Requiem for an orange ball

Oh orange ball, my orange friend
I can't believe you've met your end

Inseparable were you and I,
and I carried you proudly, head held high

While showing you off to one and all,
"I'm Hathaway; this is my ball."

I chased you down through mud and Nor'easters;
kept bringing you back, out-retrieving Retrievers

You didn't break in my pit bull jaws
or under stomping pit bull paws

You kept your bounce, unlike the others
that split their seams and shed their covers

I could find you in a foot of snow,
and held you when I had to go

I shared with friends, Carmen and Danny,
Toby, Jake and even Manny.

We fished you out of the water before,
but this time you sank too far from shore

Dear orange ball, where for art thee?
At the bottom of the ocean, buried at sea.

Come hell or any water

The dog does not like water except to drink. He made that very clear early on when I had to drag him out for business in the rain. Hathaway's fur is very short, a lot like a horse's coat, actually. When he gets wet, he is instantly wet to the skin. He hates it.

But his dislike of water goes beyond that. He doesn't like to get his paws wet. It's pretty funny to watch him try to get through a puddle without getting his paws wet. Maybe if I lift this paw, I won't feel it. It's still there. Maybe if I lift this paw, I won't feel it ... nope ... maybe if I lift this paw ...

And yes, he can balance on two legs but hasn't figured out how to move forward. Usually he tries to go around puddles or stay under the umbrella.

Today, a nor'easter is blowing through, but it wasn't too bad early this morning when we headed to the dog park and he actually hopped out of the car for a walk. It was drizzling, but we walked the loop, then played with the other hearty souls who were out. Even played a little fetch and I managed not to throw the ball into a puddle. (When that happens, I'm the fetcher all of a sudden &@!*#$.)

But then it started to rain harder. Hathaway looked at me, then trotted off at a brisk pace. I thought he was getting the ball until he went right past it. It took another 20 yards before I realized he was headed for the car. He didn't look back once and he didn't stop until he got there.