Water dog disclaimer

I think when you get a dog from the pound that they should come with a 'water dog' disclaimer.  They always warn you if the puppy will grown into a 200 lb monster, or if it is likely to chase things...but they never warn you that your new pet might have an affinity for water.  

Big deal, right?  Wrong.  This is a HUGE deal.  

My first dog, the great dane, is not a swimmer.  She's too fastidious to even get her feet wet.  She's always clean, dry and ready to hop in the car or up on the couch for a cuddle.  The hound however, is the water kind of dog.  He is driven by his need to get wet and dirty.  If there is a puddle, he is in it.  Rolling gleefully in two inches of oily street water is his idea of a great afternoon.  He finds water in places there isn't any water.  I live in a desert for heaven's sake!  Still, he comes home dripping wet and muddy the likes of which I've never seen before.

He nearly killed himself twice yesterday by careening into a river at full flood for a quick dip.  Both incidents found me, laying on my belly on a crumbling bank, reaching wildly for any hand hold on a wriggling, drowning dog.  After what seemed like hours, and in both cases was probably about 15 seconds, I managed to haul poor George-Michael up to safety only to have him shake , roll and head back in for more.  He's exhausting.