Monday, June 2, 2008

Boating with Daisy, Chapter 1

Chapter 1:  This is a boat.  This is water.

About a month ago, Daisy bounded for the car at the casual mention of ride, not really knowing what she was getting into.  She was adept at getting on and off of E's docked houseboat, and would follow me up to the roof deck, back into the kitchen, and the front deck area,and all about the grounds.  Daisy almost dozed off with her head on E's lap.  Good, we thought she'd gotten comfortable.

This was an overnight check out how the boat is to get it ready for the season trip, so we hadn't brought food with us other than dog food and treats.  E and I were going to leave for dinner.  I gave Daisy a treat and said good-bye.  E stepped up the small ladder onto the deck, and held out his hand for me to follow him.  He then pulled up the stepladder so that Daisy wouldn't follow.

Ha.

I should have known my dog.  As a puppy, no baby gate could hold her; she jumped right over.

Only thing is, to jump out of the boat and land on the dock, Daisy would have had to jump up, and jump long.

Splash.   She misjudged.  Daisy has never swam before.  She hates baths (so we tend to spot-bathe her when that'll work).  She freaked when she once went almost neck-deep into a pond to chase the oh so terribly exciting geese.  E knew this about her.

E dives in after Daisy, who has innately started doggy-paddling.  E had on his clothes, shoes, wallet with, well, everything including the free entry passes to the following week's festival, eyeglasses.  Daisy heads towards a lower beam near shore where I await her, and E lifts her up to me.

Dinner waited until after E could run to the only accessible store, a K-mart, and buy something else to wear.  (While waiting, a "neighbor" boating guy talked with me for a bit about swimming lessons and such.  This was my debut at this marina with E, with them having known his former long-term girlfriend, "Dora.")  When E and I left for dinner, Daisy seemed alright, yet was panicking when we returned, scratching on the inside of the glass door. She wouldn't leave me alone the rest of the night (which wasn't exactly in E's evening plans). 

The next morning, she was excited about the birds and the smells on the long walk along developed marshy-land, and the smells of the water itself.  She was very careful about entering and exiting the boat via the door, however.   At one point, sitting on the deck eating breakfast, a woman I'd never seen and E said he hadn't talked with that trip, walked by with her things to go home, "No more swimming lessons?"  Daisy was the talk of the dock.  I'm REALLY glad it was about my dog, and not about me.  :)

 

 


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3 comments:

  1. Kmart, my mortal fashion enemy as a kid.  But up against staying in soaking wet clothes, good choice. I think those type of normal little gone awry situations are very telling in a relationship.  Some turn into the neighborhood scold when anything out of the ordinary happens. I weed those folks out quickly. ~Mary

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  2. You do realize that this man is a real keeper? He dove in, fully clothed, to rescue your dog! Hell, I'm in love with him!--Sheria

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  3. I love E too!!!!!  He dove in after your girl....wallet and all.  WOOOOWWW....talk about a Prince.
    Lisa

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