No one likes going out in the rain, but one clever pooch has taken finding a way to avoid it to extremes. River, a crafty rescue dog, plays dead as a fool proof way to avoid bad weather. When her owner tells her it's time for her to go out for her toilet break, she simply feigns paralysis and won't move.
"How can I go outside when I am clearly paralysed?" seems to be what she is thinking to herself when she puts her clever plan into action – or should we say inaction? And it's a plan that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Despite her owner calling her name and telling her it's time to go outside, she maintains her coma-like trance, only reacting when she is stroked to encourage her to follow her owner's commands. However, she quickly and adorably goes back to pretending she's still unable to move once the stroking stops.
She finally gets the message that her subterfuge hasn't been totally successfully when her owner slides her along the hardwood floor towards the door. With one sad look she realises the game is up and slinks away to face the weather.
River is an unknown crossbreed, likely between an Australian Shepherd and part Border Collie. While this plucky pooch is clearly gifted with intelligence, she's also a lucky dog too, saved from being put down because of a complicated heart defect when one of her owners, a veterinary assistant called Serena, decided she had the knowledge to look after River and give her a good home. Serena fell in love with the dog at the vets and couldn't bare for her to be put to sleep when she knew she had the expertise and training to keep her alive.
And River, with her clever tricks and innate intelligence has been entertaining Serena's family ever since. River's life will not likely be as long as most dogs, but she has had three extra years now with no sign that her condition is worsening – and with her cute charms and playful ploys, this is a fairy tale rescue which everyone benefits from.
