TESS (Still Building)

Tess is a Yellow Lab, 11 years old and a sweetie. I love labs, partly because they retrieve stuff. I love Tess because she's Tess but Tess does NOT retrieve. It's a long story. Ten years ago I was training Tess to retrieve, by throwing sticks into the Potomac River. She made a half-hearted attempt, but got distracted by fish. She'd run out and somewhere on the way she'd stop dead and peer into the water, she saw fish and was hooked for good. Over the years she's caught a few, ranging from one too big for her to hang on to to a bunch of small fry which she catches very well. This gallery is dedicated to her persistence, her technique, her skill. All the shots were taken on one outing into Rock Creek Park in Washington DC, this afternoon July 20, 2008.