didn’t try to climb up on the boat on her own. She stayed out of the way while we were loading the swimmer. An untrained dog would not have known to do that. Kelby knows her job. She knows what has to happen. It was only after we got the distressed swimmer on the boat that Kelby came back. She swam parallel to the boat just as we taught her. We lifted her onto the boat and then I was able to get myself onto the boat. Once we were all on the boat, we attended to the swimmer. And then we proceeded back to shore. It was textbook, exactly how we teach it and how we write it up. A million things could have gone wrong. The dog could have headed back to the beach instead
of to the swimmer, anything. And she did her job exactly as Oakley would have, and did in the past, without hesitation, without any fear, and without a hint of panic in the water. You can’t ask better than that from any human or any animal. She was the utmost professional when it was her time to do her job. It felt like Oakley was with us. As told by Mara Bovsun, Managing Editor of AKC Family Dog Magazine.
This article originally appeared in AKC Family Dog magazine.
Article gathered from https://www. akc.org/expert-advice/family- dog/newfoundland-oakley-water- rescue-dog/
Once he was in tow, she swam straight to the boat, delivered him to us, and got out of the way. She
All photos except one courtesy of George Abraham.
Missouri Pet Breeders Association | Page 48
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