The Water Baby

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.