Your Arm Will Tire Before He Does

Some dogs don't just love to play.

They make sure everyone else does, too.

If you've ever met Baron, you know one thing almost immediately: if there's water nearby, you're about to become part of the game.

Lake Keowee—my parents' home on the water—is his happiest place in the world. The moment someone steps into the lake, Baron appears with his favorite orange ball, convinced that no swim is complete without a game of fetch.

And once the game begins...

It doesn't end until you sign "All Done"!

For hours at a time, he'll launch himself from the dock, splash into the water, and swim straight toward whoever happens to be in the lake. The orange ball lands in front of you, but before you've even picked it up, he's already turning around, leaving a massive wake behind him as he eagerly tries to get a head start before the next throw.

The best part is that Baron refuses to let anyone sit on the sidelines. He makes his rounds from swimmer to swimmer, ensuring everyone gets a turn. To him, fetch isn't just a game—it's something meant to be shared.

The title, Your Arm Will Tire Before He Will, has become a family joke because it's simply true. Long before Baron is ready to quit, our shoulders are sore, our throws grow weaker, and someone eventually laughs, "I can't do this anymore."

Baron disagrees.

To him, there is always one more throw.

This painting celebrates the boundless joy that dogs have for the things they love most. Their enthusiasm never asks us to be perfect—it simply invites us to join in. And if we're lucky enough to say, "Yes!", they remind us that some of life's happiest moments are wonderfully simple: an orange ball, a summer afternoon, and the people you love laughing together in the water.

If we're lucky, we'll have a lifetime of memories with the dogs we love. They only get a handful of summers. Baron reminds me every year to make every one of them count.