Fun at the lake....

....and at the cabin, and with other dogs! Last week Melissa and I spent some time with my friend Barbara and her two dogs at a cabin on a small lake. A fenced yard that led right down to the water was a bonus.

Early morns we hiked around the lake, part gravel, part dirt road. We met several other people walking with and without dogs. Melissa got to practice walking nicely on lead and also sitting politely, just because we had a few days of vacation did not mean her manners were forgotten.

The majority of the day was spent with the dogs being wet.


Water dogs they were!









On the dock, in the water, a run in the yard and back into the water.




They retrieved bumpers, they ran with bumpers, they shared bumpers.





























They sniffed all the great smells in the yard.





They watched people in boats pass by the dock.





























Melissa found a green ball from a previous visiting dog.

Melissa never did jump off the dock but she learned to use the steps that were on the side of the dock, or she accessed the water directly from the yard. And she swam and swam and swam. There were times that Barbara and I put the bumpers away to the dogs could take a rest. We lounged on the dock, the dogs waited patiently for their bumpers to re-appear. Melissa at times would enter the water, and just start swimming.





I am not sure if she would have gone across the lake, but she sure went way over her head. But luckily she has a fairly good recall and we could call her back to land.

In the evening while we ate dinner, the dogs waited in their x-pens which we had on the screen porch. Not one dog whined or barked to be let out, from being rewarded in the past for good behavior, the dogs easily adjusted to the new routine.

We did have two mishaps. Melissa did pick up my travel mug filled with ice and freshly poured Margarita and off she ran in the yard. I like to think it was because I have been teaching her to retrieve......

And we lost one of the floating noodles. And not in the water..... It was very enticing to Melissa....to her it probably looked like a very long bumper. Barbara and I were on the dock, our back to the yard. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something blue....it was Melissa with the noodle. The other dogs saw her and a little chase followed. I was able to trade Melissa a few treats for the blue noodle, but the noodle did lose a few inches......

And we had wet dogs...very wet dogs. Melissa has not yet shed her puppy curls, so has lots of coat. So we usually got the dogs in before dark, their last potty break before bedtime was on lead to prevent them from going back into the water. We dried them the best we could with towels and then had them lie in front of the woodstove . Yes, it was chilly at nights for a fire!

Glory was not the only one who could not keep her eyes open after a long day of playing outdoors.

The sunsets were gorgeous. It was a quiet time, the sky all aglow with color. What could be better then ending a perfect day with a friend and our dogs at our side?