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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Dogs Have Fish Stories Too!

by Carrie Boyko, CEB
© courtesy  k.m.
Tanner's Proud Catch
Oh how I wish I could let Tanner tell this story himself. What a proud tale it would be. Unfortunately, you have to read it second hand, but it is a fun story for any dog lover to imagine his or her own dog experiencing.


After letting Tanner out to take care of business, I went to grab Oliver and join him in the yard. Before I could reach the door, my doorbell rang and a neighbor appeared, beckoning me to hurry and see Tanner. She was laughing and encouraging me to come quickly, so I immediately knew that this was not a dangerous situation, yet was still intensely curious about what was up with Tanner.


Leaving Oliver behind, I ran into the yard, noting that my friend's car was still running and parked in the street. That gave me pause, wondering what could possibly have been interesting enough for her to stop so suddenly. When she said "Tanner has a fish!", my first inclination was to assume he found a discarded catch from the lake we live on. Then I immediately became worried about the condition of the fish and health issues.


All of this happened in a matter of seconds as I raced around the yard trying to catch up to my dog who was parading around as if to show off his gold medal. Was he ever a proud fisherman!


I finally caught up to Tanner as he dropped to rest a moment on the driveway. My friend was quick to grab the only photo with her handy phone, before I proceeded to be the tough mom and do what I had to do. I asked Tanner to Sit and he slowly--very slowly--assumed the position, peering at me with those soft brown eyes, as if to say, "Can I please keep him, Mom?" 


"Good boy, Tanner. Now, Drop It!" Even as I said the words, I was convinced he would not give up his treasure. Certain I would have to pry it out of his mouth in pieces, I gasped with pride when he opened his mouth and allowed the fish to drop to the ground. All those obedience classes paid off in spades as I collected his catch with a rag and praised him heartily for showing me the Drop It command that we practice in our Fetch games so regularly. Who knew that a game could have such a profound effect on my dog's health and our relationship. I thought of the Weekly Wag Fetch series we just completed and smiled inside.


Tanner watched as I investigated his prize. I was pleased to find that the fish was fresh, and to hear the story of its acquisition from my friend. This gets better yet....


Living on a lake and near a State park, Hawks live all around us. My office window looks out on a favorite hunting ground of one local Hawk, who frequently sits atop the neighborhood tennis court fence, watching for rodents in the grassy areas nearby.


Today's fish had been the freshwater catch of one of these Hawks, whose eyes were apparently a bit bigger than his bulk. As the fish flapped and wiggled, the Hawk lost its grip and dropped it in our yard, only to further lose his victim when Tanner scooped it up and proceeded to parade it around the yard. I'm sure that Hawk was not prepared to take on 70-lb. Tanner.


I still wish I could hear the story from Tanner's perspective. Some of it was told in the coming days, as Tanner inspected the yard, looking for more treasures that had fallen from the sky. Not a bad fish story for a dog, eh?


16 comments:



shilohsmom said...

I love this story! Brought a smile to my face. :)



Sara Grace said...

That is absolutely fantastic! I too wish the pup's could give us their perspective! :) Tanner sure is handsome- and I'm SO impressed he dropped the fish so well! I don't think Dutch would be as obedient...
adventuresofdutchandme.blogspot.com



Michelle Spayde said...

What a great story! Good boy, Tanner!



Rick said...

Too funny! Good work Tanner! A LONG time from now, when you cross over that rainbow, tell Tag and ask her about her hunting skills. On two separate occasions she bagged a pheasant and a chucker without a shot being fired.



siryoz0 said...

Tanner is definitely outstanding in that catch and that image holds a thousand words and with that I can say that he really adore your company.

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Alfie | Alfie' Blog said...

Roooo that sort of stuff never happens in my garden, so unfair! Tanner is my hero! *waggy tail*



Anonymous said...

Great story!!! Do you think Tanner would of eaten the fish? I bet Tanner is going to be checking out the yard for more treasures. With the look on Tanner's face he was very proud of his catch of the day!! Way to go Tanner!

Sharon Gilbert



Golden Daily Scoop said...

Wow, great job Tanner!!!



Anonymous said...

Hey Tanner, Jet here.

Dude, most impressive... uh, but... you're making golden girl, JJ, and I look bad. She needs some MAJOR drop it lessons and I'm not that great myself. My golden sister, Koko, (may she be frolicking over the rainbow bridge) had a "soft mouth" which Mom showed off during pet therapy, educating people about retrievers.



Sage said...

What a good boy! I bet that was quite the find for Tanner!



Liz (Woof Woof Mama) said...

What a great story and photo!



HELLO! said...

Perfect story! We can imagine Tanner running around saying "I GOT I GOT" Then saying "See ma fish do fall from the sky" LOLOL. Too cute. Great job Tanner. We would have done the same thing, but with a smaller fish. Unfortunately that fish is as big as us. BOL!

~Weinerful Life~



Peggy Frezon said...

What a story! I just love it. Tanner goes fishing! It looks like a nice fish too. Good boy for dropping it!



Kolchak Puggle said...

One of Kol's favourite treasures is a whole raw fish, so he thinks Tanner is pretty much his hero for finding a whole fish. Kind of awesome!



Carrie, with Tanner and Oliver said...

Sushi, right, Koly? The only bad part was the scales and the bones. I'm not so sure how healthy or safe all that stuff is. I'm glad he was true to his Fetching skills and performed the Drop It without incident.



75 gallon aquarium said...

love this story! Thanks for sharing this:)

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