Had an interesting weekend
 

My family and I spend most weekends at the lake.
Headed down to the water after dinner with Mommy and the girls.
Mommy is a good floater but not so much a good swimmer, and my 2 and 4 year olds are just learning how to hold their breath.
After about an hour of throwing the girls around, I needed a rest.
Mommy was floating on a raft, and the girls were wearing their muscles and floating on a blow up mattress.
Maybe 50’ from shore, but only 20’ from the end of the dock.
I swam to the dock, climbed out of the water, and headed up the stairs to the deck.
Noticed a couple of dogs two houses down, so I tied up my 120# ridgeback so he didn’t get in any trouble.
As soon as I cracked a beer, I noticed a ~75# black lab pup run straight for the water.
Then he turned and headed down the shoreline to my property, then jumped in and headed straight for my girls.
I don’t think the lab wanted to hurt anybody, but just playing around it could injure or kill my girls.
So Daddy jumps in and sprints out to intercept the lab.
Got there just in time, put myself between the lab and the raft, and pushed the lab away.
Fuch’n thing turned around and came right back.
After a few attempts, with each attempt putting me under water, I decided to head for the shore.
So I kept pushing, and pushing, and pushing, and finally made it close to shore.
Once near the shore the lab finally gave up and went up the bank.
So I get out of the water to rest, but the dang thing jumped back in and heading right for the rafts again.
Completely exhausted, I dive back in and sprint after the dog.
I didn’t catch it in time and it climbed on the wifes raft, wife jumps off and holds on the girls raft, then dog jumps back in and heads for the girls raft.
But now Daddy is there, and grabs the dog by the collar, drag it away, then start pushing it towards the shore again.
Dog fighting me the whole time, and again I am under water most of the time.
Enough was enough, I decided to hold the dog under water until it calmed down.
As soon as I put the lab underwater, my dog jumps off the dock and heads towards me.
He gets pretty close, but now all the slack in the rope is gone and my pooch goes under water.
So I let the lab go, swim to my pooch, and pull him up and push him towards shore.
He makes it to shore, but the friggin lab jumps back in and is heading back towards my girls.
Completely exhausted I dive back in and sprint back out, but no way I was catching that dog.
Now daddy is mad, and I decided that when I got my hands on that dog I was going to drown it.
I hate that I was going to kill the dog for being playful, but I couldn’t keep this up much longer.
The lab got within inches away from the girls raft before a neighbor on a kayak intercepted it and pulled it out of the water.
I was so relieved but barely had enough energy to get out of the water.
Whole thing lasted about 5 minutes, but I was underwater most of that time.
Very thankful nobody or anything got hurt.
Only damage was my spilled beer.
So… how was your weekend? 😊

I have no kids, so I am a total world class expert.

You were much more tolerant than I would have been with a 2 and 4 year old at risk. The dog would be going down after the first time I pushed it ashore. Glad you were more tolerant than I would have been. I love dogs, but dogs are not even close to the same level of importance as 2 or 4 year old girl.

Wow. I would have drowned 5 times.
Glad it worked out and I hope the rest of family wasn't too freaked out over it.

My wife had our three kids take swimming lessons before they were a year old. I thought it was too early but man o man do they swim good now. It’s was tremedous piece of mind knowing my kids were very good swimmers at a young age.

I have not time for dogs off leashes. When a dog comes near me and it's not friendly I tell the owner straight up 'get your dog under control or I will kick it in the head until it stops'.

Dogs are generally friendly, but I'm not going to get bitten first.

Where

Was

The

Lab's

Human?

^^^ Yea. This. ^^^^

Were your girls splashing about? If so, perhaps the dog was confused and thought your girls were in distress. I know with my own dogs that if we start splashing around, they jump in to 'save us'. It's not a threat, it's what they do for their people.

Not feeling that. Just a 75 pounder wanting to have nothing but fun.

Not a crime. However.......

Just sayin'.....let OP speak.

this

I've had several dogs that freaked out when people were in water, especially if they were splashing or kicking or making noise. Ten to one the lab was going to "save" your girls.

When we had a dog, if you did pull ups - twasn't natural to not have your feet on the ground.

He'd try to bring you back down to earth.

His face, body language, vocals, and expression were of genuine concern.

We went to the beach with our 3 year old son, and my hippie buddy and his pitbull. Every morning , when we would go down the ocean, the dog would go ape sheet nuts.
He was generally a pretty calm cool dog, so we were initially miffed a little by it .
By day 3 , we figured out , that he was protecting my son from the water and waves .
That dog would do everything in its power to get between my son, and the incoming waves, and try to push him back to shore . He acted the same way at the pool. He did not care if any of us were in the water, but when the little guy would go in, the dog would go crazy .

Labs eat everything, maybe he ate his human, was still hungry and thought the OP's kids were more food

Where was a police officer when you needed one to shoot the attack pup ;)

Sounds like it's swimming lessons for the whole family, really glad everything worked out in the end

And then your dogs pull humans to safety? Sounds like you need to train your dog.

AFA as the OP's ordeal, wherever that dog came from, I would not let it get within 50 yards of anyone in my family and I'd sure as hell let the owner know. No need to kill the dog but there are a few things that can be done where you won't see that dog again. At last resort, I'd keep a taser handy.

And if attempting to drown a dog, be prepared to go to the ER.

well done BK. Labs have the greatest personalities in the dog world but you were right to be careful!

Agree.

Side bar.....

Oh, Rocky Top, you'll always be home sweet home to me.
Good old Rocky Top, Rocky Top, Tennessee.

Bad ass song paying homage to OP's home town.

Beers, several.

When they get to my nephews the kids grab a hold of their collars and the dogs pull them to the side of the pool. That doesn't require 'training' to correct. Because if, god forbid, something were to happen and one of my nephews fell into the pool, I'd want my dogs to jump in and pull them to the side, not just sit there and watch. It's a behavior that I encourage. But that's just me.

My girls were sitting on a blow up mattress.
Regardless of dogs intention, it could have drowned my whole family.
My only thought was keeping it away from family.
I pushed it out of the water twice, wasn't going to be a third time.
Swimming lessons won't help a two year old against a big water dog.

Humans(the girl types) sound the same when they are in um pleasure, very excited about something, and/or in pain.
Context is everything.
Dog didn't read the manual.

Sounds good.