What is it about water that turns us all into kids again?

I sat on my patio early this morning and watched a constant stream of birds visit my small pond.  They would flit about on the rocks, dipping frequently into the water, obviously having a great old time.

They were bathing and, by the action of constant wing shaking, they were doing a good job of it, but they were also really enjoying the experience.  It made me think how water brought out the kid in all of us.

All my life I have lived with dogs and, mainly, they have loved water.  For many years we had labs, who love to be permanently wet, dashing in and out of pools, lakes, rivers and the ocean, gladly shaking the excess drops all over their owners.  In and out for as long as you would allow them the freedom to do so.

I have had a couple of dogs who hate to get wet, but on the whole, dogs love water.  I currently have two female Bichon cross dogs, one  loves water, one will not go near it.  The water lover doesn’t like to swim, she prefers to chase round in water up to her knees, rolling on her back and getting thoroughly wet, but will not swim.  The other dog tries not to get her toenails wet, when she goes to the edge of the water, for a drink.

I have always loved water, from being a small child I felt at home in the water, something about being up to my chin in water feels so exhilarating.

English people, especially those in the north, will put up with water of any temperature.  The weather there is not usually very hot but as long as the sun is making a feeble attempt to shine, on go the swim suits, or cosies, as they are known there, and there is a mass exodus into the water.

Give a kid a splash pool or even a garden sprinkler and you are assured of squeals of laughter and shouts of joy.  What is it about water that gives us this feeling of freedom and the need to jump about and get as wet as possible?

How come this same water, when in a bath tub, loses the appeal?  Kids will enjoy playing in a bath, but washing them and especially their hair, is a battle.  The same water they leap about in is now “in my eyes”  or “up my nose” and, quite often, instead of laughter there are tears.

Bring a bucket and hose out on to the lawn and the dog will disappear under the nearest bed or hedge.  Bathing a dog usually gets the owner wetter than the dog as the animal twists, turns and shakes water all over.  The first thing my dogs do after a bath, is to roll all over the gravel, picking up as much sand and dirt as possible, this is then rubbed all over the furniture, if the door is left open.

Same reaction to a sprinkler, we used to have a lab who would drag you out into the road when you walked her past an orchard, with sprinklers running.  Give her a puddle and she was in Heaven, but a few drops from the sprinkler had to be avoided at all costs.

Bathing a cat is not usually a fun operation, I have had cats who would tolerate the sink, for a bath, but rinsing them in clean water was a dangerous business.  A very thick bathtowel is required to wrap the dripping animal in, not so much for drying it but to protect the owner’s arms from the ten pounds of flying fishhooks.

The pathetic looking creature that cat’s turn into, when wet, is punishment enough for the owner who inflicted this indignity onto the poor animal.  One look at the bedraggled lump of wet fur makes you feel guilty for inflicting such cruelty upon the feline in question.  However, the cat usually has the last laugh by drying itself off on your favourite piece of clothing, and, for really good measure, it will probably throw up on your pillow.  Ah the joys of water are obviously not for everybody.