Rhythm and the Ducks
When Rhythm was young, she was infamous for doing rather incautious things.
Walking by the river with us one fine evening, Rhythm spotted some ducks. Off she went to chase them. The ducks were lounging around at the edge of a sandy cliff that dropped straight down to the river. They weren't real concerned about the black arrow pelting towards them. When she got close, they took to the air and flew right down to land in the water.
What none of us expected was for Rhythm to leap from the cliff into the river after them. Now a greyhound going full tilt boogie and then leaping, can go a pretty considerable distance through the air. Rhythm landed well out in the river.
The ducks flew away laughing. Three black pipe cleaners appeared sticking straight up out of the water. They were two forelegs and a greyhound nose trying to be a snorkel. The three sticks started waving wildly.
By this time the husband and I were laughing so hard we were leaning on each other to stand up.
The three sticks continued to thrash wildly about, splashing a great deal, but making no progress shoreward. Fortunately, the river was too sluggish to carry her off. Several minutes later, the sticks continued to wave from the same spot.
By now, I was getting worried. She must have jumped into water so deep she couldn't reach bottom with her hind feet, and those skinny greyhound paws are not made for swimming. I started for the cliff, intending to jump in after her.
About that time, Rhythm finally started making some progress towards land and when we made it to the sandy cliff, she was dragging her bedraggled body up the steep slope. We showered a much subdued greyhound with the appropriate sympathy. Well, and a few comments about how being black doesn't make you a Labrador.
After that, Rhythm would not enter any body of water of any depth or size, including the swimming pool kept in the backyard just for the greyhounds. The other hounds would hop in to cool off and she'd just stand there looking sorry for herself. We still took her to the river with the other dogs, and everyone would hop into the water to cool off – and leave Rhythm on the bank looking forlorn.
She didn't enter water again until she was almost 10 years old – and that was a shallow creek behind our apartments that barely came over her toes.
And she never, ever, chased another duck.
Posted: Friday 2nd June 2006, 3:27 AM
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