The TAIL/TALE of the New River weekend

While my sister-in-law and I visited my daughters /her nieces, my Sweetie, Phil and SAM took off for the New River for a relaxing chance to drown some worms, AKA Fishing camping and canoeing …just kidding there Sweetie…;)

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These are some pictures of their trip and a lesson learned about “Swimtail”.

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But now about “Swimtail”! As you see from the pictures SAM is one handsome dog. As is with any Labrador the “urege” to swim is second nature to this breed. AAAt some point when they guys were ready to bed for the night Sam was showing some distress, not wanting to move, when touched to locate any possible problems his hind quarters were especailly tender.

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After an earlier departure, because of SAM, and a fast trip to Richmond and the Vets office this was what had occurred. The otter-like tail and webbed toes of the Labrador retriever make them excellent swimmers. Their interwoven coat is also relatively waterproof, providing more assistance for swimming. The tail acts as a rudder for changing directions.

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Yup SAM over did the swimming. Thankfully a few days of now swimming and all is well that ENDS well [pun intended]! A Labrador that undertakes significant swimming without building up can develop a swelling or apparent kink known as swimtail. This can be easily treated by a veterinary clinic and tail rest.

The modern Labrador Retriever is among the oldest of the modern "recognized" breeds; according to the American Kennel Club, pedigrees exist back to 1878. The Kennel Club recognized the Lab in 1903. The first registration of Labradors by the AKC was in 1917; many English dogs were imported post World War I and these formed the foundation of the American variety.

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Good-tempered, very agile. Excellent nose, soft mouth; keen love of water. Adaptable, devoted companion. Intelligent, keen and biddable, with a strong will to please. Kindly nature, with no trace of aggression or undue shyness. - UK Kennel Club standard

Looking content~~~~~~

Divided interests?

So cute they are both looking in the same direction

SAM

The New River is home to many species of freshwater game fish including bass, trout, walleye, muskellunge, crappie, bluegill, carp, or flathead and channel catfish.

Despite its name, the river is considered by some geologists to be possibly one of the oldest rivers in the world, between 10 million and 360 million years old. According to local folklore, it is considered to be second in age only to the Nile River and thus the oldest in North America. However, the ages of rivers are very difficult to establish with precision; as the wide range of possible ages for the New River demonstrates, there is no established ranking of the ages of major rivers. The New River flows in a generally south to north course, which is against the southwest to northeast topology of the Appalachian Mountains and the west to east flow of most other nearby major rivers especially in Virginia and North Carolina. This peculiarity may mean that the New River's formation preceded much of the surrounding landscape, although again this hypothesis has not been proven beyond doubt.

The New River, a tributary of the Kanawha River, is approximately 320 mi (515 km) long, flowing through the states of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia in the United States. Much of the river's course through West Virginia is designated as the New River Gorge National River. The New River is one of the American Heritage Rivers of the United States.

For sure not the foods we sampled…;)