Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Show and Tell


I told you I 'd be back.
It has just taken a little longer than I'd planned. After all, the job of playing is serious business. Anyway, now that I'm finally seated at the computer keyboard, I want to spotlight what we got up to this past weekend.



Toby and I are what you'd call canine amphibians. 
In fact, we see ourselves as the prototypes for all CA's. We can swim for ages without getting tired.
 We regularly end up underwater in our enthusiastic play. Does that fill us with apprehension? No way! 
We just give ourselves an extra hard shake upon exiting the pool.
I trained in earnest whilst still just a tiny puplet. I even had to have my own special step, since I was so small and couldn't get into, or out of the pool without it. 
Being gifted with superior intelligence, I learnt very quickly and soon swam better than an otter.
 Fear of diving into the deep end? Not I! I live to swim.
Then, Toby came along.
 He underwent the same intensive training, but with one difference. 
He had me to mentor him and so he rapidly proved to be an excellent amphibious canine.
Toby does the flappy mouth shake superbly!
He sprays water everywhere!
He has great finesse when he dives off the edge. 
Just take a look at those poised, elongated limbs and finely tuned athletic physique!
Toby has surpassed me now. He can do this over and over again, without getting tired.
I used to land with some impressive splashes, but Toby has since cornered that market.
Toby leaping off the top step to retrieve a tennis ball, while Noodle observes.
Here he comes, with the ball ready to have it thrown into the water again.
Hey, Toby! Watch where you're shaking! You got me in the eye!
Sometimes, to vary the game, we all congregate around the pool and see who can catch the ball first.
Here we are, eagerly watching. Toby knows he's got this one!
Noodle is becoming a better swimmer each time she ventures in.
Coco still prefers to watch the activity from the sidelines. 
Milo is dying to jump in, but is still a bit apprehensive. He swims well once he's in the water.
"We girls sometimes find it a bit hot in the sun, so we like to cool ourselves off in the shade."
Milo is Toby's shadow, egging him on to dive in and retrieve all the balls.
He's Toby most enthusiastic supporter. Just look at the size of that grin!
Yes, we certainly do enjoy our times spent in and around the pool.
Soon Milo, Coco and Noodle with swim as confidently as Toby and I do.
I will be back with more of our antics as soon as I get the chance to prepare another post. Right now, I'm off to nap.
 

50 comments:

  1. Owwwwww this is so so so so great !! to have a swimming pool !! Iris and Trevor are jealous now...and by the way...it is freeeezing here in Holland......love from me...xxx...

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  2. Wow, they're enjoying that. It must be lovely on a hot day. Sorry I'm not commenting often. For some reason I can't comment on 'embedded' posts using my normal browser so I have to remember to use another if I want to comment. Bit of a nuisance.

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  3. They look so cute, excited and enjoying life! Great shots Desiree, now time to sleep!

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  4. LOL@"puplet"!! Some dogs just don't like the water so don't be disappointed if all of the other three don't become canine amphibians. ;)

    Lovely pictures of everybody!!! Love to see each and every one of you! Enjoy!! :):)

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    1. Desiree just wants to ensure we are all water safe. Coco liked the pool in winter, when it had it's cover in place. There are nice puddles for her to play in. She is not enthralled with open water swimming, yet, but I'm working on her.

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  5. I am overwhelmed by all the wonderful shots you have for us to see. Everyone of you have been transformed into athletes and are looking great. I know Des must be so proud of how well you can swim and handle yourselves in the water.
    You can be sure that this was just about the best post I have ever seen come out of South Africa so you can be very proud of your accomplishments.
    I can't wait for the next set of adventures you may share with us. Take care and stay cool.

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    1. Thank you, Odie! I know your dogs would love to join us. We are a great pack and have so much fun at playtime. Swimming is a great way to keep in shape. My muscles are very toned.

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  6. Wspaniała zabawa piesków. Toby to skoczek wyśmienity. Nie wszystkie pieski lubią się kąpać, wiem o tym, ale mój by z pewnością dołączył do tych w basenie. Wspaniałe zdjęcia. Pozdrawiam serdecznie. *** Great fun dogs. Toby is an excellent jumper. Not all dogs like to swim, I know, but mine would certainly join those in the pool. Great pictures. Best regards.

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  7. What joy! Whoever did the photos did a great job!

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  8. I love posts like this. You just made my day! Missed your pictures!

