Not the brightest of dogs...but he sure is handsome!

Kepler, did you have a nice swim today?

No, why not?

Oh thats right, because you fell through the ice into a freezing cold lake and couldn't get out! Idiot! He sure is lucky that he's so good-looking!

I love Kepler, but today he definitely showed me today that he's not the sharpest tack in the box. We were snowshoeing up on Mt. Seymour and he was having a great time running and playing in the snow. Suddenly I realized that my boy must have wandered off because I hadn't seen him in a couple minutes. I tried calling him and calling him. Nothing. Calling again. Nothing. Then I heard a dog whining and barking, it sounded like it was miles away, and it definitely didn't sound like Kepler but I started walking back on the trail anyways. As I was walking I realized that the barking dog sounded much closer, and very frantic. I quickly ripped off my snowshoes and ran back on the trail as fast as I could. There I saw him, and I will never forget the panicked look on his face. Kepler had fallen through the ice on a lake beside the trail and was struggling to get out. I ran down the snow-covered embankment grabbed his collar and dragged his soaking wet body out of the lake.

My poor boy! He was terrified and completely drenched in ice cold water. I looked through the hole in the ice and couldn't see the bottom of the lake, it was a very deep drop off from the edge of the lake and there's no way he would have made it out on his own. It was a very scary experience that luckily had a happy ending.

On a side note I think that this experience may have made me a bit superstitious. I had gone to the shelter this morning to renew the boys licenses. They had asked me if I was comfortable taking tag 0666 (apparently a lot of people wouldn't take that number). I have never felt that certain numbers are lucky or unlucky so I said sure, why not. They assigned that tag to Kepler, and Tycho got a much higher number since so many people refused to take 0666. Maybe it's a coincidence, maybe not, but next year if 0666 comes up I might pass!

On a final note, I finally X-rayed Kep this week after noticing some lameness recently in his right hind leg. Of course I've been paranoid that it's a hip problem and had convinced myself that he will be needing surgery (don't worry, he has insurance). But luckily I was only partly right. His hips look okay on x-rays, but upon exam it turns out he has a luxating patella. His right knee is "looser" than his left and could account for his wonky gait. Hopefully as he grows and gains more muscle the knee will tighten up and it will cease to be a problem. Worst case scenario it could worsen and require surgery, or leave him more prone to ACL tears and arthritis of the knee. Ugh. I'm sorry Karma Gods for whatever I have done. For now the vet is saying just to let him be as active as he is used to being and just see how he does. But of course now I'm worried about starting agility with him an exacerbating the issue. Lets hope that Kep grows strong and this is never an issue for him!