Dip & Dive

The things I end up doing for my doggy. Last week in class someone asked me if Kozmo was going to the Dip & Dive. I had never heard of a Dip & Dive. A community pool closed for the season and opened the pool to dogs on the very last day before the pool was drained. A non-profit group who is trying to raise money to build a dog park hosted the Dip & Dive as a fundraiser. Community pools are built to keep children safe and therefore, make perfect places for dogs when there are no small children around. The pool and the entire fenced in area around the pool was open to all dogs. Even though this event was almost 45 min from home and the weather was predicting 80% chance of rain, we left a perfectly good lake where Kozmo could swim for free and headed to the Dip & Dive.

As soon as we pulled in the parking lot it looked fun. Kozmo could see dogs running free inside the fence. Before we registered we encountered a cute brown and white dog walking a very enthusiastic preteen. This cute dog is obviously very loved by the little girl, the dog had a bright pink harness and her claws were painted a matching shade of pink. The enthusiasm of pink even spread to the dogs head where it seems a big blob of pink nail polish had spilled, giving her a cute pink tattoo.

A very happy dog checking out the Dip & Dive

I made a donation, signed some waivers, showed proof of Kozmo's vaccinations and license, and headed into the pool area. As soon as we walked in there were dogs running around having a blast. A volunteer came up and told me just to let Kozmo off of his leash. I was quite nervous just letting him run around all of the people and dogs. The volunteer assured me that its best for the dogs to work things out off leash and Kozmo would do better if he didn't feel threatened by the constraints of a leash. I took a deep breath and unhooked his leash. He was off like a flash. It was literally like a white blur around the property and all other dogs and humans seemed to be in slow motion compared to Koz.

Kozmo was so happy. He ran into the pool, then he ran to the grass, back across the pool, ran around the grass on the other side, ran through the kiddy pool, he was non stop. I could really see that doggy day care was paying off. I started to relax a bit and enjoy watching my boy happily run around and try to engage other dogs in play. Some of the other dogs had humans who thought to bring them toys. Kozmo didn't understand that every tennis ball he saw wasn't his so he spent most of the time running around with a tennis ball in his mouth that didn't belong to him.

Kozmo with a tennis ball intended for another dog

I felt bad laughing because my dog lacks some basic manners, but it was funny to watch other dog owners throw balls and toys for their dogs and no matter if it was in the water or on land Kozmo was faster and thought every toy was for him. Kozmo beat every other dog to any toy or ball being thrown. He sure is fast and am starting to see why trainers are telling me to stick with agility, he was certainly the fastest dog at the dip & dive. At one point Kozmo was in the kiddy pool chasing a toy that didn't belong to him and he couldn't quite get hold of it with his mouth so he stood on it with both feet and stuck his head under water to get the toy! Other humans were amazed.

It was a really fun experience for Kozmo. All of the dogs seemed to get along really well. Remember the cute young doggy with pink nail polish? Her preteen human ran around the entire time calling her dog in that shrill, skull piercing voice common with preteen girls. She wanted her dog with her and not doing doggy things. Everyone at the Dip & Dive knew that doggy's name because we herd it over and over and over. She kept trying to get her dog to play with a Frisbee, then a ball and couldn't understand the dog wanted to play with other dogs more than staying with her.

Miss Pink & Koz

Despite the giant pool and kiddie pool, Kozmo spent most of his time running around in the grass. He covered every inch of the fenced in property. It started to rain and gradually was raining harder. Most of the humans gathered under these large umbrellas meant to provide shade on a sunny day. The dogs didn't care about rain, they were already wet.

Dip & Dive

I had a pocket full of dog treats and made a few new friends. One sweet chocolate lab wouldn't leave my side. It was fun to be around all of the different dogs. In hindsight, when I noticed Kozmo slowing down and getting tired we should have left. He took a tennis ball that he claimed and laid down in the grass. The tricky little monster got up and ran every time I approached him. My pocket full of yummy treats made no difference to Kozmo, he was like a spoiled little kid who was having fun and didn't want to come to me and have to go home.

Kozmo shredding the tennis ball he claimed

Kozmo was getting over excited and playing with lots of dogs. He started some embarrassing humping behavior. An older gentleman made a comment about Holstein cows. I thought it was because Kozmo is black and white. Obviously I didn't grow up on a farm and this joke went over my head which made the old guy chuckle. I still don't get it. Anyone can feel free to explain this to me.

Happy Dogs

It was raining harder and some dogs were leaving. The cute dog with the pink nails was still there and Kozmo must have really liked her pink nails because he suddenly set his sights on trying to mount her. The problem was when Kozmo took this bad behavior from land to the water so when Kozmo tried to put his paws on her back the other dogs head was going under water. The preteen who came with the other dog over reacted a bit, screamed at the top of her lungs and jumped in the pool, fully clothed. I hadn't planned on swimming, but I couldn't stand on the edge of the pool and watch this kid rescue her dog from my humping dog.  I quickly checked to make sure my phone wasn't in my pocket and started wading in the beach/handicap access to the pool. I was able to grab Kozmo before more than the bottom of my shorts got wet.

As soon as I grabbed Kozmo his collar came unhooked. I quickly drug him into the changing room. I felt like those moms at church or restaurants who take their kids to the restroom when they are acting up. I had to lock Kozmo in a stall with me until i could get a hold of him and properly secure his collar and leash. Wet dogs are slippery!!

I went back outside to apologize. The other dog was fine. The responsible adult for the dog and the hyper preteen was really sweet and assured me everything was fine. I felt terrible. I was very embarrassed. It was now pouring so I packed up my wet doggy and headed home. Overall it was fun and a great opportunity for Koz. We are really excited to have a doggy park open and hope the pool incident won't prevent Kozmo from getting a membership to the dog park when it opens. I learned an important lesson and when Kozmo attends dog play functions in the future I will keep a close eye on him and when he starts getting tired or distracted we will leave before he has the chance to get into trouble.

My new favorite photo - Kozmo wanted this dogs bone

Link to a video of Kozmo at the Dip & Dive

Next week we start a new series of obedience classes. At my trainer's recommendation we are taking a break from agility to really focus on obedience. Once Koz masters recall he is going to be amazing, even more amazing than he already is!!