Zinnia and I had the most beautiful walk in the woods today, I find walking with her so calming and connecting. We walked in a park along a path that leads to a lake. We had the place to ourselves, it turned out to be a warm day and the snow and ice on the paths had melted.

We walked for a couple of miles, on the path and in the woods and then we came to the lake, where I’ve taken my dogs to swim in the off-seasons. I was interested to see how she would react, but I got more than I bargained for.

She gave me a real scare.

I expected her to come up and sniff the water, which she’d never seen before. She saw the water, her head came up and she went charging, I think she expected to swim, her instincts seemed to take over. She ignored my calls to stop – I don’t think she could at this point – and raced out onto the ice and started slipping and sliding, heading too far out for me.

The water is very shallow there, less than a foot deep, but I didn’t know how deep the ice is, or how she would react if she fell through. I had my shoes off and was about to plunge in after her, she was spinning around and trying to get her footing.

Then she stopped and got her bearings and looked at me, and I told her to come back. She started to, she slid all the way back to shore, this time having some fun. I kept her close and she stepped out a few inches, then a foot or two, and I’d had enough (my feet were freezing from having my shoes off.) We had a lovely walk back.

She’s a wonderful dog to walk with, she stays close and comes when called. But she’s still a puppy, learning and feeling her way, and I need to be cautious. I am confident now, though, that she will love to swim.

This is a wonderful place for us to walk. And I’m enjoying long walks again, it’s been a while.