May 26, 2015

Swimming With An IronDog

Two weeks ago, the hubs and I went to visit the island of Hawaii for the first time. (We decided to go to the Big Island to celebrate my recent Big Birthday! I'm hoping to share some pics of our trip on the next See Beautiful hop!)

While we were in Kona, my IronGuy wanted to swim the course used for the Hawaii Ironman.*
Hubs has done Ironman Canada, but dreams of someday getting his knees back in working order and doing the Hawaii Ironman. (Here's hopin'.)
When the hubs finished, he said he passed a German shepherd at the mile marker (the halfway point for the 1.2 mile swim). 

A dog?? I was a bit shocked, as you might imagine. At the halfway point?!

We waited and sure enough...
Afterwards, I went to use the restroom and when I came out, the hubs was nowhere in sight.

I should have known I'd find him hanging out with the dog!
The swim competitors had become fast friends.

Later we found out the dog is something of a local celebrity! His name is Dillon, and he sure does love some scritchin'!

You can read a great article about Dillon HERE and see some pawesome photos of him in action while he swims.

His momma saved him from a shelter where he was scheduled to be euthanized. He had suffered abuse, but his new momma promised him he'd never be alone again. Even if that meant he would be coming along when she did her thrice weekly swims! She suits him up in a float coat and a little buoy under his neck, and away they go!

We were thrilled to get to meet Dillon. He seemed please to meet us too since we were generous with the scritchin'. 

Funnily enough, this is not the first time the hubs and I have swum long distances with a dog. I once swam a 10K event for charity when we lived in Bermuda, and there was a golden retriever who did the event too! (Only difference was that the golden would cheat... The swim was around the edge of a bay, so there were places where the dog could get out and run for a bit, then hop back in the water. Still, he swam most of it. And I think he might have beat me!)


Could your dog be an IronDog? (Rita says, "No, thank you.")

* An Ironman race = 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run. Crazy, right?? Now here's a fun fact: the dog in my novel, What the Dog Ate, is named Kona after the birthplace of Ironman racing.


Thanks to BlogPaws for hosting! (And thanks for letting me be a little wordy...)

31 comments:

  1. Ruby could definitely NOT be an ironman nor could I! LOL! Very impressive that both Dillon and your husband are so athletic!

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    1. Yeah, I couldn't be an ironman either! WAY too far to go! I could do each of those things individually, but not all together!

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  2. Aren't you lucky to have such a nice fit hubby! I could never do an Ironman contest, even when I was younger. I could probably do the swim, but then I'd be done!

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    1. Yes, I am a lucky girl to have such a fit hubby! But sometimes he makes me feel pretty lazy!!

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  3. That dog is so cute! I want a swimming pooch.

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    1. I do too. Rita will swim a wee bit - but only to swim out to me. Then she wants to turn around and head right back in. (It's SO cute when she swims!)

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  4. Hehe. My Earl hates water. Ethel is a little braver, hehe.

    sumskersandearlskers13.blogspot.com

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  5. Ah, I bet it was fun meeting Dillon that way and the vacation sounds amazing! I'm looking forward to seeing more of you pics soon. :)

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    1. It was super fun to meet him! And our vacation was so nice! :)

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  6. Misty the alpha Poodle is a total fish. She sees water and she is there. Timmy growls at his water bowl if it splashes him and won't touch grass with dew on it. Swimming with a German Shepherd is sort of like swimming with dolphins.

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    1. Too funny about Timmy. And, yeah, I'd rather swim with a GSD than the dolphins. I'd feel too guilty about the dolphins to really enjoy it!

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  7. Oh Im so jealous that looks like a perfect vacation!

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    1. It was pretty perfect! (except for the mosquito bites that I got!)

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  8. Oh wow, that is a greyt story. Great shots, too! Thanks for sharing!

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  9. Greta liked water, Bailey & Hazel a definate NO. We have yet to see how Mabel feels about it
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel

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    1. Rita has a love/hate relationship with it. She loves to get wet, but she really just wants the water to be a few inches deep so she can duck down and get her belly wet. She WILL go in and swim if I go in first, but she doesn't really look like she's enjoying it when she does!

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  10. Harley? You got jokes! Jax has potential, but the jury is still out on that one.

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  11. How cool! Mr. N can swim but he hates it.

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  12. Cole says, oh no... did that shepherd know he gets a bath each time he gets out?? Well a poodle does and nothin's worth that! LeeAnna

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  13. How wonderful that Dillon was saved from being euthanised!! He's a hero for sure!!

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  14. Boomer would just laugh at me...Fuzzy now, yes he would give it the try, all I would have to do is be there with him.

    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
    https://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/sherlock-boomer

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  15. My mom would love to do an iron man, but unless she finds a whole year to just train it won't be happening. I would be happy to watch her train and howl if she needs assistance.

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  16. What an amazing dog!!!! It sounds like he was a highlight of a great vacation!

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  17. how cool was that! can't wait to see and hear about your trip, someday I would like to go there.

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  18. Very cool. I think the brown dawgs would find the cycling part a bit difficult but they are in for swimming and running. :)

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  19. Wow. Lucky you to get to celebrate your birthday in such a wonderful place. Loved reading about Dillon. Nope, none of my dogs would participate in any swimming event!

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  20. That would be a big fat no from Jedi. He may be a Florida pup but he HATES the ocean.

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  21. No our pups won't even get in at the baby pool except Bob at the ocean they were glued to the highest part of the beach, except Bob who tried to drag us all in. And for the record Bob would definitely sink like a stone
    retro rover

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  22. hello pooch smooches its dennis the vizsla dog hay shoor i am willing to be an iron dog!!! it involvs a soot of armor and repulsor rays and having thor and captin amerika and black widow and the hulk and hawkeye arownd to protekt me rite??? ok bye

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