I have been dreaming of having a river location that is easy enough to get clients to for family, dog, and horse photoshoots. A dear client offered her property, only a few miles up stream of this river, but due to the last of the winter storms, the banks on her portion of the river have since been gouged and washed away to the point where it is no longer safe to access the water. She suggested another portion of the river and when Andy, Winston and I went to check it out on Easter, we were delighted with the promise it offered!
The road to the river offered plenty of parking for horse trailers, a sandy trail leading to the wide river with portions of the river bed being sandy or rocky. The water hummed quietly over the rocks, deeper in some areas, but shallow enough to walk across in other areas. After walking around for half an hour, I couldn’t wait to tell Taylor about it! The pups were going to LOVE playing in the water!
Last summer, if you recall, Winston did not have the best of luck with water. Between the giant waves at the beach trying to eat him and the swamp monster luring him into the Lake Reserve (Twice!), I didn’t think Winston would ever be brave enough to swim. Corgis are known to be bad swimmers. With long backs and short legs, it’s difficult for them to stay afloat without a life jacket, which neither Taylor or I had for our pups. However, with the water levels being so low in this river, it was the perfect playground for them to learn how to swim without requiring lifejackets!
While both of our pups still held on to a slight aroma of flowers after recent baths, the temptation of adventure and wonderment of what our dogs would do, was too great! We loaded them up, grabbed our camera gear and headed out to the river!!
To my surprise, Winston barreled down the trail and marched right into the water! It was low enough were he could walk across the bottom and didn’t require swimming, but his boldness surprised me! Sassy on the other hand, she needed some encouragement! Only turning 6 months yesterday, she was hesitant about the moving water and after much calculation and some helpful questions answered by the all-knowing Winston, with him by her side, she made the leap into the water!
Before we knew it, both of them were venturing further into the deeper water and allowing instinct to take over, together they began learning how to swim!
Mind you, the “deep water” was deep in consideration to their three inch long legs. Both Taylor and myself had high knee boots on and were able to walk through the deep water without getting wet or being pushed by the small current. We kept an eye on the pups and were ready to assist them if needed. We love our pups dearly, adoring their admiration for adventure and nurturing the positivity of learning new things. I choose this river with their first swim in mind, knowing it would be the perfect playground for them to learn a new skill and have a blast while doing it!
Winston and Sassy, would take turns trotting through the shallow waters, practice swimming, and then clammer onto a rock to watch the other go for a dip. They were oblivious to the terrified crawfish huddle up under the rock they perched on, the fish frantically swimming past their wet toes, and the early spring water bugs that skirted past, barely touching the water as they went.
With her boots already filled with water from sitting in river to get the ideal photographs of Sassy, Taylor waded into the deepest part of the river. She wanted Sassy to practice swimming in the deeper water, so she carried Sassy out to where the water came just above her knees. Holding her above the water to activate Sassy’s paddle mode, she slowly let Sassy down. Sassy made the doggie paddle look easy, swimming right for her very concerned brother!! Shaking off the water and asking her momma to go again!
Covered in mud, spelling like drown river rats, Winston and Sassy decided it was time for a swimming break and found a patch of spring grass to wrestle in. We may have been wearing them out mentally with learning a new skill, but both Sassy and Winston were still full of physical energy! So while they played, Taylor emptied out her boots, kindly returning half of the river water back to it’s basin!
I was so proud to see my little Winston so boldly tackle a new skill and over come his previous shyness of water. I could not feed him enough treats or smooch his soggy cheeks enough after seeing him take his first swimming strokes! I imagine that pride and excitement is how parents feel after sitting through hours of kicking and noodle practice as their toddlers, strapped with multiple floaties, learns how to swim at the Y.
The second behavior that became apparent in Winston yesterday, making my heart fill with pride even more, was his attentiveness and assistance with Sassy as she overcame her own concerns of the water. He stayed by her side and reached for her when she needed that extra boost of encouragement. Keeping his eye on her the whole time, I think it helped him stay distracted from his own concerns and past experience. I am not sure if either of them would have learned to swim without the other.
Besides needing another bath upon returning home, it was a successful adventure! Taylor and I were laughing with delight while watching our pups confidence grow in front of our eyes. Corgis may be little dogs, but they will always have a big dog personality!
If you are interested in having your family, dog, or horse photographed in a river, please let me know! I will be choosing dates for summer river minis and can deliver you the details as they unfold! It’s a unique adventure I am excited to be offering to my clients this year!
