It took two days for my boots to dry out, sitting in the sun. Wearing them in the river tends to get them pretty wet.

Not sure it’s the smartest thing I've done. Our dare-devil Jack Russell, Bertie, flung himself into the river after bumping into two ducks. They took cover in the water, paddling off, and Bertie went in after them. Straight into the current, straight down the rapids, and off downstream.

I could see he was trying to swim to the opposite bank, which is heavily treed to the water line, but it was the coldness of the water that worried me. This time of year its snowmelt, and gaspingly cold. I figured he'd have a few minutes before he froze up.

So, hat on the ground, keys and phone in the hat, and in I went. Bitterly cold. I wear glasses, and I needed them to keep him in sight. Which meant I couldn't swim after him without probably losing my glasses, so I hopped and floundered, chest high, through the water, stumbling over waterlogged tree stumps and sinkholes.

Bertie couldn't find an out on the far side, and swam back into the current, heading for our bank. Again the current grabbed him and he sped off. But he did manage to vector to the shore, and hauled himself out a couple of hundred metres further down. I caught up with him, too speechless to say anything.

Afterwards it occurred to us he probably thought it went ok and was worth repeating.

He's running on borrowed time. He's been kicked by a cow, run under machinery, struck at more than once by snakes, faced off a fox, and his nemesis the alpaca goes for him at every opportunity. Just yesterday he insisted on poking his nose into a goose nest, despite me warning him off. The guarding gander came at him in a fury, beating him with his wings and grabbing a chunk of thigh with his beak. He argued back, was rolled and buffeted, and ran off with the gander raging after him.

But it wasn't his turn that day, or today. I took the dogs for a walk when I got home. I've been pruning another orchard in the next valley, and left the dogs behind. They are busting for some action by the time I come home. We went down the river, and this time it was the other dog's turn to risk life and death.

Four days into October and the snakes are out. Our gentle Kelpie almost stepped on a big tiger snake sunning itself on the worn footpath by the river. It was slow, and missed when it struck. The dog flinched and ran off. He knows enough to get out of the way. Oddly, the snake slid into the river and went under the overhanging embankment. I didn't go any closer…., but I wonder how it went with the cold water?