Marcus LOVES the beach and water, but he hates the pool. It's because he can't touch the bottom. I carried him in there a couple of times when I first moved here, and he would just swim right back to the steps and get out. He wants nothing to do with the pool, except to lay by it and bark at the pool vacuum when it comes to the surface.

It's such a funny thing to watch, as he literally thinks it's him and only him that makes it go back down. When it comes up on the wall and to the surface, he will run over to it and bark at it repeatedly until it goes back down, all while wagging his tail. Between barks, he will look over to me for reassurance and then when it finally goes back down, he proudly comes over to me to celebrate his accomplishment and get his praise. It is so funny. He really does get such a sense of accomplishment from it.

Of course, he has taught Mercedes the same protocol, so it's such a hoot to watch the two of them when it comes out of the water.