Miscallenous

Ester Williams in fur

   An advertisment in the local paper caught my eye:

Swimming for dogs! Opens Soon!

   This sounded like great fun, so I called and arranged an appointment.

   When we stood outside the door I was getting second thoughts. Sure, all our dogs like to swim and do it well. In the sea or in the lake, but this was a swimming-pool.

   So we enter and finds out that a swimming-pool it is. End of discussion. Oh, well, there are two small rooms for treatment (electrotherepy and acupuunctyre) and a shower-room with a small tub.

   But the overruling object is a GIANT TUB, 8 meters long, 3 meters wide, 1.3 meters deep and towers 1.5 meters above the floor. A ramp up on the outside and a ramp down on the inside.

   Inger, who owns the place, is bubbling over with entusiasm and we tag along. Even Diggers is taken by some sorts of collective positiv spirit, and was beside himself with joy.

   This manifestation is taken somewhat aback when Inger starts to examine him, and bends, tweaks, stretches all over him and listens to his heart. She finds him fit-for-fight and takes him to the shower, where he is throughly rinsed and provided with a lifewest. Actually I promised not to tell anyone, but the first time you wear a floating-device and later on an ordinary harness.

   The idea is this; Digger is in the tub, Inger is walking up on the edge, holding Digger in a leash, and we are walking around the tub.

   They walk up the ramp and stops dead.

   Digger stands and stares. Inger is holding a flexi-leash, which is fastened in the lifewest, to obtains some control. She thinks she doesn't have to join him in the pool because he is so calm.

   Digger stares at Jonas who is standing across the swimming-pool saying:

— Come on! Get in! — Is this a joke? — Nope, get in! Come here! — Ok, I'm coming.

   Whereupon he gets in, and in about 3 powerful strokes reaches Jonas and tries to get up. There is so much water in a briard-coat. Did you know that?

— No, no, no! Stay! Swim! — You told me to come... — Yeah.. but.. sorry. You swim in there, I walk beside you out here

   The he swam. Round and round. 15 minutes later he came up with is tail wagging and the tounge hanging.

   Back to the shower. It is very important that all the chloride get properly rinsed out.

   Afterwards he got wrapped in towels, like a spring-roll, and got to cool off a bit before stretching. He looked quite satisfied so we made appointments for the other dogs as well.

   Now they swim 25-30 minutes and I can tell it's good for them.