Chappy was absolutely flabbergasted to learn, today, that apparently, toddlers can drive.

See, he and I were invited to Risa’s today, to spend the day outside, in the yard, by the pool, having lunch. And it was all going wonderfully until the traffic started.

Chappy, unsure about the wisdom of letting two-year-old humans drive heavy machinery, barked his concern, causing frowns and surprised looks on the part of the drivers in question. “Of course we can drive,” you can see them thinking. “Now, be quiet.”

Because, really, who appreciates criticism when they’re driving?

Of course, all was forgiven when we stopped by the pool. This was Chappy’s first experience with a swimming pool and he simply did not know what to make of it. It was actually an unexpected detour we made. We’d spent the entire visit over in the yard, knitting (Risa and I, anyway), napping (the twins) stretching out in the grass (Chappy). We’d all had lunch together–Risa grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, and corn on the cob. (Chappy thought the hot dogs, in particular, were delicious. My hamburger was excellent–as was the corn.) But really, we hadn’t gone near the pool.

But, just as Chappy and I were leaving, he expressed an interest in taking a closer look. (By “expressed an interest” I mean he pulled me over to the gate, and while he may not be a large dog, believe me when I tell you that he is strong!) So, all five of us went in to the pool’s own little enclosure and Chappy ran around sniffing . . . and before you knew it, Risa and I were sitting on the edge, dangling our feet, and the twins were sneaking further and further down the stairs . . .

Succumbing to the inevitable, Risa dashed inside to get into her bathing suit while I kept an eye on the twins. (Even I, a virtual non-swimmer, could rescue a toddler from 4 feet of water if I needed to.) All the while Chappy ran around the edges of the pool, getting more and more excited. All that splashing and floating and such looked like fun!

  But the thing is that, even though Chappy’s breed is a water dog (”The Dog That Doesn’t Rock The Boat”), he himself does not swim. He wades. He splashes. He romps. He plays. But paws do not leave the ground. So while he sat on the top step, and even lay down on it (once) . . . and even though he very clearly WANTED to do what the twins were having so much fun doing . . .he couldn’t quite bring himself to jump in the pool. At one point, Risa and both twins were calling to him, “Come on, Chappy. Jump!” . . . but, no. And when Risa tried lifting him off the step, well, that was a little too scary. What are you supposed to do when your paws aren’t touching the ground, he wanted to know. And, well, how do you explain that to your dog?

Now, some people believe that you should just toss your dog into a pool, that instinct will kick in, and they’ll swim, just like that. And while I do believe that Chappy could, I know my “soft” dog well enough to know that something like that would traumatize him more than not. Some dogs are less intrepidly daring than others. So, of course, we didn’t force him in any further than he was willing to go . . . but, maybe next time I’ll dig my own suit out of mothballs (it’s been about 9 years since it’s been out of the drawer) and see if that doesn’t help encourage him. Obviously, a doggie-floatation device would be helpful, too, but somehow, I don’t think we’d quite get our money’s worth! (grin) At least he got his feet wet. (See here? He’s got all four paws on the top step, but he’s actually sitting down on the edge of the pool. But, oh, he wanted to jump in!)

Oh, and Risa? Please note how I did not post the picture of the twins in the pool after they took off their diapers but before you brought them their bathing suits. This is a G-rated blog, you know. We had a wonderful time again today–like always!

• Tags: Chappy, Friends, General • Permalink:Who Knew Toddlers Could Drive? //