Skittles, the Living Skimmer

What is a Skittles?

Skittles is the name of our 12lb Chorkie puppy.  She will be two in January.  Yes, shes a little on the heavy side and shes very sensitive about it.  However, she is the cutest puppy in the world.  Yes, that’s right.  The cutest puppy in the world!

Besides, being the cutest puppy ever…….she loves the water.  Every time we go swimming, she would run around the pool making those annoying anxious sounds that are usually reserved for females in heat.  Female dogs that is.  I don’t think I’ve heard those sounds come from a………..never mind.  Back to the story.

 

Lets go Swimming!

So, she loves the water and runs around the pool when we swim.  The loving parents we are, we invite her to jump in.  But she wont.  She wont even get on the first step.  She just does this hesitation dance and acts like shes going in……..but……….no, just another dance.

Before the Dance Begins

If we put her in the pool (on the first step) she lifts one paw (her right front paw) out of the water and just holds it there.   I don’t know why.  But, she does it every time.   After a few times of that, she would step onto the boogie board….if……..you were holding onto it and cruised around the pool with her.  Now, this isn’t so bad………for her.  However, for us, all we get is her butt in our face because she wants to try and drink ALL the water out of the pool.  So, the first year, we swam around with her butt in our face.

There Has Gotta Be a Better Way

This year we were determined to find a solution that would allow all parties to enjoy the water at the same time without anyone feeling left out, ignored or with the overwhelming urge to perform the hesitation dance.   We knew she couldn’t sit on a raft because her nails would just puncture it.  So, we set out to find a bigger boogie board.  We looked high and low at Target, Walmart and Shasta Pools.   But no clear solution was to be found.  So, we improvised.  We know she likes the water, but wants to feel secure and be able to drink ALL the water. 

Here’s what we came up with.

Boogie Board-Raft Invention Hmmmm

Genius Right!?  NOT.  If you think she doesn’t look happy.  You are correct. 

With this contraption, she doesn’t get the cooling effect of the water, cant drink ALL the water in the world, and she floats aimlessly around the pool.  Shortly after this picture, started the annoying anxious sounds again. 

Back to the drawing board as they say.  Or, more like, back to her butt being in our face again. 

On A Mission

On a mission to resolve this butt in the face dilemma….I stumbled across this little boat with a mesh bottom so little children could float in the water, yet, not drown.  That’s IT!  The boat inflates, but the inflatable part is protected by this material.  And, the bottom is mesh.  So, her nails won’t dig in and puncture anything.

Perfect!  Right?  You tell me.

Gotta Smell It First

Oh, Cool Water!

Once Skittles got in the water……..an amazing thing happened.  She began to paddle ever so slightly towards anything floating in the water that resembled a leaf or bug.  She would swim the entire time, drinking water, eating leaves, attempting to eat bugs (unless they got in her boat…then she would start to squirm around trying to make sure they didn’t touch her) and enjoying the pool with her butt where it should be.

Skittles the Living Skimmer

Leave it

That reminds me of the time she was helping us in the garden and she wouldn’t leave this bee alone.  We kept telling her to ‘leave it’.  Which by the way works on adults too.  Every time Di would yell “leave it!” both me and Skittles would immediately drop whatever we had at the time.  It makes her laugh every time.  Di, that is, not Skittles.  But, then, I’m not sure I would know if she was laughing or not.

Anyway, back to the bee.  She wouldn’t ‘leave it’.  Finally, the bee had enough and flew at Skittles nose.  Skittles backed up, the bee bopped her again.  Skittles backed up, the bee did it again.  Then all of a sudden the bee flew around to her butt and bopped her there.  OMG!  Skittles jumped about 2 feet in the air and ran towards me with her tail tucked in. 

In case your wondering.  She did not get stung.  No swelling, redness, nothing.  She literally got her butt kicked by a bee.  It still makes me laugh. 

So, to end this post.  Here is a typically night after an evening swim.

My favorite Toy

So, with this, I say goodnight.

 

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