{"id":19455,"date":"2021-12-15T20:16:15","date_gmt":"2021-12-16T01:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=19455"},"modified":"2021-12-15T20:18:55","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T01:18:55","slug":"episode-487-story-of-two-dogs-and-a-pond-with-thin-icedecember-2021-skeoch-farm-wellington-county-ontario","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=19455","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 487 STORY OF TWO DOGS AND A POND WITH THIN ICE;;;december 2021, skeoch farm wellington county, ontario"},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE 487   STORY OF TWO DOGS AND A POND WITH THIN ICE<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
Dec. 1545<\/div>\n

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THE ICE IS STILL THIN\u2026.<\/div>\n

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THIS PICTURE IS MEANT TO BE UNSETTLING\u2026THE DISC PLOW STANDS WHERE ONCE THE BARN STOOD.   A BARRIER BETWEEN<\/div>\n
THE TWO PONDS ON OUR FARM.  THREATENING.<\/div>\n

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DANGER  DANGER  DANGER!!!   SOME DOGS CAN SMELL DANGER AND KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO WHEN DANGER LOOMS AS IT DOES ON<\/div>\n
THIS THIN LAYER OF EARKY DECEMBER ICE ON ONE OF THE PONDS ON THE SKEOCH FARM.<\/div>\n

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DATELINE:  EARLY DECEMBER 2021<\/div>\n
LOCATION: SKEOCH FARM, WELLINGTON COUNTY, ONTARIO<\/div>\n

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The pond ice was thin.  Winter had not quite arrived when our dog Woody tested<\/div>\n
the ice and at the same time tested our nerves.  Sunshine, crisp air, a moment of freedom<\/div>\n
combined all at once and Woody took a risk.  Big risk.  Deadly risk.  He walked on <\/div>\n
the ice.  Seemed firm.  So he kept on walking far from shore.  He walked out to where <\/div>\n
the December sun had thinned the ice.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Marjorie saw him standing out there.  She knew the adventure was about to turn into<\/div>\n
a tragedy.  \u201cWoody, get off the ice!\u201d  Woody looked at her\u2026head up.  And that flexing<\/div>\n
of the neck muscles was enough to break the ice.  Woody fell forward and no matter what<\/div>\n
he did he could not get back on the ice.  Each time his front paws got a grip another shard <\/div>\n
of ice split away. <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Marjorie screamed and began edging out on the shore ice which split and sank.  Woody]<\/div>\n
was splashing around.  Too far away.  “Woody, oh, woody!\u201d  He could do nothing but break <\/div>\n
little panels of ice with his front paws and then submerge and pop up to try again.<\/div>\n

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Then a very strange thing happened.  A wonderful thing.  Woody\u2019s step sister, Failla, heard<\/div>\n
the cry.   She was exploring the margin of another pond over the hill where the barn once stood.<\/div>\n
Faila knew in a split second that there was trouble;  And she bolted.  She came full speed<\/div>\n
to where Marjorie stood in the shallows with the ice shards.<\/div>\n

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She did not even stop for guidance.  She ran out to Woody across the firm ice to the<\/div>\n
disastrous ice which now floated in pieces around Woody as he thrashed around.<\/div>\n
Her speed across the ice reduced her weight on the ice.  She reached Woody.  Stopped<\/div>\n
suddenly and her weight broke more ice.  Failla was in the pond with Woody.  <\/div>\n

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\u201cOh dear\u2026oh dear!\u201d Marjorie screamed thinking both dogs were about to drown.  And that<\/div>\n
could have been true.  But Failla had other ideas.  She began deliberately breaking ice in<\/div>\n
a straight line towards the shore.  Towards Marjorie.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Woody is a Labrador dog.  He should be a natural swimmer but.  He was terrified by deep<\/div>\n
water.   Woody was having a  panic attack.  He would not\u2026he could not\u2026see<\/div>\n
trail of broken ice.  And Failla knew that.  She knew Woody needed more help.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
She took the lead showing him the way out through the broken ice,  Failla then turned around and swam back to Woody. <\/div>\n
She showed Woody the way through the shards<\/div>\n
of ice to the shore where Marjorie stood.  Speechless.  She saved Woody\u2019s life.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Now many readers know dogs.  Dogs have many strengths and a few weaknesses.  One strength is<\/div>\n
the ability to sense danger.  Failla was a long distance away when she heard Marjorie scream.  Failla<\/div>\n
could not see the pond where Woody was splashing in his panic.  But she knew instinctively rear<\/div>\n
she was needed and she hurtled back to the disaster scene.  More that that.  She did not stop to<\/div>\n
assess the situation.  She plunged in\u2026smashing her way across the ice… smashing a trail for Woody to escape.<\/div>\n
And even more that that Failla then swam through the channel she had made.  A rescue dog.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
If that was Marjorie doing the rescue she would get an award\u2026perhaps even recognition by<\/div>\n
the Governor General of Canada.  A medal with a ribbon.  But there was no reward except<\/div>\n
this story.  Failla will never be forgotten.  There is an intelligence there when I look at her eyes.<\/div>\n
There is love there as well.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
dec. 2021<\/div>\n
\n

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Begin forwarded message:<\/div>\n


<\/p>\n

From: <\/b><\/span>ALAN SKEOCH <alan.skeoch@rogers.com<\/a><\/a>>
<\/span><\/div>\n
Subject: <\/b><\/span>Pond story<\/b>
<\/span><\/div>\n
Date: <\/b><\/span>December 15, 2021 at 6:43:09 PM EST
<\/span><\/div>\n
To: <\/b><\/span>Alan Skeoch <alan.skeoch@rogers.com<\/a><\/a>>
<\/span><\/div>\n


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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is Woody.   His half sister, Failla, keeps an eye on him.
<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u201cWoody, did you know the ice on the pond is still very thin?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI know now, Marjorie.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDid you know your half sister was willing to risk her life just to save yours?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI know now, Marjorie.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNext time stay off the ice until full winter has arrived.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cRight you are.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat reward can we give your sister, Woody?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cShe can share my bed by the fireplace.”<\/div>\n
\u201cShe likes the truck seat better\u2026.”<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n

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\u201cThat\u2019s me, Failla, on the left.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWho is the other dog, Failla?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s my brother, Woody, \u2014’ he\u2019s not heavy, he\u2019s my brother \u2018 ”<\/div>\n

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Sent from my iPhone<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n


<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EPISODE 487   STORY OF TWO DOGS AND A POND WITH THIN ICE alan skeoch Dec. 1545 THE ICE IS STILL THIN\u2026. THIS PICTURE IS MEANT TO BE UNSETTLING\u2026THE DISC PLOW STANDS WHERE ONCE THE BARN STOOD.   A BARRIER BETWEEN THE TWO PONDS ON OUR FARM.  THREATENING. DANGER  DANGER  DANGER!!!   SOME DOGS CAN […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19455\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}