In honor of the day, here is a little video of a dog ‘rescuing’ a child from the ocean. The dog either thought that her shrieks of delight were actually signals of distress or maybe he was acting on the general principle that children should not be in the ocean without wearing a lifejacket. He was also probably annoyed at the grownups present for not aiding in the ‘rescue’ and instead simply filming it.
In this video, a cat pulls a magic disappearing act on a dog.
Cat vs. dog 😹 pic.twitter.com/CKUt6xNvqe
— The Dodo (@dodo) August 25, 2018
Baxter the Wonder Dog has not had any occasion to engage in dramatic rescues but I am sure that he would rise to the occasion if need be. Here he is doing what he does best, just chilling in the back yard.
Here are some quotes about dogs:
- “Everything I know I learned from dogs.” – Nora Roberts
- “Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.” – Agnes Sligh Turnbull
- “Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” – Roger Caras
- “Happiness is a warm puppy.” – Charles Shultz
- “Every dog must have his day.” – Jonathan Swift
- “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”- Josh Billings
- “I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.” – Gilda Radner
- “When I needed a hand, I found your paw.” – Unknown
- “Everyone thinks they have the best dog. And none of them are wrong.” – Unknown
- “Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, and filling an emptiness we didn’t ever know we had.” – Thom Jones
- “Love is a four legged word.” – Unknown
- “The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth will ever be.” – Konrad Lorenz
- “Some of our greatest historical and artistic treasures we place with curators in museums; others we take for walks.” – Roger A. Caras
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”
Groucho Marx
.
Baxter is looking good.
That looks to be one of the European ‘mountain dog’ breeds, bred to herd and protect livestock at higher altitudes (hence a large, bulky dog with a double layer of hair, long outer layer to cope with extreme cold and an inner, closely matted layer for ‘waterproofing’). They not only guard their charges against predators, they will also rescue those that fall into mountain lakes or rivers.
They’ve been selectively bred for long enough for this behaviour to be instinctive, just as herding is in Border collies, so the dog in the clip was just plucking one of the flock to safety.
Here’s a video from me, it’s a song I like.
—
Milonga for my Dog
By Horacio Guarany
If a man becomes evil, they call that man a dog. (2X)
The dog is a long river
Of friendship and memory.
If a man becomes evil, they call that man a dog.
When a lasso of sadness
Is enveloping my soul, (2X)
My dog makes it its own,
And it soon keeps me company.
If a man becomes evil, they call that man a dog.
Sometimes a hope
Brings happiness to my life, (2X)
And in the cowbell of its tail
Happiness dances malambo.
If a man becomes evil, they call that man a dog.
If it’s cold at night
It shivers without a word, (2X)
And if it’s chased by hunger
It turns the hunger into a pillow
In order to lie on top of it
Waiting for the dawn.
And it falls asleep between hunger and cold
All alone and without a word.
If a man becomes evil, they call that man a dog.
How offensive it is for my dog
To be compared with bad people!
If a man becomes evil, they call that man a dog.
The rescuer looks to be at least partly, if not mostly, Newfoundland. Yes they’re frequently used as water rescue dogs due to their perceptiveness, love of water, double coat, and protective instincts. I once witnessed a young Newfie at the dog park come and stand protectively over a young child who’d taken a tumble until the child’s caregiver reached her-- and the Newfie wasn’t even the kid’s dog!
I love the way the dog seems to decide that it’s the breaking waves what are the problem, keeps one wary eye on the surf, dragging hir charge until the girl is out of reach. What a good doggie.