A happy day

Most Spaniels love water and take any opportunity to splash through a puddle or dive into a stream. As a breed, we are generally strong swimmers. I believe there even used to an English Water Spaniel.

I, however, am one who doesn’t swim with the tide. I can swim, I do swim, but generally I don’t choose to. I’m quite happy to paddle around in the shallows of the sea when we are on the beach. I’ve even been known to swim out for a ball that’s been thrown into the water! Generally, though, I prefer to stick to dry land.

But there are always exceptions to rules. And this week proved that.

My humans and I took advantage of a sunny Easter Monday and, with the top down on the car, set off for the Penrose headland at Helston. What a glorious day!

I was off my lead for most of the time, free to run along the riverbank, sniff through the bluebells and do a bit of digging in the woods. I also met lots of other dogs, many cousin Spaniels among them.

My humans stopped at a bench close to the river. It was shady, but I had done so much running around that I needed a proper cool down. The sky was a wonderful, cloudless blue and the water sparkled in the sun. I therefore took myself to a small beach in the reeds and launched myself into the water.

It was a delicious and most refreshing interlude, although my humans seemed quite surprised at my antics. Happily, they didn’t seem to mind that I shook my fur dry over their picnic and even shared some of their biscuits with me. If that’s my reward for taking a dip, I might take the plunge more often!