Gifford and the Ducks

A breakfast outing with Gifford in one of our favorite Orrington spots turned into an adventure when Gifford noticed a couple of ducks in the stream.

Jim and I will often pick up some breakfast sandwiches at Bob's Kozy Korner in Orrington and eat them next to the Sedgeunkedunk Stream. It's a beautiful spot that features lots of birds, flowers, and fresh air. Gifford loves it there because he gets to share our sandwiches before going for a dip in the stream. And that's how the day started, with Gifford totally focused on what we were eating.

Then it was time to swim and, at first, he didn't even notice the two mallard hens that were swimming nearby. But when they started to swim farther out into the waterway, he couldn't help but follow. He didn't mean any harm to them, (Gifford backs up when the neighbor's chickens walk toward him) but 'chase' is one of his favorite games.

As he swam out farther and farther, we started yelling for him to come back, all the while laughing over his persistence. All of a sudden, it seemed as if one of the ducks understood why we were yelling, because she circled around toward us. She led Gifford back to the shore, looking at us the entire time, as if to say "Is this yours?" Giff was a good boy and swam back toward the shore, but didn't come back to us until the duck had flown a short distance away. I'm so glad I had my camera to capture the entire exchange.