Touchdown Redskins, touchdown Gus

     I screamed touchdown! Touchdown Redskins, touchdown  Gus.

 On June 1, 2016 when Gus – 1 year-old blood hound mastiff-and I arrived in Athens,  not only he did not know how to swim he also thought the Aegean was a giant supply of drinking water . Gus would drink the water but shy away from the playful waves. My initial Spartan attempts to teach Gus how to swim were less than helpful for Gus to enjoy swimming. He quickly mastered swimming. That's all. He did not want to have anything to do to with the water except drinking.

     I realized I had possibly robbed Gus off the joy of swimming. It took three weeks and countless  hours of play in the sea without any swimming. There were days I thought he  would never swim for fun . I was wrong. Suddenly, from nowhere,2 days ago, Gus followed me some 20 yards away from the shore, at  times diving underwater then chomping up like a dolphin..

   I screamed touchdown! Touchdown Redskins, touchdown  Gus.