Due to the intense heat this summer, staying cool has been a top priority for both people and animals in Lake Dallas, Texas. While most dogs have turned to air conditioning or lounging in front of the refrigerator, one dog named Baloo found a creative solution to combat the heat: the backyard sprinkler.
The border collie, who is 5 months old, has shown to be just as clumsy and silly as his “Jungle Book” namesake, but this disposition puts him in grave danger. According to Wohr’s statement to The Dodo, she was reading in her bedroom one morning last month when she heard “banging around.” She was first unaware of the ruckus because she was used to it with five dogs in the house. But when Baloo kept barking, Wohr went to investigate.
She could not have been prepared for what she discovered despite years of canine mischief. Wohr recalls “that instant of shock and disbelief” when he saw the sprinkler soaking his living room. I quickly took a picture of the incident with my phone since I already had it in my hand before I threw the sprinkler back out the dog door.
Baloo had dragged the sprinkler out of the backyard and through the dog door. The area where he had been using the sprinkler to play was completely covered in water, including Wohr’s lamp, ceiling fan, TV, leather chair, coffee table, and photo albums. It took a combination of the slog and Mother Nature to get the house back in shape. After “about five big towels and leaving the back door open for an hour and a half with temps reaching 107 outside,” according to Wohr, things began to dry out.
Baloo has developed a love affair with sprinklers since the summer heat wave started in June, and Wohr has struggled to keep her excitable puppy away from his beloved water play. Wohr said, “Trying to water my grass is a job; Baloo won’t keep off of my grass. I have to continue changing it because he moves the sprinkler and modifies the settings. He adores it! There is no other way to get him out of there save turning off the sprinkler. He whimpers and paws at it to get it moving again.
Following the incident, Baloo’s love for the sprinkler has only increased. He spends hours running through the streams of water, or he just stands in its calming spray. He is entertaining and a joy to behold, Wohr continued. I don’t think he’ll get tired of the sprinkler anytime soon.
Wohr captured Baloo’s sprinkler mishap in a humorous snapshot that she posted to Facebook, where it quickly gained popularity. “Good thing I was wearing waterproof mascara,” Wohr wrote as the description for the image. But Baloo has made Wohr so happy that no amount of water can taint their relationship.