A duck hunter is looking for a new dog. He is in a backwater of Chesapeake Bay and finds an old fisherman who tells him he has just bred a dog who would be just right for retrieving ducks. The duck hunter is rather doubtful that a fisherman could be breeding dogs for duck retrieving but asks to see the dog. The pup is still only about a year old. The fisherman says that the dog can walk on water. The hunter laughs. The fisherman throws a stick out on the water and orders the dog to go get it. The dog runs across the water and comes back with the stick. The hunter, of course, buys the dog on the spot.

Now, it happens that the duck hunter has a friend who also hunts -but is an absolutely incurable pessimist. Whatever you think about something, this guy takes the darkest and gloomiest view. The duck hunter is sure that his new retriever will make him perk up.

They go hunting one day from a blind. From the first successful shot and a dead duck hitting the water, the pup is off and running across the water retrieving ducks all morning. He hardly gets his paws wet.

Going home, the owner of this fantastic dog says to the pessimist: " What do you think of him? isn't he just great?"

The pessimist says: " I noticed that he can't swim".