Gracie 'tries' out swimming...

As the title suggests, this was an attempt at introducing Gracie to the water. Although not a complete failure...she does have the doggie paddle instinct...she made aqua circles. She did not seem scared, just a little overwhelmed. We had taken her to David's brother's house since he has a pool. We were thinking this would be a quiet environment where we could test her level of comfort. I guess we forgot that we have 2 children who are definitely not the quiet type. They, along with our 2 nieces and their 4 month old lab, made for a loud pool party. The lab loves the water, obviously, and tends to jump on people when they are in the water. By now, I'm playing the nervous mother role really well and just waiting for the screams from my girls when Buddy jumps on Gracie. This is why this responsibility was left in the hands of David. I did not even venture out onto the patio to watch or video the spectacle. Sorry... David is not in the water very long with her when he brings her back to me looking very much like a drowned rat, albeit a very cute one! She was unsure at first so David held her and took her out into the water. She had the paddle thing down so he let go. He said all she would do is her 'Gracie circles' in the water. The pool was a little busy for him to really try to work with her so he took her out.
The poor girl was worn out! Buddy, the lab puppy, had been trying to get to her all day. He's not aggressive but reminds me of a bull in a china store. He would not leave her alone. He slimed her several times, tried to mount her repeatedly and nearly sniffed all of the fur off my little girl's body. I am trying to be positive and look at all of this as an experiment in the socialization of Gracie but I can't help but 'save' her and pick her up when it gets to be constant and a little much. She was really very docile and submissive. She would just roll over when he was pushing into her. I'm not too sure I want her to be like that. I'd like for her to 'stick up' for herself just a little bit. I probably worry too much about her but, in a way, she will always be that tiny little gray girl we nursed back to health.