The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are in full swing and Gabe and I are enjoying watching all the events. Although it doesn’t always happen, the Olympic ideal is to bring nations together in the spirit of competition and fair play. From basketball to badminton, we are here for it all. No matter the sport, however, each athlete is at the top of their game, literally and figuratively. Watching these top athletes perform got me to thinking: In what Olympic sports would Gabe be the best?

According to the American Kennel Club, Chessies are “Naturally athletic and are the happiest when maintaining a high-performance lifestyle.” That sounds like a perfect description of an Olympic athlete to me. There is also no doubt about Gabe’s nationality either. Chessies are known as the All-American Retriever because the breed originated on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. He is Red, White and Blue through and through. German Shepherds and Australian Shepherds would not stand a chance in a head-to-head matchup with the best boy in the world. In the spirit of the games, I have chosen three events in which Gabe would excel and ranked them as Gold, Silver and Bronze.

GOLD- Any Swimming Event. Chessies are born to swim. They were bred to retrieve ducks after all. They have powerful hind legs to help propel them through the water, a broad chest and even webbing between their toes. A Chessies’ thick curly coat dries with just a few shakes, quicker than any synthetic swimsuit. Gabe would be the best at any long-distance swimming event because he seems to have endless energy and never gets tired. He is not the only one. When Maryland had an overabundance of ducks and they were trying to thin out the population in the late 1800s, one hunter wrote in his journal that his Chessie had retrieved over 100 ducks while working from sunup to sundown and he had to make her stop.

SILVER- High Hurdles. Gabe can run and jump. I’d put his speed up against any Greyhound. He can chase down any rabbit or squirrel and catch them from behind. Not many dogs can do that. But he can also jump. Gabe can leap right from the ground on the back of the golf cart or even the back of my dad’s ton truck which is even more impressive. Watching the hurdle events in the Olympics reminds me of Gabe as they are flying down the track and then leap over the hurdles without breaking stride. Like any athlete, Gabe will not be able to do this forever, but at nearly three years old, Gabe is still in his prime and nowhere close to retirement.

BRONZE- Gymnastics. Gabe can contort his body in many different ways, especially when he is trying to sneak in the house to eat cat food or jump on my bed during a rainstorm because he is scared of thunder. He seems to slip through the smallest crack in the door. Even when Mom is standing right in front of the door, Gabe runs between her legs, evades any attempt to grab his collar, and then reaches his goal. Like any determined athlete, Gabe doesn’t give in. Maybe one day I will commentate on the battle of wits that shapes up when someone tries to stand in his way. To borrow a phrase from ESPN, the outcome is an instant classic. He deserves to be on a Wheaties Box.

Aside from his natural ability, Gabe stays in shape with plenty of exercise and a healthy diet. Of course, for rewards, he gets an ample supply of All-Natural Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats. They don’t have any preservatives or any other harmful elements that would keep your dog from going for the gold. Like the Olympics, Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats also supports inclusion and coming together. Their mission is to help create meaningful employment for people with disabilities to showcase what they can accomplish. That’s something we can all cheer about.