With the warm weather continuing in Greece, we have been looking for different ways to help the dogs stay cool and comfortable.
One idea seemed obvious: water.
Surely a little pool to splash around in would be an instant hit?
Apparently not.
Setting Up a Cooling-Off Area
We already had a small paddling pool stored away from years ago, so that was brought back into use.
Leanda’s husband also made a water trough from a barrel, giving the dogs another option for cooling off.
Both were set up separately at different times to see whether one might prove more appealing than the other.
So far, the verdict has been extremely clear.
Absolutely no interest whatsoever.
Treats, Encouragement and Plenty of Patience
There have been plenty of attempts to convince the dogs that water might actually be fun.
Treats have been involved, along with gentle encouragement and attempts to guide them towards the water.
None of it has quite worked yet.
The dogs appear perfectly happy to inspect the situation from a safe distance while leaving the actual swimming to somebody else.
Still, we are not giving up.
Every dog is different, and sometimes something completely unfamiliar just takes a little time to investigate and understand.
Searching for Our First Water Baby
For now, the search continues for the shelter’s first enthusiastic water baby.
Perhaps one of the dogs will eventually discover the joy of standing in cool water on a hot day and the others will follow.
Or perhaps the pool will continue to sit there while everyone waits hopefully beside it with treats.
Either way, we will keep trying different ways to make the warm weather a little more comfortable for the dogs in our care.
Shelter life is often about experimenting, adapting and discovering what each individual dog actually enjoys — even when their answer is a very definite “not getting in that.” 💦🐾