The Rare Rhodesian Dogfish!

Spotted in the water, here in North Texas, the rare Rhodesian Dogfish!  Yes, the Rhodesian Dogfish is a rare beastie, seldom seen in freshwater, preferring to be found in coastal shallows, such as at FIDO (Fiesta Island Dog Owers park).  But one such Dogfish has been seen repeatedly in my area...



It is a fearsome sight, as the huge dogfish swims ever faster trying to catch the swimmer!  Kids in the water, claws in the water, Dogfish in the water!  Watch  out!


It seems that our Ridgeback Ranger is an oddity in the world of Rhodesians.  Most Ridgies believe water is only for drinking, or perhaps drowning dogs in (their words not mine!).  As such, few deign get their paws wet, let alone fur, even on a hot Texas day.  But Ranger had to be different.  Perhaps it's because he hails from Florida (or is it Flori-duh?).  When he first saw our pool at the new house, he circled it once, and promptly jumped in!  Then he would get frantic whenever he saw us in the pool, especially the kids.  He would dive in after them, and usually run over top of them, resulting in several D.R.I.'s (Dog Related Injuries) from his big ol' claws.

For some reason though, this week, while my mom was visiting, Ranger decided to calm down some and have fun in the pool.  Though you can hear him grousing at me in the video, because I tricked him into jumping in first, then dove over him to race to the shallow end and relative safety.  Not only would he dive in when we were in the water, but he also started jumping in all on his own.  He knows where the two sets of steps are, so he can get out safely if he jumps in, unattended.  Because Ridgebacks are not waterdogs, we are considering getting him a canine life jacket, so he will not have to work quite so hard to stay afloat.

Happy first day of Summer, everybody!