Elderly Chesapeake Bay Retriever Goes Fishing
Melvin is a ten year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever. The people who bought him as a puppy lived in the country. Over the years, commuting to the city to work was getting harder each day. They decided to sell their home to move closer to their work. The new owners of the house were dog lovers, they were more than happy to take Melvin as part of the sale. The dog would not have to leave the home he had grown up in. The bonus was he could continue to roam as he pleased. The property had eighty acres with a river running through it. the new owners weren't warned that Melvin had learned a super trick. He would catch fish in the river, then carry them home. Not tiny fish, but 3 to 6 pounders that the family would enjoy eating
As the new owners settled in, Melvin grew used to a different routine. He liked his new family. The first day he arrived at the back door with a fish in his mouth caused a great deal of confusion. The family took the fish out of the dogs mouth, placed it in a bucket of water trying to revive it. Sadly it didn't made it. They buried it deep in a flower bed.
This posed a problem. His new family were all vegetarians, they never ate meat or fish. Melvin kept bringing home a fish at least once a week. He knew his people were not pleased with what he did. They didn't know how to teach an old dog not to do something that for many years had brought such pleasure to his first family. Who is to say that his feelings weren't hurt when his offerings were not welcomed. It was their eight year old son who finally worked things out.
The young boy felt Melvin should continue to fish, just not bring them home. During the long summer days he worked with the dog. He taught Melvin that when he caught a fish, he was to run a small ways downstream, step onto flat rocks in the river, then release the fish. Melvin would drop the fish gently into the water watching intently as it swam away. His young trainer praised him lavishly. The dog had a soft mouth, he never harmed the fish in any way.
It worked well. The old dog could continue fishing and releasing. The boy had never had a dog before. A very strong bond developed. Fall then winter arrived. It was the coldest winter to hit the area in over thirty years. The river froze over. Melvin had nothing to do. Once again, it was the young lad who came up with a game that had the family in stitches.
He ran about three inches of water in the bathtub. Downstairs he put five plastic fish into a bubbling foot bath. The plastic fish bobbed up and down in the frothing water. Melvin had to 'catch' a fish, go flying upstairs to deposit it in the bathtub where he would watch it for a moment. He'd race downstairs to brave the bubbles in the foot bath to snap up another fish. Once all five plastic fish were in the bathtub the game was over.
Melvin was patted and told what a good dog he was. Given a dog cookie he could retire to his bed, munch on his treat and dream of fishing another day. Whoever said you can't teach an old dog new tricks, never met Melvin.
