Monday, May 13, 2013

Pao Pao the Pug Goes Swimming

It's really hot here in Los Angeles. I've been hiding inside, baking goodies and sticking them under the noses of Lovely Daughter #1 and her best friend from med school, who are madly studying for their Step One exams. For a study break, Med School Bestie took Pao Pao out for a dip in the pool.

Pao doesn't like the water much. It takes a friendly face, a life jacket, and a box full of hot dog pieces to entice him in:


He's pretty good about going in to get his ankles wet. But then he sort of stalls:



There's a lot of coaxing to get him off that first step:



Once he's in (I picked him up by the handle and stuck him in a couple of times), he makes a beeline to the hot dog:



And hightails it back to the relative safety of the steps:


Asking him to commit to a longer stay in the pool usually means a bit of frantic splashing:


 But we give him water and pee breaks so he doesn't tire out:



All the hot dogs and splashing and encouragement attracted the attention of Pao's brothers:


 Mu Shu wanted the hot dog bits badly, but not enough to brave the water:

 
 Won Ton gamely stood on the first step to get a treat, but no way was he going in farther than that!:


After I took off Pao's life jacket, he was still trying to get at those treats. See him extending his paw, trying to pull that hot dog in closer?:


"I can *almost* taste it!," he seems to be thinking:



If we keep up the gentle encouragement, by the end of the summer, Pao probably will be jumping into the pool like one of those competitive dock-diving dogs:


But first, I'm going to have to buy a lot of hot dogs.


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