I mentioned yesterday that Sheba and I were headed to scout out a new swimming location. There is a 625 acre pond just about a mile away from us, and I knew of a couple possibilities of places I might be able to take the dogs swimming.
There is a dam at the head of the pond which we pass every day on our way to work. I was hoping there was a place to access the water there as I had read, and sure enough there was! We parked in the little parking lot for the state owned dam. We headed up the small hill and walked along the dam to one end where I thought the beach must be located.
It’s a small beach, but perfect for us. I imagine once school is out local kids might swim there, so I’m not sure if it will be a place we can go all of the time, or if I’ll be able to take Luke there. We’ll find that out as time goes on, but for now we had the perfect day and Sheba was thrilled to be chasing her Wet Wubba* once again! The water was pretty choppy from the breeze and Sheba hesitated to go in – until I threw the Wubba, then she was right after it!
I was concerned that the water might still be pretty cold but it felt pretty good to me. Sheba is allowed off leash for swimming since she’s good about sticking with me as long as we’re alone. Well, mostly.
After about 20 minutes of throwing and retrieving we decided to explore the area a little more. I kept the swimming shorter this time because I wanted to be sure she didn’t get overtired first time out. I thought we would walk along the top of the dam and see if there were any other places to swim, while letting the excess water drip off Sheba before getting back in the car! Though there were no more beaches along the dam, the river that it empties out into could be a possible place to cool off as well, and maybe better for Luke if we start seeing more people around.
I enjoyed our little outing thoroughly – what a gorgeous early summer day it was! – and I’m pretty sure Sheba did as well. I didn’t feel like we overdid things since when we got back home she was ready to play some more ball with her siblings! She was moving a little slowly in the evening though, so I’m glad we were conservative. In the long run I know the swimming will be good for her arthritis.
We’re looking forward to lots more swims this summer. Even though we are not able to put in our own pond like we were hoping for this year, I think this beautiful pond is going to be perfect….it took us less than 5 minutes to drive there. We could walk if it wasn’t uphill all the way back, but it’s a steep hill, and would be too much for my old girl. The other location we might try is further down the pond, and it’s a big pond (3 miles long) so that would take a little longer to get to. Hopefully this little beach stays quiet so we can enjoy it some more! If not, we’ll be doing some more scouting as the summer goes on.
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It looks like a really nice place for swimming. It looks like Sheba really enjoyed it.
I wish I could find a local place that Delilah could swim. Most areas around us that allow the dogs also allow fishing and I’m always worried that she will get a hook in her somewhere!
What a fantastic outing and great place for Sheba to enjoy swimming. She looks really happy at her new summer swimming hole.
What a beautiful place! How lucky you are and how jealous we are! And best yet, lucky Sheba! Love Dolly
OMD! I am soooo jealous! I bet Callie enjoyed that swim right alongside Sheba! And Sheba looks adorable with the Wubba in her mouth and its tail hanging out!!
Back when Callie was a puppy – and despite 15 years with Kissy, I was still a novice dog mom – Sam, my dad, and I took her to the park one Saturday. We let her wade in the stream (which used to be a river). The water LOOKED clean so we let her lap some of it up; but oh my goodness, the poor girl was so sick when we got home that she couldn’t even hold down water at first. Back then our vet was still open on Saturdays, so I gave him a call. She had stopped vomiting but was still worn out. The vet said to hold back all food and limit the water for 24 hours and she’d probably start feeling better but to bring her in on Monday for a check-up. And, of course, if she started getting sick again, to bring her straight to the emergency clinic. Thankfully, we didn’t need the ER vet; but the experience taught me a valuable lesson. One that I remember to this day, obviously. After that, I never let Callie – or Shadow – walk in that stream again. I wish we had some place nearby that I could have let them all go for swims, but that’s life.
Oh no, that’s awful! We do have to be careful when it gets into summer, and the water isn’t moving as much, because algae and such can move in. I think this place is big enough, and the water moves enough, to avoid that.
Sheba is pretty good about not drinking the water when she’s swimming though, so far anyway.
I knew there was another reason Sheba was smiling so as she swam….was it Callie that led her back the pathway as well? ♥
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was! ????
That is a fabulous swim!! Great place to go back to.
Oh that is the purrfect spot! So nice seeing Sheba enjoying a swim.
Yay, Sheba! I am so happy that she enjoyed her day and her swim. Carrying her Wubba is the cutest thing ever. ♥
Yay! First swim of the season. We don’t have that many ponds around here so if the dogs want a dip, it’s the river.
Rivers are nice too! Around here many of our rivers are about the size of brooks though…something else they misnamed! LOL
Glad you found such a good place to swim! It looks like it was a perfect day. I wouldn’t be all that interested in walking with the whole road being uphill, either–regardless of whether I was with an arthritic dog or not 😉 Can’t wait to see more summer fun from your crew!
Hee hee. I’d like to think I would walk up that hill, but it’s more likely I’m just using Sheba as the excuse not to! Heck, I used to huff and puff at our other house, and that hill was much, much shorter than this one!
What a fun day. Around here we call a body of water that size a lake. It is so pretty though whatever you call it.
In most cases around here we would call it a lake too. I have no idea why they call it a pond! It’s something my hubby and I are always trying to figure out. 🙂
That is a pond? Gosh it is huge and looks like a small lake here. Beautiful clear water. I sure hope you can swim there all summer.
I always think of ponds as smaller and muckier! I don’t know why they call this a pond and not a lake. It’s something I’ve looked into, but there is no clear answer (they say it’s depth but this is very deep in places – we’ve been out on it in boats and kayaks). The best answer I could find is that it was on the whim of whoever named it way back when. Maybe they just thought Goose Pond had a better ring to it than Goose Lake? 🙂
Pond or lake, I bet it is spring-fed and that is why it is so clear.
Oh I just love it when pups carry their toys around! It’s so cute. Looks like Sheba had a great time at your new discovery! 🙂
That clean, clear water is amazing! Around here all the good water already has the yucky green stuff all over it in the ponds. So happy Sheba could get out and swim.
We’ll have to keep an eye out for the green stuff, it does show up in places around here; though usually later in the summer. I think the dam and the wind this pond gets (which really is more like a lake) keeps the water moving more which I believe can help reduce buildup of that kind of stuff.
yes, that is sooooo cute when they carry a toy or a treasure they found (eggs-cept carcasses,poop&empty chips bags). the mama first thought the rock on the shore is a stranded whale…. 6 months to go till santa brings her new glasses… oh my oh my
Hee hee….I think your mama needs an early Christmas present! It occurs to me after what you said that bringing a toy along on a walk could be a good idea, it keeps their mouths otherwise occupied! Though Sheba usually drops her toy somewhere along the way, so I was surprised she actually held onto it the whole time.