Drowning risk for dogs

[Catherine]

Quote:I am not blaming that poor woman who lost Max to the water. She loved him very much, and is doing her best to raise awareness, and safety precautions for dogs on that unpredictable river.

She didn't know the river was dangerous and Max didn't know the river was dangerous. They were just out for a day of fun in a city park.

Quote:But I think very often, humans don't understand rivers, or bodies of water very well. They may not know about undertows and currents. They may not be aware of steeper banks further down or up river. They may assume that their dogs are "water dogs", and strong swimmers, and have swum there before.

This is true. People don't understand water. I grew up near a river and we were told not to go into the water because it had strong under currents. On the surface it looked so calm. The water was cloudy so you couldn't see how deep it was or where the currents were.
I nearly drowned when I visited Alberta. I cut across a stream that was clear to the bottom. I assumed that meant it was shallow and safe to cross.  When the water got up to my chest I just had to keep going because turning back would have been more risky. I also had a non swimmer in the water with me and I had to get her to safety. I learned to be much more careful around rivers. If you don't know don't go.

Sadly people usually learn about rivers after an accident. What happened to Max was an unfortunate accident. Even strong swimmers can get into trouble in a river.

Misty was a smart dog. She had enough sense to stay out of the water. Maggie was one lucky dog. It is not often you get to actually save someone like that.