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Monday, May 28, 2012

Dog Paddling


It only took 6 and a half years, but Savage I finally took Savage on his very first canoe trip. I'd been avoiding this for the obvious reasons, the first being that I didn't want to get wet unexpectedly, but eventually I decided leaving him home this time would be unfair as it was an all-day fishing outing. 
As our group was launching our canoes at the landing he was really excited to get going. He knows that usually a canoe in the water means Randy and I will be leaving him on shore, so this time he whined and moaned and jumped in while the craft was on dry land. Then I had to convince him to get out, which took some time and coaxing. Once the canoe was in the water and the Great Dane was in the canoe we pushed off with high hopes and some trepidation. 
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how well the sturdy aluminum canoe stayed steady during Savvy's small movements. However, his insistence on turning around 12 or so times building a "nest" of the rain jackets on the bottom before laying down caused quite a bit of rocking. 
Luck was with us, as the weather remained calm and overcast; no waves to add worry and no baking sun to make my dog uncomfortable. I had to remind myself and Randy to try to minimize our movements and excitement when actually catching a fish, lest my puppy get startled or alarmed and stand up quickly. 
The other paddlers on the lake thought the sight of Sav standing up in the 17' canoe was hilarious and more than one person snapped a photo. All things considered, it was a successful (and interesting!) experience for all involved.