[NAGDU] Who Says Labs Don't Like Water?

[Stacie Gallegos - NAGDU]

Hello Everyone,

First happy Friday! I hope everyone Summer has been one filled with lots of adventures, lots of fun, and above all else, keeping cool. While I’m not wanting to dismiss the continued problems with Uber, I thought some of you might find this post entertaining. 
Raul and I along with Larry just returned from a much needed vacation visiting friends in South Padre Island. Although we’ve been to the Reo Grande Valley, (RGV) many times, this was our first time to visit South Padre Island. Our friends live practically right on the beach, and we had access to their awesome pool. We chose to not take Larry with us on the pontoon boat and jeep rides, but he spent quite a bit of time outside with us at the pool. 
The  first day, he hung out on the side of the pool pacing back and forth trying to figure out what were doing, and trying to decide if he wanted to brave the unknown, and come join us. We learned from Larry’s puppy raiser shortly after Raul first got him, that when  he was about 3 months old, Larry fell into a swimming pool. As a result, according to his puppy raisers, Larry was never interested in water. While he does enjoy going for his baths, he’s not a fan of rain, and when the grass is wet, he prances around; trying to keep from getting his feet wet. 
On Friday when we came back from our jeep ride on the beach, we decided to head straight for the pool. Once again, Larry decided to hang out on the pool side. Much to our surprise, Larry decided to forgo his fear of water, and before we knew what was happening, here comes Larry gently stepping onto the built in pool deck. We were so shocked and excited. I think Larry too was surprised, but after a bit he began to relax, and appeared as if he was enjoying himself. He particularly enjoyed using the 2 pool chairs; sitting on the deck as a sort of obstacle course. It was so funny watching him walk   back and forth; stepping over the chairs. For the rest of our vacation, any time we went to the pool, Larry was after a few minutes joining us. While he never ventured off of the pool deck, he did relax enough to the point where he was actually lying down in the water catching some rays. Who says Labs don’t like water? Happy Friday all. 					

—
Stacie Gallegos / Secretary
National Association of Guide Dog Users
Https://www.nagdu.org
(346) 439-7444  |  SGallegos at nagdu.org
“You can live the life you want. Blindness is not what holds you back.”