I will be the first to admit it. I was nervous about the Splash theme. Why? Because I don’t let Mabel get wet. She mats up, she hates brushing, and I invest a lot in keeping her looking fluffy and fabulous. Wet hair kind of ruins that plan.

So this challenge took a little extra planning. I planned her "Splash" session right before her next grooming appointment, figured we could survive a few wild hair days, and thought it might even be fun to let her try swimming at RyeDoodle K-9 Sports Complex.

Let’s just say it was a good thing she was wearing a life vest. Swimming is not her thing it would seem. Mabel may have walked off the ramp like a pirate walking the plank and promptly disappeared under the water. I might have laughed a little. But to her credit, she came up wagging her tail like a champ and gave it a few more tries before we decided she’d earned a rest.

The next day, on a total whim, I drove to Angostura Reservoir thinking maybe she’d enjoy a shallower splash instead. She loves the beach, so surely this would go better, right? Wrong. Mabel loved the sand, loved the smells, but the actual water? Not so much. She would only walk in if I bribed her with treats, stand there just long enough to collect them, and then sprint back out the second I said “come.” Apparently, she thought this was a game called Treat, Splash, Exit.

Still, I managed to capture some fun shots of her running out of the lake, ears flying, water arching behind her, and that big Mabel grin on her face. The judges loved it too. They mentioned how the soft overcast light worked beautifully with the scene and how the water formed a perfect curve, matching the shapes of the trees.

I was so proud of this one. From the moment the Splash theme was announced, I was dreading it, but in the end we totally pulled it off. I learned that sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone (and into a puddle or two) leads to something pretty amazing, and lots of sand. 

You can check out all of the Splash Top 10 winners here:
👉 https://www.unleashed.education/blog/embark-2025-splash-top-10

Only one theme left to share tomorrow, and then Thursday brings the awards. Squeal!

— Erica (and Mabel, the reluctant swimmer but very enthusiastic splasher)