Murphy and I kayaking Two Jack Lake in Banff


I have always enjoyed kayaking with our dogs.  They sit well in the ensconced seating area and are far enough from me that there is no interference with paddling.  This was a new experience for Murphy.  Of the five dachshunds we owned, only one liked to sit on top of the kayak's deck rather than be in it.  That was our first doxie, Kiesha.  

Kiesha with my daughter, Leanne.

If you want to get noticed on the water, paddle with a cute dog.  I have paddled in many places and generally go unnoticed.  Have a wiener dog with you and suddenly you become the center of attention.  Kids point, ladies smile, and even crusty old salts such as myself become enamoured.  The dog loves to be in attendance with its human, even on the water, and it only gets better when dragonflies come near to land on the boat.  Suddenly you hear a rapid snapping sound and a blur of activity as the beast attempts to impale the offending insect with its teeth.  

The strangest event happened with our dog Smudge.  My two kids and all three dogs were paddling on a perfectly flat lake, no wind present to wrinkle the glorious image it reflected.  Suddenly Smudge, the longest and youngest of all of them, took it upon himself to explore this marvellous reflection.  I'm sure he was quite surprised when, instead of landing solidly upon it, he plunged through the facade and dove into the liquid mirror.  All I saw was a line of bubbles descending down at an oblique angle being led by a dark form.  

My solution was to dive into the water to rescue the soaking sausage.  After returning him to the canoe, I had the kids paddle to shore as I led the boat with painter in hand.  To this day I will only take a dog on the water with a leash attached to its collar.  

I have lots of stories about dachshunds and watercraft, all of them memorable.  Wonderful dogs and enjoyable company.  Just keep a leash handy.

Thanks for reading.     www.ericspix.com


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I found a black widow spider in a plant pot today

Image
The spider I found is a western black widow spider, one of three species of black widow that occur in North America.  The fact that this one has another red patch on the back of its abdomen above the spinnerettes tells us that it is an immature individual. The one thing that people know about black widow spiders is that they are extremely poisonous.  Their venom is something like 15x more toxic than that of a rattlesnake.  The saving grace is that there is very little venom injected from a black widow bite than what a rattlesnake can deliver.   The good news is that black widow bites seldom lead to death.  You are more likely to suffer nausea, muscle pain, and swelling around the bite.  Symptoms usually last only 12 hours or so.  Death may be a result in people with compromised immune systems or in the very young or the elderly.   In 2018, it was reported that there were 1015 cases of people bitten by black widows.  Of those, there ...
Read more

The passing of a generation

Image
Kathryn's mom and dad with our children, Josh and Leanne. A generation, for North America, tends to be between 20 and 30 years.  During that time a couple will give birth and raise children to see them repeat the pattern as they themselves have done.  Each generation has its own set of standards, values, and ideals based upon their experiences and culture, and some of that is passed down to their offspring.  What changes are the life experiences of the following generation and the new customs and ideals that are blended together as a couple becomes a family. Kathryn's mom passed away a few days ago, she was predeceased by her husband several years ago.  Both of them were the grandparents of my children, the mother and father of my wife, Kathryn.  It was my pleasure to know them and to love them as my own, for to me they were Mom and Dad.  And they were there to welcome my children into the world just as my children were with them in spirit when they left it...
Read more

Hang in there, things will get better.

Image
The Svendsen Family - Eric, Samuel, Leanne, Joshua (top row), Nora, Kathryn, Chanelle, Emma If I could go back, in my mind, to a day in my life when I was really down, it would be nice to be able to see into the future.  If could see things as they are today, with the many blessings that have been given to me, it would give me hope knowing that things wouldn't always be so discouraging.   The message here is we do not know what the future holds.  When things are bad, it is hard to raise your head out of the mire to see beyond the darkness.  There are no guarantees, of course, that things will be better, but I think it is true that fortunes ebb and flow as tides do.  The trick is to see beyond the low points and not be too haughty during the high ones.  I know that, at this moment, things are very good.  What the future holds is unknown, but low and high points are likely in the forecast.   This is why taking satisfaction from the moment ...
Read more