Dog

Farley’s Friday: A Kayaking Dog

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Farley here.

So . . . I’m on a beach walk with Kristina when my friends Sue and Debi kayak nearby.

“Over here, over here, over here,” I bark at them.

Humans are too easy to train. The both kayak right to me. I go to Debi first for the mandatory head pet (my head, not hers), and then over to Sue.

I don’t like to go in water above my belly. I bounce and wag my tail, and Sue understands. She kayaks right into a foot of water. Now the opening of Sue’s kayak is big enough for me, so a lower onto my haunches and take one big leap.

“I’m in,” I bark. “Let’s get going.”

Everybody knows I love to kayak, so what are they laughing about? Like it’s a big surprise I jumped in. Maybe I got water and sand all over Sue, but really, it’s not that funny.

Farley Sue Kayaking

 

We take off, leaving Kristina alone on the beach.

“Wait, I didn’t mean to leave my human,” I whine, but Sue says, ”You’re okay,” and keeps paddling away. I rest my head on the top of the kayak looking moon-eyed back at Kristina. How can Sue ignore my cutest expression?

They take me to the mangroves and let me run free. What a blast! When Kristina finally arrives, I run and jump and show her how happy I am to see her. She needs to feel loved, and it’s my duty to make sure she does, even if I was having fun without her.

Woof. Woof.

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: Dog in the Bahamas

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 17 Comments

Farley here.

I made it. I’m on the beach! My humans said we had an easy crossing, but it was still a little bumpy for me. And wearing a tether all day gets a little old.

Ah, that feels good.
Ah, that feels good.

Life doesn’t get better than this. I heard somewhere that ‘it’s better in the Bahamas’ and it must be true. I cleared customs with no problem. I even have my own paperwork, so if my humans leave the Bahamas I can stay. Ha Ha. Wouldn’t that be funny.

Oh, on second thought, maybe not. Who would feed me, walk me, groom me, and generally spoil me?

Right after clearing customs in South Bimini, it was off to the beach for a swim and a roll in the sand.

I forgot that when I get this sandy, I have to shower before getting back on the boat. I don’t like that part. What’s wrong with a little sand everywhere?

Woof Woof.

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Farley here.

Kristina still won’t write my blog, so here I am typing again. She clipped my nails this week, so it’s a little harder for me to hit the keys accurately. Good thing there is a delete key, and it’s bigger than the others.

So I’m celebrating. Today is my 4th year anniversary living with Kristina and Mathew. Can you believe how time flies? My friend Kermit the Frog says, “Time’s fun when you’re having flies.” I don’t really get it. Who wants flies?

I love this white stuff. Where did it come from?

So this week, I jumped of the back deck and look what I found. SNOW. The smells are incredible. I chased a deer and one rabbit, but they’re too fast for me.

The snow sticks to my fur and gets between my pads. All I have to do is sit and look pathetic. I hold up my paw and my owner picks the snow out of my pads for me. She’s so easy to train. I lower my nose and lift my big brown eyes at her, and Kristina does whatever I want. If any anyone needs help on training their owners, just let me know. Mine gets a gold star for her behaviour.

A couple more weeks of cold weather in Winnipeg and then I head south to start my cruising season. I’m glad I got the chance to see snow. I’d forgotten it existed.

Happy Snowball Chasing.

Woof Woof,

Farley

Farley’s Friday – Grooming While Cruising

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 12 Comments

 

Farley here!

My owner, Kristina, has decided she doesn’t have time to write about me. She’s too busy writing her book. So . . . I’ve stolen her laptop and am going to write my blog. My paws are a bit clumsy, but I can do it. I know I can.

Farley Guarding Kiting Gear on a Beach in the Bahamas

How do you like my hair cut above? Too short, I think. But it’s too hot in the Bahamas for me to have long hair. Plus, I get covered in sand and get itchy. I just wish Kristina had taken lessons in clipping my hair. Once she gave me a bald spot on top of my head. Good thing I’m a dog and don’t care.

So what’s in my grooming kit?

  • Nail clippers (Kristina does this weekly so the quick recedes, and she doesn’t hurt me.)
  • Large scissors
  • Small scissors blunted at the end (for around my eyes and ears.)
  • Toothpaste and brush (Not my favourite, but if I get an infection in my mouth, Kristina can clean it.)
  • Clippers   (For my winter haircut)
  • Brush (One suited for my coat – you might be different and need a specific kind.)
  • Comb
  • Ear cleaning fluid (I hate this, but I get ear infections from too much time in salt water and this prevents them.)
  • Cotton swabs (For cleaning the inside of my ears without hurting me.)
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner (It’s embarrassing when she conditions my hair, but at least I smell nice.)
  • Towels (So I don’t have to use human towels. They get testy about that. They also get annoyed when I’m wet and jump in their bed.)

