One of my favorite things that happened this summer was discovering Buntzen Lake, about 30 minutes outside Vancouver. It’s a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains, but is (surprisingly) not that cold. Definitely a lot warmer than the ocean & much warmer than a lot of the Alberta lakes I attempted to not only swim but wakeboard in. And the best part? There’s a dedicated leash-free section just for dogs!

Taking the puppies down to the beach is a regular activity for me & the mister, but we never go on in the water ourselves. The pug looks longingly at the other (big) dogs who swim way far out to fetch tennis balls & sticks while he stays close to the shore, never daring to go deeper than his belly. I figured all this would change if I could swim *with* him, doling out gentle encouragement & a wee bit of force. And it did! He swam like a champ & we got it all on video:

The next time we went out I was determined to get Kiero, otherwise known as The White Dog, to swim too. She’s part Chihuahua & with a snout that actually sticks out of the water (unlike the pug) so I figured she’d be golden. I’ll let you be the judge:

She was less than impressed with me, but I won her back by taking her out on the little blow up boat. She snuggled in my lap, dry as a bone, soaking up the summer sun. OK, she still doesn’t look very impressed in this photo, but who can blame her? Nobody likes having their picture taken in their swim suit.