Marty’s photo of the day #4059: Of all the dogs I’ve had in my life, Nellie is the best at giving side-eye. And I swear half the time she does it just to be funny. DNA tests have confirmed Nellie to be one-half golden retriever and one-half Australian cattle dog (which also makes her one-fourth dingo). Two years ago, when Deb and I adopted Nellie from an animal shelter, the cattle dog/dingo in her dominated her opinion that water was to be avoided, except for drinking. Since then, the water-loving golden retriever in her has been gaining more influence. Nellie now loves to play in the shallow stream that runs through our property. Even so, she still refuses to swim.
Our backpacking trip last week took us along a river that was mostly walkable for Nellie, but also featured some deep holes that were over her head. This photo shows Nellie launching herself out of the river after being surprised by one of those waterholes.
Nellie’s side-eye is most definitely saying, “Dad! The river fooled me, and I had to swim. It was scary!”