This should be a cheese entry. On Sunday Laurie and I went to Marin. We did a number of good-West Marin things: saw the ocean, talked to bikers, got car sick etc. Then, in search of a nice place to walk the Schnitz, we headed to the Nicasio Valley Reservoir. I hadn’t been there since I was a teen beer drinker, but I figured we’d walk the dog and then visit the farmstead organic cheese nearby (Nicasio Valley Cheese Company)
Alas, it was not to be.
The reservoir was pretty enough. And we had it all to ourselves. Look at the blue water!
Schnitzel was happy. This is Schnitzel’s happy look:
The water was calm and, for the most part, very shallow by the road. We walked to the end, then walked back. About halfway back to the car, both Laurie and I looked to our right and realized that the water was actually really deep on that side. Schnitzie noticed us noticing and either 1. Went to check out what we were looking at or 2. Went to protect Laurie from getting too close to the edge.
Then he fell in.
Like the way he does most new things, he fell in enthusiastically and aggressively. By the time I got to the edge he was already out of reach. He was, well, doggie paddling furiously but getting farther from the road. Schnitzie had never been swimming before and was visibly freaked out.* I managed to get him closer by splashing the water towards me until I could grab him, but I was about 15 seconds from jumping in. If his little head went under I was ready to dive.
Of course about 30 seconds from getting back on land he was looking like he wanted to jump back in. We leashed him.
But by then I was too dirty and wet to go to the cheese company. They make really good organic cheese. The Loma Alta and the Nicasio Valley Square are my favorites.
Here’s me all wet and Schnitzie chasing moths.
*not to mention that he got neutered last week and wasn’t even supposed to bathe for ten days!
Gordon ("Zola") Edgar 
OMG!!!!!!! You must have been totally freaked out. And, boy oh boy, what a mess! Tell Schnitzy, no more swimming!!!
You, my brother, have officially become a dog owner.
I bet you didn’t even check your pockets for cameras/phones/etc. before making ready to dive in…
didn’t even think of it.
But this is also why I never called sunday afternoon. Had to get home and wash the slime off the dog.
Hi Gordon–Is Schnitz a wire hair fox terrier? He certainly looks and acts like one, but I’ve never seen a pure white wire fox–a Westy trait. Sun, dogs, cheese and Marin. Perfect. I assume you’ll get back to the cheese place.
George Green
He’s a white miniature schnauzer. and very much a terrier.