More Than Just A Dog Paddling

By Regan White 

Pisces Delphina did a lot more than the doggie paddle in her lifetimeincredibly, this adventurous chocolate Lab swam with dolphins nearly every day. Her owner, Captain Ron Canning of Dolphin Watch, a commercial tourism operation, took Pisces with him on his boat, and as Labs usually do, she adapted to the routine, enjoying the frequent opportunities to go for a dip. It was not long before she started swimming with the dolphins.  They were extremely curious about their new furry friend and as they got to know her, particularly the younger dolphins, they would approach her and initiate play.  Ron has hours of video footage of the younger dolphins swimming in circles around Pisces and jumping over her, just as they play with their own kind.  Ron comments on the delicate environment that fostered such a relationship saying, It was truly unique. Its not something that you could do in that area today. There are not many places left that are wild and untouched that you could develop that freedom and intimacy of interaction between human, dolphin, and dog.  

                        Ron believes that the dolphins were able to love and interact with Pisces so well because she was such an accomplished swimmer.  Over the 15 years that Ron spent with the dolphins, the pod that he frequented was about 17 dolphins strong.  Of those 17, Pisces had a number of friends most especially the dolphin Nicholas, son of Grandy (short for La Grande Dame) the matriarch of the pod.  Ron says that the younger dolphins were the most interested in Pisces, you could feel the kid energy that was happening between them. Since Pisces was still a puppy, she naturally attracted the energy and interest of the youngest pod members.   

                      Ron knew from an early age that his passion and future career lay in the ocean blue. He sailed extensively as a boy and spent most of his life working on the water, either on sail boats or commercial fishing boats.  It was Rons love of reading that caused him to stumble across the book that would inspire and shape his destiny (and that of a young chocolate Labrador).  The book was John Lillys Communication Between Man and Dolphin: The Possibility of Talking with Other Species.  Inspired by the concept, Ron was able to secure a 31-foot Gemini catamaran, the Patty C and go off in search of dolphins to learn from. Rons quest brought him to the then relatively remote island of Key West.  

                      It took Ron about a year to develop a strong rapport with a certain pod of coastal bottlenose dolphins to the point where he could recognize individual dolphins and they learned to trust him and what he was about.  In 1986 Ron founded Dolphin Watch, whose main ambition is a commitment to the protection of the Florida Key marine environment and wild dolphin population.  Through his operation, small groups of people are able to visit Rons pod of dolphins in their natural habitat.  Dolphin Watch is an experience where humans are free to visit the dolphins and they are free to visit back, if they so choose an opportunity that does not exist in captive dolphin situations. In 1993 Ron met his wife, Tatiana, who had come to Key West as a tourist, and it wasnt long before the couple decided to get a playful chocolate Lab who they named Pisces.  

                    Born on February 18th, it seems that it was fate to name their Lab after the astrological sign Pisces, the fish.  Ron, Tatiana, and Pisces lived on the next island over from Key West, Stock Island, which is situated on a very wide, open canal.  It is across this canal that Ron and Tatiana taught Pisces how to swim as a puppy.  They built a small ramp for her and on a daily basis swam the 150 yards across the canal and back.  In the beginning they had to carry Pisces on their backs, but by 6 months she was beating her owners across. 

Pisces unfortunately was not able to live out the days of her natural life frolicking with her dolphin friends.  On the morning of October 19, 2001, Pisces and Ron went out to swim the canal, something they had done together for the past 7 years. This was as routine for them as a jog around the neighborhood for most dogs and owners. This day, however, was not going to be like any other-tragically, it does not have a happy ending. When Ron reached the other side, Pisces was nowhere in site. He called and called and searched frantically all over the canal for his beloved companion. In fact, it wasnt until after 2 weeks of searching that he finally found Pisces-who had somehow gotten trapped under a floating dock. Captain Ron says sadly, That [both the canal and swimming] was her, every day.  Between Pisces death and the changes of Key West, Captain Ron Canning only very recently sold Dolphin Watch and is moving to Germany in the next few weeks in search of other places that are still wild and free. Ron says, Key West is different and I am different.  For fifteen years it was the right place at the right time for all of those relationships to develop and thrive.

                      Ron still glows with the memory of Pisces, however and says that of course he has a special affinity for Labs.  When asked what it is about them specifically that makes his heart swim, Ron says, their webbed paws of course make them great swimmers, and Pisces was no exception.  They have incredible strength and speed and their energy and intelligence is very simpatico with dolphins.  He plans on getting another female chocolate Lab as soon as he settles down.   

                      Captain Ron emphasizes the importance of remembering that his experience was an extremely unique one.  Because he lived out on the water 24 hours a day, for upwards of 15 years, taking Pisces out swimming was the equivalent of most people taking their dog for a walk in the woods.  The ocean blue was their backyard.  Thus only through time and the delicate balance of the situation was Pisces able to swim and interact with the dolphins as she did.  This was not a situation that could be easily replicated.  As Ron explains, You cant let your dog jump in cold with a pod of dolphins.  That would easily scare both the dolphins and the dog.  It takes time to develop.   

                      As for Pisces Delphina, our Lab of the Month for July, well always think of her when we see dolphins and imagine her swimming among them. Pisces and her friends stand as a true testament to the playful energy and love of life that extends across the species.  Her memory lives on in the hearts of her friends both on land and in the sea.  And though Captain Ron has moved on, Dolphin Watch continues in the spirit in which it was founded.  For more information feel free to swim on over to www.dolphinwatchusa.com

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