Leaps of Faith

There are dogs who leap 20+ feet off a dock into a pool of water in the Super Retriever Series of Dock Dogs competitions. It is an amazing event. Dogs who live to retrieve and love the water. It's mostly a lab driven event, but there are Golden's, GSP's, mixed breeds, Spaniels....you name it, if the dog loves the water they will be there jumping. This year's event was held at Scheel's Sporting Goods. We go to watch my son's dog Decoy jump. Labs and water are pretty much synonymous.

They also offer time for fun jumps for those who haven't ever tried dock jumping. Victories in that category are measured much differently.

For example, I took Mr. Hanky for the fun jump session this morning. For a dog who was picked up a stray, found his way into rescue and has mast cell tumors every day is a victory. We went for a much different reason. We went to experience something new together. To seize the moment, to test the water, to jump into new experiences.

Okay, so "jumping" may be a stretch. First off, I didn't even know if he'd been in water before. Other than the water torture he associates with getting a bath. So, my expectations were low. Way lower than the distance from the dock to the water. In fact we didn't even go up on top of the dock. We went to the side ramp to walk him up one side and down the other into the water. I'm sure people watching considered our attempts feeble and laughable. Hank was uncertain and certainly not eager. With help we got him to go up the ramp and down into the water. If Hank could talk he would have been swearing like a sailor.

He wasn't the most athletic dog there, or adventurous, or ball driven. And who knows if he'll be here next year to try again. It was a victory measured through the bond of love and adventure. Once was enough for Hank, and for me. It was a small leap of faith that made huge indelible memories. I came away with a wet dog, and happy memories. Life is good.