Brewster's Page of Water Games

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Every August we go on vacation to Maine and stay on a lake. I spend all day long in the water and have invented many fun water games. When Larry gets a scanner, he'll be able to put some pictures of my games on this web site. In the mean time, you'll just have to use your imagination. Anyway, Larry ties me to the end of a row boat, using a 30-foot, orange tracking lead. I can then move about freely, but won't get lost. Larry does a lot of reading, so often isn't paying attention. I wouldn't want to get lost, so this is fine.

Before I begin, I should inform you that Golden Retrievers have webbed paws. That means that God meant for us to be swimming around in the water. Sometimes people forget about us and think only about Laborador and Chesapeak Bay Retrievers as water dogs. I tell you, us Goldens can swim with the best of them.

So one of the best games is to splash the water with my front paws and then try to bite the water spray. I can swim along like a novice, slapping away at the water with my front paws, and then lunge and bite the spray. Of course I can swim normally, without splash, but the splash and bite game is fabulous fun.

Then there's the scratch and sniff game. I'll wander along in close to the little beach we have and scratch up the sand, then sniff the water where I've disturbed things. The most amazing smells come up through the water when you scratch them off the sand.

Since I'm tied up to a row boat, I can use my lead to play tug of war. To make if more fun, I make groaning sounds while I'm tugging away. Larry and Justin say I sound like a Wookie. A variant is to grab the lead really close to the boat and push frantically at the boat with my front paws while groaning. It's great fun. Much better than reading those old books in which Larry seems so engrossed.

We can also use the lead to play bondage games. I can swim around in circles and get all tangled up. Then I grab the lead and groan and pretend to struggle. Since I was "fixed" at an early age, I don't really understand what Larry and Justin are talking about when they say the word "bondage", but from their snickers, I would gather that it's not something delicate.

Another fun thing to do is to swim around and then do surface diving for the lead. I can get rather far under the water and pick up the lead, then continue swimming around with it in my mouth.

I can do this stuff all day. The only time I'm not champing at the bit, so to speak, for an early dinner, is when I'm at the lake. I don't understand why we can't move there permanently.

To be continued....

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