Arthur, the Whitewater Dog
Norm Vance
Do you have a retriever? Or the better question
is, does a retriever have you? Retrievers of any type are great
dogs and seem, after a bit of bonding, to be the animal in charge
around the house, including you. What can’t they get us
to do?
The golden retriever, Arthur, takes his man down to the river
about three times a week for good adventure, swimming, and fetching.
He has an intensely great time, super exercise and I get away
from the PC for a while, bless his heart. You might enjoy such
an adventure if your retriever will take you.
We tend to frequent the spot just across from The Springs Resort
near/under the footbridge. This is an excellent area because there
are a lot of boulders, various rapids, some semi-still water and
a built in audience happily up to their chins in hot water. Arthur
does like an audience, as he fully knows, IT IS ALL ABOUT HIM.
Retrievers are bred to swim, capture and bring back things in
the water. It is like a religion to them. Arthur, with any hint
there might be something to fetch, ignores food, other dogs and
almost any stimuli and looks/points to the object of desire with
frightful seriousness.
The object of desire is a chartreuse tennis ball. In a rapidly
flowing river visibility is the key to the game. If you can accept
wet and dirty hands and knees, get down to the dog’s level.
It’s easy to determine that both sticks and balls are hard
to see. They are bouncing in choppy water with bright sky/sun
reflections while moving down river. It’s best to have something
lighter and brighter than the water.
We use a plastic ball thrower. This device is great for big
dogs because it allows a throw three to four times farther than
normal. I wear my arm out throwing for Arthur and he’s back
almost immediately. The thrower gives him a good run and me a
break. When playing at home, I have a few more seconds to get
something done.
The Chuck-It Ball Thrower. |
The thrower works on the same principle as an atlatl, (at lat
l) an Indian invention used to throw small spears before they
developed the bow and arrow. It is a shaft with a handle on one
end and a cup shape molded into the other. The ball or spear’s
end rests in the cup until thrown. It simply makes the arm longer
so the throw is stronger. The "Chuck-It Ball Thrower"
brand is available at Ponderosa Hardware in two sizes. The longer
one is easier to use and the shorter one is better to carry around.
With this thrower I can put the ball a good distance upriver.
After some use one gets fairly accurate, placing the ball where
you want it, not unlike a fly fisherman.
The drawback to fetching in the river is that sooner or later
the dog is going to lose the ball to the current. I have no idea
how many balls we have donated to Navajo Lake! If the dog can’t
see it and you can, try throwing a rock where the ball is. Sometimes
Arthur reacts to the splash and gets the ball in the nick of time.
In summer we play at Echo Lake when the river is too low to
be fun. Any lake will do, but using a concrete boat ramp keeps
the dog cleaner.
Get out and play with your dog. It's great fun and exercise
and your dog likes it too!
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