Today's Extreme K9 is Chino the nine-year-old golden retriever!
"Have you ever been entranced as the wind dances over water's glassy surface and fish move in perfect unison beneath? A nine-year-old golden retriever named Chino found that enchantment in a suburban backyard pond in Oregon a few years back.
The main draw for Chino was Falstaff, the koi--- a large, multicolored goldfish related to carp, a species that as been selectively bred in Asia for centuries to bring out both beauty and personality. Now popular in Westerners' backyard ponds, koi are as gregarious a fish you'll find. And Chino was no slouch when it came to social graces.
But no matter how forthcoming, consider the obstacles that these two animals had to surmount in order to show affection. They couldn't take a walk together, or wrestle, or cuddle, or share a bone. In fact, the only physical contact between dog and fish was one wet nose to another. Yet friends they seemed to become.
Mary Heath and her husband had a backyard pond full of koi. Chino, never particularly interested in other dogs he met on the street, was instead enticed by these unfamiliar creatures and their fluid movement beneath the water. He'd stretch out at the pond's edge on the warm rocks, watching as the fish circled and descended and rose up to feed.
The dog's interest grew when the Heaths moved to a new home and built a new pond with a great perch for the pup. Just two of their original fish moved with the family, including the large, tame, orange and black beauty Falstaff. With fewer swimmers to distract him, Chino focused on Falstaff, and the two discovered a mutual curiosity. "They'd meet at the edge of the pond, and Chino would lean or lie down and put his nose in the water," says Mary. "They'd touch noses or Falstaff would nibble Chino's front paws." She says Falstaff was one of the few creatures whose presence got a tail wag out of the old dog. "The first thing Chino would do when we let him outside was go look for that fish," she says, "and Falstaff would come right over." Then Chino would lie flat on his belly for a half hour or more, completely captivated by his water-bound pal.
The fish brain is a tiny thing, and no one really knows whether a carp has the capacity for an experience like friendship. But something brought these unlike animals together day after day. Perhaps it was the food pellets Falstaff knew to expect whenever another species approached the pond. Or maybe the mind of a fish can process more complex concepts than just eat, swim, mate, or flee, especially the type of fish--- a genetic far cry from your fancy-tailed carnival prize. In parts of Asia, koi, with their regal beauty, smarts, and strength, represent the ability to overcome adversity and move forward with great courage. For some, they are also symbols of good fortune.
And the golden retriever, well, whatever the brain power, it's hard to find one without a lolling tongue and curious nature, ready to offer a friendly wag of the tail."
Article from: Unlikely Friendship by Jennifer S. Holland, pp. 51-53, Golden Retriever and the Koi
Pic from: http://www.flatrock.org.nz/news/indexv.htm
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