Jun 01 2007

I've taken Kaiser with me to the Salton Sea three times over the last few months. For the most part he just hangs out in the car, not all that interested in the lake after his first bout with rolling around in the dead fish.

So last weekend we made another foray, this time to the west side of the lake. After sniffing around and doing his business he was more than content to hang out in the car with the air conditioning on.

And then we ended up near this little canal near the marina and he decided to get out. No big deal, I figured he just needed to mark some new territory. So, I dropped his leash and let him wonder about, even snapping a few shots of him as he wandered about. Of course, I didn't really pay attention, because as you can see in the top shot something has caught his interest....hmmmm...So, after snapping a few shots of him I promptly turned my attention elsewhere, not giving another thought to where he had wandered off to.

Now, let me describe the area we were in. It's a small canal area, where 100 yards away you could see green sewage being pumped into the lake. The "water" was a mixture of brown sludge, dead fish, and the smell of sewage.

So, after snapping a few shots I look up and can't see Kaiser, thinking he's wandered back to the car, I reposition myself and lo and behold what do I see? Someone decided that on a hot afternoon nothing would be better than taking a nice little dip in the water. He's wandered in to the lake and his happily trudging along, dragging his leash with him, shoulder high in the aforementioned sludge. As I yell at him to get out, he just looks at me and smiles, as happy as can be. All I can think is damnit, I don't want to trudge out there after him! After 30 seconds or so of me yelling at him and him ignoring me, he finally decides to wonder back to the shore...covered in nasty ass mud and smelling like a sewage treatment plant.

I get him back to the car, cursing at myself, while he's wagging his tail and refreshed from him little dip, looking at me like I'm a moron...dude, you should have come in with me...it felt great! Of course I have no towels, and only a few bottles of water...so I try and wash him down and being the cooperative puppy he is...he simply lays down...adding to the mud that coast his paws and chest. I open the car door to grab some paper towels...and he jumps in the car! So now I'm wrestling him trying to get the mud off as he's jumping from the front seat to the back seat thinking this is a great game of tag as he's tracking mud all over the place. Grrrrr.

Needless to say, it was a nice 3 hour drive home with the windows down.