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  9. You're a dog of many talents, Heathcliff! You're a swimmer, a diver, a ball fetcher and a darn good blogger. It does my heart good to see you and your pals at play. Toby is quite an athlete and has you beat with his long legs. My dog Toto would never voluntarily jump in a swimming pool. She avoids the pool, hates taking a bath, but oddly enough loves to dash through irrigation sprinklers and bite at the flow of water coming out of a hose. She gets just as wet doing those things but she thinks of them as fun. Please tell Milo that his tongue looks to me like a long pink shoehorn. I mean that as a compliment. Thank you very much, Heath. Please post more of your pictures soon!

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    1. Thanks, Shady! I really do have several talents don't I? I'm always eager to master anything and usually do it better than most. I really am fearless. Milo is very proud of his tongue. He only puts it on show when he's had lots of fun playing.

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  10. How adorable. I just love these shots. They really do love the water don't they? Fun, fun, fun.

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  11. Wow it sure looks like all you doggies had a great time in and out of the pool.......swimming is such fun...........

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  12. You are the most dog-lovin woman I know except for Barb here in the US. Spoiled puppies for sure, stay sweet !

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  13. Hello you wonderful swimmer and story teller you! I can see that you have trained all your pals, especially Toby, to leap into that water to retrieve the ball. I really like your style of jumping, swimming, and writing. This is my favorite line you pawed: "I used to land with some impressive splashes, but Toby has since cornered that market." That shows just how generous and modest you are! Please post again!

    Peace. And many yowls and meows from Ellie, Maggie, and Matthew, three felines who don't like water at all!

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    1. Thank you Dee, Ellie, Maggie and Matthew. I'll bet if I could teach you felines the delights of swimming, you'd love it as much as we do :)

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  14. Oh gosh, Desiree, you catch the best poses with your pooches! They all look so darn happy and thrilled to be enjoying the water! Gorgeous pool.

    Thanks so much for your comments on my last post. I went to Jon Gabriel's website and was lost there for over an hour! I think I may order the book. Fascinating to read about the chemical connections. A lot of what he says really hits home with me. I never used to think about food, and had no weight issues. It's only been since I have been on perpetual diets that I've found it all to be so challenging! Hm-m-m.

    I really appreciate you sending me his information! Oh, and your sweet comments about not beating myself up!

    Big hugs to you!

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  15. After all that, no wonder you need a nap....all of you! That Toby certainly can dive - canine Olympic material there!

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  16. HEATHCLIFF & THE GANGFebruary 9, 2012 at 8:42 AM

    TO ALL OF MY FANS:

    It delights my heart to see just how many of you love furry folk. At this rate, I might outdo Desiree in the popularity stakes! But don't concern yourselves about that at all. Just keep posting as the gang and I love to make connections with wonderful humans around the globe. We feel like movie stars.

    Off to get on with the business of playing again. A brand new sunny day has dawned in South Africa and I want to make the most of it!

    xoxoxo

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  17. Hello, Dearest Desiree.
    I DO admire your such LIVELY SHOTS of your lovely guys♡♡♡
    And I loved the closing phrase very much!!! "I will be back with more of our antics as soon as I get the chance to prepare another post. Right now, I'm off to nap"
    Thank you very much for the marvelous pictures♬♬♬

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  18. I think you must have the most loving human companions to encourage such rigorous play in the pool. The photo of Toby's splash should be on the cover of a magazine. It's incredible! I will enjoy sharing these pictures with Elliot and telling him all about the new species of "canine amphibian"

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  19. All of these pictures are perfect, but that one of Toby bringing the ball back--soooo priceless :0)

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  20. What a wonderful pool you have to play in, and what fun you all have! These photos are absolutely stunning. I think they are the best dog photos I have ever seen. Incredible! You are all so beautiful and no wonder Desiree loves you all so much . I love the photos of Toby diving into the pool. Thank you for such a lovely post . Big hugs to you all.

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  21. i was grinning through this entire post! loved it!!!!! pure joy!

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  22. Heathcliff, you are an inspiration and a great leader of your family. Look how well you have shown the others how to become canine amphibians. You sure know how to have fun in the water. I must admit Toby is the star when it comes to diving and shaking. I hope all the dog hair doesn't clog up the filter. Your mum looks like she is having fun photographing you and your mates. Tell her she has done a super job of capturing your antics in the pool.

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    1. Our human Dad cleans our pool's filter regularly, but we don't really lose too much hair, because we are bathed and brushed regularly and all the swimming helps, too. Our Dad took these pics. He was in the pool with us!

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  23. Our two sausages aren't too keen on the pool yet. Perhaps because they are still young. But I want them to get used to it and know thet they can get out so that I can leave the pool net off. Its such a schlep to take it off and put it back on every time we want to swim.

