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Labrador Retriever Jumps Into Action When He Sees His Friends Drifting Away

Written by: Molly Weinfurter
Molly Weinfurter is a writer for iHeartDogs, and she’s passionate about helping animals in need. She volunteers for Bailing Out Benji and a local dog rescue.Read more
| Published on August 21, 2020

Labrador Retrievers love to retrieve things, hence their name. They’re often quick learners that pick up on unique skills through experience. Even so, it’s still incredible to see what some dogs are capable of.

Robbie the Black Lab has two dog friends that he’s very fond of: Rusty and Bullet. So, when he saw them drifting away in a canoe down the river, he knew what he had to do. He jumped into the water and paddled to the rescue. Rusty even knew to hand his friend the rope so Robbie could pull the canoe to shore.

A Heroic Rescue

A human on the shore recorded a video of Robbie saving the day. The caption posted with the video said that the lightweight canoe was blown into the water. The two boat-loving dogs hopped in as it was drifting out, not realizing their mistake until afterward. The canoe slowly drifted downstream with the two dogs trapped inside. They repeatedly barked for help. That’s when Robbie came to the rescue.

Dogs in Canoe
Image: Screenshot, Rumble Viral YouTube

Robbie paddled out toward the canoe. As he neared, Rusty understood that his friend was coming to the rescue. So, Rusty lowered the rope attached to the canoe into the water. However, Bullet continued to bark the whole time.

Next, Robbie grabbed the rope in his mouth and pulled the canoe to the shore. Soon, all three dogs were safe on land, and they all seemed very proud of Robbie’s rescue mission. As brave as Robbie was, the event wasn’t solely based on quick thinking though. In fact, this “rescue mission” was a stunt that the pups had pulled many times before.

What Really Happened

As it turns out, this canoe rescue is a game that the dogs love to play. Like most Labrador Retrievers, Robbie loves to show his family that he can retrieve things. So, when the canoe blew into the water one day, Robbie was quick to retrieve it. Soon, the other two pups wanted in on the fun, so they would sometimes hop in the canoe as it drifted away, knowing Robbie would come to “rescue” them. All three dogs are excellent swimmers, so they could jump out of the canoe if they really wanted to.

Dog Rescues Canoe
Image: Screenshot, Rumble Viral YouTube

“Robbie actually taught us he could retrieve the canoe,” Robbie’s mom said. ” The dogs were in no danger. They all grew up on the river from the time they were just a couple months old. Robbie, the Black Lab, had the strongest legs I’ve ever seen on a dog… Our dogs would swim an entire 11 mile float trip.”

Robbie’s mom pointed out that Rusty also knows how to retrieve the canoe. That’s how he knew exactly when to throw the rope to Robbie. As for Bullet, he just likes his voice to be heard. So, he barks the whole time while the other two do all the work. All three of them seem to thoroughly enjoy this peculiar game, so there’s no point in stopping them. As long as the dogs are happy and safe, that’s all that matters.

Watch the Amazing Video Here:

H/T: reshareworthy.com
Featured Image: Screenshot, Rumble Viral YouTube

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