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A Dog Named Midas
Over the Labor Day weekend, my husband and I and a
group of friends decided to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon kayaking on a
nearby creek. After putting in, we were joined by an exuberant, playful
Yellow Lab. We didn’t know who he belonged to, only that he seemed to
be enjoying himself accompanying us as we made our way down the
sparkling creek.
After traveling a short distance, we grew concerned
that he was still with us and hoped he could find his way home. As he
swam and walked in the shallow parts alongside us, when one of us would
get in front of him, he did all he could to place himself in the lead.
He seemed to be telling us that he was in charge. He continually turned
his head as if checking to see we were still behind him.
At one point, a friend and I encountered a fallen
tree and her kayak turned over. The kayak and her drink complete with
its’ kozy began to float down the creek. I tried to untangle myself to
recover the kozy while another friend went after the kayak. I couldn’t
believe my eyes when the dog swam after the kozy, retrieved it and
brought it right to my side. I gave him a “good boy” and, as I was
petting him, discovered the name on his tags: Midas.
There were times when Midas had been swimming too
long and we all stopped so he could rest. When we disembarked some
eight miles and three hours later, we just couldn’t believe that Midas
had followed us the entire distance. We were tired and grateful our
trip had come to an end. But Midas, upon meeting my friends’ new golden
retriever puppy, still exhibited energy extraordinaire.
Midas’ owner did not seem surprised to receive our
call that his dog followed us and needed a ride home. Many of us
secretly hoped that his owner would not claim him and we could keep him
for ourselves. What a super swimmer! What a super dog! Here’s to you,
Midas!
Submitted by: Denise Bernatos, Mechanicsburg, PA
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