Sue Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 I’m on holiday so I thought I would take morning tea to some work mates. It’s a forty minute drive but the town contains one of only two dog friendly beaches in this area and it’s leash free too. One of the dogs has sore feet (Major) and salt water is great for healing things so he was a certain to go. I also decided to take Ziggy who can be trusted off leash to come when called. So off we go. I have morning tea then head off to the beach. Major was returned to me a couple of months ago totally untrained. He will not come back at all so I use a seven metre lunge line so he can have some freedom and get into the water. He loves water. The weather has been bad for a few days and the sea was very rough. Large rollers are coming in. Ziggy happily runs around, staying out of the waves - but not Major. He heads straight for the wash and splashes around. Then he notices the rollers and decides those are for him. He runs to the end of the lunge lead and straight into a wave, gets rolled over, jumps up and heads back for the next one. Then disaster. Somehow the clasp gets stuck through the collar and it comes off over his head and he’s free. Does he come to me when I call for him, no way. He heads straight into the huge waves and starts swimming to Oz. No matter how much I yell he just keeps going. The waves are pushing him across the beach towards the cliffs. I am panicking thinking he is ever going to drown or manage to swim around the cliff to god knows where. The waves were bigger along the cliff face and they push him up against the cliff and onto some rocks. One wave rolls him over and he ends up upside down, cast between two large rocks. Just as another wave comes over him and he struggles upright I reach him and grab hold of his tail. I drag him back over the rocks to the beach and get the lead back over his head and get it all sorted. That was enough beach experience for a day so we head back to the car, me soaking wet up to my knees and him totally happy and wanting to go back into the waves. Obviously there’s not much going on in his skull at all. I thought he was a goner. On the positive side – his feet got a good soaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 Shite. Scarey stuff. I bet your heart was in your mouth the whole time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W Sibs Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 OMG What an adventure!! Glad that Major is alright!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diva Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 He's a brave stupid lucky dog! Well done for getting him out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 He's a brave stupid lucky dog!Well done for getting him out of it. I'm pleased you didn't end up in the drink with him. That could have been a nightmare. Bloody dogs!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ari.g Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 Holy crap! Glad he is ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 harness and life jacket on next time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiggD Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 That was a close call! Glad Major is OK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundyburger Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 When god gave out brains, Major thought he said trains and he missed his.. Silly dog!! Glad he's ok... Bet you'll be thinking twice taking him to the beach again now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Posted December 22, 2010 Author Share Posted December 22, 2010 Yes, I've always wondered about Major's intelligence. I hand reared him as he could not get himeslf on a teat but had no problem with a bottle. That should have been the warning of things to come! He's asleep now, no doubt reliving his swim to freedom. And no, we will not be going to the beach again! It's bad enough taking him to a stream in town for a swim without going through todays drama again. But he does love swimming, so it would be awful to deprive him of his thrill. Maybe a harness would be better for long line stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W Sibs Posted December 22, 2010 Share Posted December 22, 2010 I will definitely invest in a life jacket too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpotTheDog Posted December 22, 2010 Share Posted December 22, 2010 (edited) Oh man that's scary... It reminds me of an incident many, many years ago when my dad was still alive, back in the day when neighbourhoods had 'latchkey' dogs. My neighbours had a labrador, a gorgeous dog called Rusty. He was friendly, exuberant and loved to swim. Dad took him to the beach most evenings (his owners never walked him). One evening on the beach, the dog runs up to dad with a large kid's plastic sandcastle bucket in his mouth. He loved to fetch, so dad threw the bucket into the water for him. After it he went, grabbed it, fetched it back. The water wasn't rough and it was a calm, warm evening. Dad was throwing the bucket further and further out for the dog to give him a good workout. He didn't realise there was a crack in the bottom of the bucket, which is why it had been discarded in the first place. He throws the bucket out to sea and the dog goes bounding after it, swims out, grabs it - but then something weird - the bucket had some water in it and had started to sink some, and the dog dove for it and as he was pulling it up with him the water pressure opened the crack in the bucket's base, and Rusty's paw got stuck in the crack. Dad said he watched the dog dive, kept watching, but the dog wasn't coming up - his arse and his tail were above the water, but no head. He watched for 10 seconds. Worried. 