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  24. I was really enjoying this post until Tucker got up here with me and started looking and reading along. He is quite insistent now that we get a pool before summer arrives.

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    1. You go, Tucker! Badger your humans until they cave. There's nothing nicer than having your own pool!

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  25. Thank you for your delightful reporting Heathcliff - I enjoy the antics of you and your friends.

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  26. Beautiful puppies:) I LOVE your backyard. It's perfect. Closed in. Nice pool and patio. I think I'd be hanging with pooches whenever I could out there. Have a good weekend!!

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  27. Talk about having a pup pool party! Is there any room for you to swim once the doggies have taken to the water? I never thought about swimming with a dog, but I am pretty sure any of them could beat me in a race. Heathcliff, I bet your little , short legs move a mile a minute in the waves! So what, if Toby has a Tarzan physique, you are so much cuter!

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    1. You hit the nail on the head, Jeri. I am a real live speedo in the water. We don't all get into the pool at the same time, so there's plenty of room. We all have to watch out for Toby though. He dives right in no matter if we're in the way!

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  28. Brings back so many memories, Desiree! Sometimes I wish we had more than one dog. My husband is not all that into dogs and I don't think he even owned one as a boy. Or cats for that matter. We have always had at least two and sometimes more. They helped us raise our large brood! Trailed them to neighbors homes slept at the foot of their beds..waited for them at the bus stop. I love dogs so much. I often wonder if Mele will be my last dog and I fear she is. Puppies take lots of patience and love and training and I don't want to leave one behind for others to care for.

    I loved this post so much. Desiree, thank you...for everything!
    Mona

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  29. What fun! The very first photo is my favorite. Are humans ever allowed into the pool?

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    1. I am a handsome chap, aren't I? And yes, we love it when our humans join us. That's an essential part of the fun!

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  30. Oh the JOY of a dog party...absolute pure, gleeful abandon!

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  31. Wonderful! When I first spotted your title, I read it as 'SNOW and tell' because that's what everyone has been talking about over here. You'd have to break the ice before you could dive in. I enjoyed splashing around in your warm pool with you. Thank you, canine amphibians!

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  32. I have never seen dogs enjoying a swimming pool so much.

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  33. What fun for everyone. I know my pups would love to have a pool in their backyard! We just have a little splash pool for the really hot days of summer and they love it. Looking forward to many more happy play escapades in the yard with your lovely pups!
    Hugs~

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  34. That's what I need for my monsters! Except I'm pretty sure I'd never get them out! Looks like your babies had a blast though. :)

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  35. What a lovely and fun way to spend the day! The photos are beautiful. Your humans are lucky to have such beautiful dogs. Note to Desiree: I had to laugh when I read your comments about our "dream house"! heehee. I decided to take a quick moment to let you know. Now, I must get back to packing. It's not stressful at all, getting one house ready to move into while getting another house ready to "show"! Take care!

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    1. thank you, Darlene. We get so excited whenever we spot anyone wearing a costume. You can put yours on and join us, too, if you want.

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  36. I can't believe I missed this adorable group of photos. Noodles and Toby are having a great time. Makes me want to throw the ball!

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    1. You can come and play with us any time you wish, Eve.

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  37. Thanks for the fun swim. Boy, I hope those CA's know just how lucky they are! I've got to learn how to use my new camera and try to get some of my Toby. This summer I am going to take him to the lake and try to get him interested in swimming. He hates baths but who knows.....

    Maybe I will show him this post to encourage him.
    Love ya gal.....kt

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  38. hahahahaaa!!!!!!! HEATHCLIFF...first of all...i have to say, what a good TYPIST you are!! it must be tough with those big paws!! you and your gang are so much fun to watch!! you had me roaring with laughter!!

    if i ever get to S Africa...can i jump in there too?

    Tell Desiree i'm sorry for being behind in my blog reading...there's just not enough time in a day...ever!!

    thanx for introducing the gang!! it's been a great pleasure!!
    let's do this again!! :) WOOF!

    oh, by the way...Heathcliff...which one of you guys took the terrific pictures??! :)

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  39. Such photos! They make me wish I had a tail to wag!! Such happy dogs! They know from the tip of their nose to the end of their tails that they are loved.

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  40. You have a very beautiful blog with a lot of inspiring posts!!!! I'd like to invite you to be my friend and follow each other:) I dearly love and care about all animals, but I especially love dogs!!! Thanks for sharing your photos; they brought me so much joy. I hope the week ahead is filled with plenty of joy, laughter and more love than you've ever imagined possible. God bless. - Kerrie (aka KC)

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