Bob had saved Joyce’s life when she was only five, so her father had let him stay on the farm. Bob showed he was an intelligent dog, even capable of getting the cows in for milking and shutting the gate by himself. Joyce thought Bob was almost human. But one day, as she and Bob were walking through the pasture, something happened to remind her that he still had the instincts of a dog.
They started crossing a canal that ran through the pasture. Lying across the canal was a fallen tree that was about two feet in diameter. Bob was behind her as they crossed. Suddenly, a rabbit ran out of the brush on the side of the canal they were crossing to.
Bob darted past Joyce on his way to chase the rabbit, but in so doing, he knocked her off balance. Joyce slipped and plunged into the icy cold water. She was only seven and could not swim. As she surfaced and gasped for air, there was a splash beside her, and Bob was there.
As Joyce struggled to keep her head above water, Bob grabbed her shirt with his teeth and swam hard for shore. But the water was swift and deep. It was pulling them toward the check where a headgate split the water into two directions. Water checks on the canal often had a dangerous undertow.
Bob fought the water desperately, trying to get them to the only place between where they were and the check that someone could find a way out of the water. Seeing what he was doing, Joyce started kicking her feet to move them in that direction. It seemed like forever as they fought their way across the current, and just as Joyce was afraid the current would pull past their hopeful landing spot, she was able to grab a branch and pull herself to safety.
But Bob was too tired and could not save himself, and he floated toward the check. Suddenly, a big, strong hand reached over the cement wall leading into the check, grabbed Bob by his fur, and pulled him onto the bank to safety. Joyce looked up to see that it was her father.
Bob had swallowed lots of water and had lost consciousness. Joyce’s father started pumping the dog’s chest, and some water came out of Bob’s lungs. Suddenly, Bob gulped a deep breath. He sputtered air and coughed up more water, but he started to breathe. Soon, he opened his eyes.
Joyce hugged her dog, happy that he was going to be okay. But when she looked at her father, she could tell he was not happy.
“Joyce, how did you end up in the canal?” he asked.
Joyce was afraid that if she told him Bob had caused her to slip, her father would be angry with the dog and make him leave. She took a deep breath and said, “I was crossing the tree and slipped.”
“I have told you repeatedly to stay away from the canal,” he replied. “If I can’t trust you to do that, I must insist you stay at the house.”
Joyce loved her freedom to roam, but as much as he hated the punishment, she felt equally bad knowing she had not told her father the whole truth because of her concern about what he would think of Bob.
However, later that evening, she decided she had to tell her father the whole story. After she did, she said, “Daddy, even though Bob made me fall in the canal, you won’t make him leave, will you?”
Her father pulled her onto his lap. “Joyce, everyone makes mistakes. You did in disobeying me. Bob did in letting his instincts to go after a rabbit caused him to make you slip. But the critical thing is that when a person, or a dog, makes a mistake, they need to do their best to fix it. You made a mistake in not telling me the whole truth, and you are trying to fix it. Bob also fixed his error by forgetting the rabbit and diving in to save you. I will definitely not send Bob away. Today, he showed how incredible he is by saving you, even at the possible cost of his life.”
Joyce’s father then smiled. “And your punishment still holds. You can’t leave the area around the house for a week.”
Joyce nodded. She had learned a valuable lesson, and her bond with her dog had grown even stronger.
(To be continued)
