LIFESTYLE AUTHOR
Cindy Present
PHOTOGRAPHY
Courtesy of Cindy Present
THIS OLD DOCK n Check out AFM Cindy Present’s personal essay on her family’s beloved bulldog who loved the water.
I
grew up with collies — three of them, the “Lassie’s” of our lives. Originating in Scotland as sheepherders, the modernday collies were our herders. If we got too close to the lake as toddlers, they’d wrangle us back; if we moved too far under our horses in their feed pen, they’d nudge us over. Our collies were babysitters. They were fearless, focused and disciplined — sometimes taking parenting more seriously than even my parents. Our collies were great around water. They grew up on the lake swimming, playing and joining every boat outing. They used the lake like a freshwater bowl and refreshed themselves in it when hot. Even though they were not Webster’s definition of “water dog,” they grew up loving water as if they were bred for it.
MARCH 2022
18
