On Saturday, we thought we'd go paddle boarding in the afternoon. Kelly and I started out with Lady and paddled to the middle of the inlet to wait for Brad to rent a third paddle board. Lady was doing great! It was the first time I had ever taken her, but she has gone before with her Auntie Megan. We were relaxing, talking and floating in the water and took a few pictures to pass the time.
Brad finally paddled out to meet us and that's when the craziness started. Lady was so upset that we weren't all on the same board and was VERY distressed that she could not get to her daddy. I had her all strapped up with her harness and leash attached to my paddle board, but the others were worried that if she tried to jump off and swim she would get tangled in her leash. I was really nervous to take her off of the leash, but I eventually let them convince me it was for the best. And this is where lesson number one came in: "Always follow your gut!"
We all started paddling further out the inlet when Brad got "too far away" for Lady's comfort, she started wimpering and jumped off of the paddle board. This girl DOES NOT like water and is not a particularly strong swimmer. I bent down to grab her but the wind had pushed the board and she was already too far away for me to reach her. Trying to turn the board around to paddle over to her, I looked over my shoulder and realized I could not see her head! Her little red flower was visible just below the surface, but I could not see her at all! I dropped the paddle and jumped into the water and started swimming over to her. By the time I got to her, she was completely under water and her little body was vertical. As soon as I reached down and lifted her little bum so she was above water she sputtering, sneezing, shaking and clinging to me.
I swam back to the paddle board using one arm to hold my phone above water (yes, it was in my swimsuit when I jumped in) and one arm to hold Lady above water. Kelly and Brad had paddled back by then and got my paddle for me. Once back on the board, I immediately strapped Lady back in and said "I knew this was a bad idea!"
We went on and paddled for quite a while, taking a break on a little sandy beach half way out before heading back. Lady jumped off a few more times and swam to her heart's content alongside the board with her leash attached. The good news: Lady didn't drown and we now have this adorable picture together. :)
With love, Kayla
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