Ray meets Lake Ontario!

We are so fortunate to have the shoreline of L. Ontario about a 10 – 15 minute walk away from our home. Given the OMHS* assessment of him as having probably a farming background, the first time we took him down to the lake was of great interest in that we obviously wanted to know how he would react to such an expanse of water.

Initially there were no real surprises. He readily walked out into the lake, but soon started backing off when the water level was well up his legs. He seemed to really enjoy chasing after a stick and bringing it back to shore but, much as we tempted him further into the lake, he became extremely cautious as the depth increased.

Over the course of time, he did venture a little further but once the water touched his stomach, not only did he lose interest in the stick, but he also backed up to shallower water rather than turn around. We acknowledged his comfort level and have since taken him down there numerous times to play in the shallow water with the results below.

2015 04 10 9CR

2014 06 30 14CR

2014 06 30 19bCR

I think we can all agree that he is having fun!

*Oakville & Milton Humane Society

29 thoughts on “Ray meets Lake Ontario!”

  1. So envious of owners whose dogs will happily go into lakes or oceans. Sam walks around puddles on the sidewalk as he notoriously despises water. 😉 I think he’d rather set his fur on fire rather than chasing a stick into a lake!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Ray looks like a 100% puppy in these pix! I love watching dogs in the water. Mine don’t swim, but will readily walk in creeks. They’ve not seen an ocean or waves yet.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Aah these photos are the best. Ray seems so happy and I think he is a wise dog for not venturing any further than water to his stomach level. Water is very entertaining for dogs but I have never taken mine to the lake here. I can’t handle them alone.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Wonderful!
    I remember the first time my GSD saw the beach (1989). She saw something underneath the surface of the water and stuck head straight in…. and very quickly out again!
    She didn’t mind the water though she never actually swam, but one hot day she promptly sat down in a stream and didn’t budge until she’d cooled off!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Great pics of Ray! You’ve inspired me… Kali has been to the lake once and seemed to really like swimming but unfortunately I only had the 6 foot leash so she could not venture far. We plan on doing more of that this summer with a longer 30 foot training leash (not sure I would feel comfortable just letting her go without a “lifeline”. Also hope to take her to the ocean beach.

    Liked by 2 people

Comments are closed.