A scare for Buster!

Wednesday 18th March
We had a walk back to The Cooper Arms at 6pm last night for a couple of drinks but were back to the boat about 7.10pm, Kev unlocked the door and I stayed on the towpath and he let Buster off for a pee.  We usually have his collar and lead on as with him being deaf he can't hear us call him back but for some reason last night we just let him off I was watching him and he was pottering along the edged of the hedgerow and then he went towards the stern and before I knew it he was jumping onto the stern, but there is canvas that goes round the stern to stop the dog  getting off the boat and so as he jumped he couldn't get on and he fell into the canal!! I couldn't get to him in time and he started to swim away and I frantically screamed for Kev to come, my god how scary it was to see my dog swim off into the dark. Kev came rushing out and asked if I could see him as I had a torch I jumped on the stern and could just see Buster swimming along the side of the boat and he was nearly at the bow. Luckily he swam round the front of the boat and came along the side of the boat next to the towpath and Kev managed to grab the scruff of his neck and pulled him out of the canal. A man had come from his boat which is moored behind us a several feet away as he heard me screaming and shouting like a mad woman and asked if everything was ok, he said he didn't come straight away as he thought my screaming was a goose! Yes I must have sounded like that I was absolutely frantic, we got Buster dried off and back inside the boat where it was lovely and warm as we had the fire on. We couldn't believe that he swam round the boat and didn't swim to the other side of the canal or worse drowned as he has been in the canal once before when we were on 4EverMoore and that time he just sank and Kev had to jump in after him, the fact that he can't hear made it worse as he wouldn't hear us shouting for him, thank god he is safe and sound now but it just shows you how sometimes a lapse of doing something could have had a worse ending. I love my dog!!