20 seconds. Eyes wide. At 30 seconds dad realises there's a problem and races into the water - he has to swim out up to his chest to the dog, drags the labrador to the surface and holds him across his torso and backstrokes to the beach (dad was a merchant navy sailor for 20 years and while I've no idea if he was formally trained, did his fair share of swimming and lifesaving in the water). He got out of the water, the dog is coughing and vomiting water, dad's helping him with some sort of cross between a reassuring hug and a heimlich manouvre, and he takes the bucket off the dog's paw. Shaking with adrenalin, with the coughing, vomiting dog at his feet, dad hurls the bucket out to sea in a rage. And Rusty bounds off into the water after it... Edited December 22, 2010 by SpotTheDog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DURNSTEIN Posted December 22, 2010 Share Posted December 22, 2010 harness and life jacket on next time! Agree with this!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashsmum Posted December 22, 2010 Share Posted December 22, 2010 Wow, glad it ended okay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perfect partners Posted December 22, 2010 Share Posted December 22, 2010 Oh man that's scary...It reminds me of an incident many, many years ago when my dad was still alive, back in the day when neighbourhoods had 'latchkey' dogs. My neighbours had a labrador, a gorgeous dog called Rusty. He was friendly, exuberant and loved to swim. Dad took him to the beach most evenings (his owners never walked him). One evening on the beach, the dog runs up to dad with a large kid's plastic sandcastle bucket in his mouth. He loved to fetch, so dad threw the bucket into the water for him. After it he went, grabbed it, fetched it back. The water wasn't rough and it was a calm, warm evening. Dad was throwing the bucket further and further out for the dog to give him a good workout. He didn't realise there was a crack in the bottom of the bucket, which is why it had been discarded in the first place. He throws the bucket out to sea and the dog goes bounding after it, swims out, grabs it - but then something weird - the bucket had some water in it and had started to sink some, and the dog dove for it and as he was pulling it up with him the water pressure opened the crack in the bucket's base, and Rusty's paw got stuck in the crack. Dad said he watched the dog dive, kept watching, but the dog wasn't coming up - his arse and his tail were above the water, but no head. He watched for 10 seconds. Worried. 20 seconds. Eyes wide. At 30 seconds dad realises there's a problem and races into the water - he has to swim out up to his chest to the dog, drags the labrador to the surface and holds him across his torso and backstrokes to the beach (dad was a merchant navy sailor for 20 years and while I've no idea if he was formally trained, did his fair share of swimming and lifesaving in the water). He got out of the water, the dog is coughing and vomiting water, dad's helping him with some sort of cross between a reassuring hug and a heimlich manouvre, and he takes the bucket off the dog's paw. Shaking with adrenalin, with the coughing, vomiting dog at his feet, dad hurls the bucket out to sea in a rage. And Rusty bounds off into the water after it... OMG that is awful - but I couldn't help laughing at the end! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keira&Phoenix Posted December 22, 2010 Share Posted December 22, 2010 He got out of the water, the dog is coughing and vomiting water, dad's helping him with some sort of cross between a reassuring hug and a heimlich manouvre, and he takes the bucket off the dog's paw. Shaking with adrenalin, with the coughing, vomiting dog at his feet, dad hurls the bucket out to sea in a rage.And Rusty bounds off into the water after it... LOL thats just tooooo funny! Not the part about him almost drowning but that last part. Silly Major. Glad all is ok though, Quick thinking on your feet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted December 22, 2010 Share Posted December 22, 2010 Blimey that's your adrenaline rush for the day!! So glad you and Major are okay. I am thinkig a FIRMLY fitting harness is definately the way to go! Oh and hope it helped his feet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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