, but about 4 feet across. I climbed down into the gully and started looking for a place to cross. Oak watched me for a few minutes then walked up behind, gave a gentle shove, then laughed hysterically when I slipped and slid across the water. When I turned to look, he was looking back as if to say "THAT'S the best way across!"

He is also very intelligent. When I tried to climb OUT of the gully, I couldn't find anything to hold onto. I grabbed at a couple of small weeds and tried to climb out, but they pulled loose. Oak (standing above me) walked up and grabbed the sleeve of my jacket and gave a mighty heave. He's very strong, but not quite that strong. I managed to get myself out of the gully and I praised him mightily for trying to help. (Oak jumps into and out of those gullies like they're only inches deep.)

Now my hiking boots are "creek shoes" and I wear them when I go with him. The water is cold and I hate walking home with wet feet, but it really makes his day when I romp in the water with him.

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