No Rules Fetch

I think I have mentioned that Holly loves to fetch. She will retrieve tennis balls, sticks, or her stuffed hippo and bring it back to you to throw again and again as long as you keep throwing it. When you are tired of throwing the thing and try to hide it, she finds something else for you to throw, and brings that thing to you.

Holly also loves to swim. If there is nothing in the pond to retrieve, she is content to swim around and around in circles, but she would much rather combine her two favorite games and retrieve something by swimming after it.

Grace, my Rottweiler, also loves to retrieve, but she does not swim. Absolutely refuses to. So, here is how every game of "Fetch at the Pond" goes:

Step 1: Throw the stick as far as possible. See the ripples at the top of the photo? That's where the stick landed. Holly is heading out for it, Grace is standing at the shore, annoyed because I have not thrown the stick into the shallows.

Step 2: Holly brings the stick back. Sometimes, I throw more than one stick, and she won't come back till she's rounded them all up.

Step 3: Grace lurks at the water's edge.

Step 4: Holly comes out on shore ...

... and Grace pounces.

Step 5: A struggle ensues for possession of the stick.

Step 6: Grace usually acquires the stick, through fair means or foul, and tries to shred it.

Step 7: Holly shakes off and begs me to throw the stick again.

Steps 8 through 800: Repeat