This article was first published in the Amarillo Pioneer in April 2019.

By Trent Rosser

It’s coming up on that time again. That time when flowers start to bloom and the grass starts to grow, and grow, and grow. I used to like to mow the yard, but now it has become a chore. I think, that when I was younger, I didn’t care what the yard looked like, but now, I want a nice manicured yard with lots of green grass. I pull weeds and make sure I bag the grass that I cut. I started out cutting it low, but then the rains come and it is time to mow again. It’s amazing what a little water can do for a yard. It is also amazing what a little water will do to our dogs, Hunter and Hades.

As most of you know, Hunter is my wife’s 90 pound dog. He is Lab, Husky, German Shepherd and Heeler mix. He looks like a hairy yellow lab, but his undercoat is that of a German Shepherd. He talks back to us like a Husky will do also. Now Hades is a little different. He was rescued from the animal shelter. He is Boxer with a little bit of brindle pit to mix with him. When Hades first came to the house, he was nothing but skin and bones. We could count all of his ribs. Now he is about 70 pounds and he doesn't miss a meal. These two are best friends now. Hunter is just a little over 3 years old and Hades is just a little of 2 years old. Not only are they best friends, they also act like brothers. They stick together like brothers and they fight like brothers. Sometimes they are different like night and day. Water is a good example!

Hades loves water while Hunter hates water. When Hunter was young, we had a small swimming pool and he would play in it. Unfortunately, he was playing in it one day and his collar was loose. He got his paw stuck in his collar and fell face first in the water. Since then, he would get in the pool and play, but only if he thinks no one is watching. Trying to get Hunter a bath is an all day job that leaves him and myself worn out. I learned a trick to spread peanut butter on the wall of the shower, and he would lick it off while I would scrub him down. It was usually before I would rinse him off when he would decide that he would not like any more water on him and he would try to escape! I’m fighting him to stay in the tub, he is fighting me to get out of the tub and the water is going everywhere! Another trick that I did learn, but it takes a lot of water, is to put him in a small swimming pool. I still have to bribe him with a tennis ball to get him in. But after a little while, I have him in the pool with shampoo and a pitcher giving him a bath. I usually have to dump the water out and refill it with clean water so they could play in it later. Of course when I turn on the water, Hunter pulls his Harry Houdini act and disappears.

Hades on the other hand is totally different. You have to pick him up to get him in the tub for a bath, but as soon as he is in there, he stands still and waits patiently for you to finish. Now, Hades has very short hair and as soon as he shakes off the water, he is completely dry. Hunter has long hair and takes about 3 towels to dry him off. I tried to break out the hair dryer once, but Hades thinks it a gun and tries to disarm me! He hates the blow dryer. Hunter just hides where I cannot get to him. Again, when I give them a bath in the plastic swimming pool, Hades just stands there and waits for me to finish.

Hades does love the water, he will jump and play in it all day long. We break out the tennis balls for them and I will throw them in the pool, Hunter will paw at the water to try to get the ball closer to the edge so he can reach down and get it with his mouth. Hades on the other hand will dive headfirst into the water to get the ball. Problem is, he doesn't want to get out of the water. You throw the ball somewhere else, he just looks at you with a shocked face. You throw the ball in the water, and “SPLASH”, there he is again. All smiles. It is nearly impossible to water the backyard while Hades is in the backyard. If I water, I have to put him in the house. He goes crazy barking trying to get out. For some reason, Hades loves to be waterboarded! I have a fire hose nozzle and he tries to bite the water before it hits the ground. He will stand right in direct line of fire getting soaked, just trying to bite the water. Yep, he loves the water and the plastic swimming pool.

Just before winter, the plastic pool broke. All the water leaked out. It served its purpose for the summer. I procrastinated on tearing it into pieces and putting it my little trash cart. I just left it in the backyard next to the driveway. My biggest fear was it blowing away before I could trash it, but then one morning, I heard the strangest sound. Even my neighbors commented on the strange sound coming from my driveway. I went out that morning to see what was going on. Hunter would chase Hades around the yard a couple of time, then Hades would run as fast as he could and then jump in the empty swimming pool and sit down real quick. The momentum of him jumping in and it would slide the plastic pool (with him sitting down in it) about 10 feet. Hunter would grab it and pull it back to the top of the driveway and they would do it again. The strange sound was the pool sliding across the concrete. Hades almost looked like he was just sitting in a moving hovercraft. It was a perfect cartoon in real life. He had a smile on his face the entire time. He has come a long way since the animal shelter. The pool finally broke off into many pieces, and they did finally go into the trash.

Since spring is now here, it looks like I will be the “Hero” and get them a new plastic swimming pool. I just hope that if it drains the water, they don’t use it to crash through the fence and make their great escape!