Woof Woof.

Here’s what Kristina has already written about me. Lucky me – she may have given up writing my blog, but she does spend a lot of time getting my stuff ready for sailing.

 

Going Sailing with Your Dog?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

. . . then here is a list of things to bring if you plan to cruise with your pup.

Farley on the deck of Mattina.

Farley, my wheaten terrier, has spent three winters on our Lagoon 380 S2 catamaran and is about to start his fourth.

This week Farley’s permit to enter the Bahamas arrived in the mail, and it was a good reminder for me to prepare for the season.

Farley can’t to this on his own, so I get to do it for him.

After a few weeks in Florida, we’ll sail across the Gulf Stream and spend the winter in the Bahamas. I created list  below from my experience in the Bahamas. I’m sure there are other things you need to consider for sailing to other countries.

Before each season, I review what I use for Farley at home and assume I won’t be able to get the items while I’m sailing.

Farley’s Provisioning List:

  • Dog food and treats
  • Medical Kit
  • Grooming Kit
  • Extra leashes and harness
  • Safety gear
  • Toys
  • Permit to enter Bahamas
  • Health certificate – including proof of immunization for rabies, distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, leptospirosis, adenovirus and coronavirus.

I’ll expand on some of the items above in future blogs.

Did I miss anything you might bring?

Patient Dogs

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

 

It amazes me how much patience a dog has.

We landed at a camping site north of Lake Superior on the Ontario side, and a squirrel ran by. The dogs, of course, wanted to chase it.

While we got the campsite ready, we leashed the dogs – keeping the squirrel population safe.

Forty-five minutes later, with no sighting of the squirrel, we let the dogs off-leash. The second we were free, they sprinted to the tree the squirrel was hiding in, and circled its base. The squirrel remained safe, but our dogs were doing their duty and protecting us from this scary forest monster.

Before being let off-leash, the dogs sat waiting by the picnic table, pretending they weren’t interested in anything. Did they trick us? Is it their nature to be strategic? . . . Or, were they resigned to being on a leash and saw no point in reacting until they were free?

Your guess is as good as mine.

I love the entertainment a dog provides our family!

 

FARLEY GOES TO THE DOG PARK

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Dog parks are a great place for dogs to play and socialize with other dogs. Farley, our wheaten terrier, travels often. He’s covered the east coast of the US 5 times, driven from Panorama BC to Ottawa, ON,  and driven from Ottawa to Winnipeg 6 times.

You get the idea . . . he travels a lot. This means he is often at a dog park where he’s the unknown dog.

We’ve had some great experiences and some not so great.

One of our favourite dog parks in Delaware, USA.

The one issue we look out for is a dog park that doesn’t have a lot of transient dogs. We’ve found that a park full of dogs that aren’t used to a new comer can be a problem. Farley has been the recipient of aggressive, territorial behaviour.

I’ve learnt when entering a new park for the first time, to talk to the other dog owners and see what works best for introducing our pup to others. We’re the newcomers so we need to adapt to the others. After that, it’s all fun and games.

This week Farley is representing a dog park the he’s never been to, but has friends in the neighbourhood. The Doylestown Dog Park has posted Farley’s photo as their cover photo. Check it out if you get the chance.

Puppy Love

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 12 Comments

 

I couldn’t resist posting this photo.  Kids, dogs and toys are a great mix. Bringing home two new puppies on the same day almost four years ago was a happy moment day. What more could anyone want?

 

Can you find . . .

Farley (Wheaten Terrier – 9 weeks old)

Piper (Border Terrier – 8 weeks old)

Murphy (Rottweiler – 4 years old)

 

Summer Exercise for Dogs

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 9 Comments

If you can get your dogs near water, it’s a great way to exercise them without over heating them.

Farley (Wheaten Terrier – 4 years old) loves to dive.

Piper (Border Terrier – 4 years old) is learning to swim. She tries not to go too far out. At the beginning, she wouldn’t even put her paws in the water, so we’re making progress.

Murphy’s (Rottweiler – 8 years old) big breakthrough was stepping on the back of the boat. Farley had to show him it was okay.

Each dog has their own fears and limitation and it’s up to us to figure out what they are and give them the opportunity to overcome them and enjoy the water.