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Ahoy!
My name is Pocket. I am a 10 year old mustard male Dandie
Dinmont. I've been asked to tell a little bit about my
life here because I have such an
interesting job. I am part of a crew that operates a 50
foot sailboat for
charter in the nearby San Juan Islands. (by the way, these
islands are right
here in Washington State--not San Juan, Puerto Rico) The
captain is my dad, Jon, and the first mate is my mom,
Jeannette. They have been operating this company, Sail
the San Juans, since 1986. I have been part of the crew
for the past six years. |
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My jobs are many and I do them all with great gusto!
Like I make sure the galley and salon floors are cleared
of all food scraps. I greet each person with an eager
tail wag in the morning. I let the captain know when
he is about to turn the engine on, shut it off, or go
into gear.
(he really likes that I tell him, too!) I lead our guests
on island hikes. I help pull crab traps and I'm a keen
fishing pole watcher--that's one of my favorite jobs!
I alert people to the appearance of whales, seals, and
passing boats. I also show people how to relax by finding
a comfy corner and curling up (or stretching out) for
a nap in the sun. So you see I really keep busy.
Now you may be questioning my ability to pull a crab
trap, since I have no hands--but I really have! This
is one of my best stories. You see, I love to ride in
our inflatable dinghy(zodiac). It takes me to shore
so I can mark my favorite spots and lead hikes for my
people. But it also is used to check these pots that
crab crawl into. There's a float attached to a rope
and the captain pulls them up as fast as he can so the
crabs won't swim out.
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Well,
one day our guest was pulling but I could tell it wasn't
fast enough. So you know what I did? I grabbed the line
with my mouth and pulled too so it would come up faster!
The captain was really impressed with my quick thinking.
Once the pot is in the boat I love to stick my nose in
to smell these funny things crawling about. And I try
to taste the bait every chance I get--just to make sure
it will work, of course!
Over the years I have earned the title "Admiral."
Now you can see how I've rightly deserved it. I honestly
don't know how they could operate without me. I sure earn
my treats! One of my favorite treats is when mom makes
pasta from scratch. She has a doo-hicky that stretches
out this yummy dough into long stringy things called linguine.
Then she has them hanging all over the boat until she's
ready to cook them. Boy what a sight! It makes me drool
just thinking about it. People sure like mom's treats
too! |
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When
we get a free moment sometimes mom takes me out in the kayak.
I have a confession to make, I really hate the water--but
I love boats! It's so fun to be out there with the wind blowing
through your fur. And the boat takes you to so many great
places with good smells! My people are careful that I don't
fall in the cool water, so I always feel safe. Well, except
for one time...but I'll tell you about that later
Hey,
I could go on and on with how great my life is. Why don't
you come for
yourself and find out? We'd love to meet you and hear about
what your life
and your dog is like! In the meantime, you'll find me patrolling
on the bow
of our boat, Northwind--making sure the captain keeps a steady
course.
Your
friend,
Pocket-the-Sea-Dog
SALTY
DOG OVERBOARD!
Our dog, Pocket, loves fishing and gets very excited when
the salmon
poles come out and the lines hit the water. We have always
been concerned that he might fall overboard in all his
puppy excitement. We even purchased a life vest for him.
The sales woman who sold us the vest looked Pocket over
and after he tried it on, she declared “That'll float
him”. |
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On
this particular day, just after catching two salmon
for dinner we were heading to our anchorage when
who should plunge haunches first into the briny
deep, but Pocket! The captain ran to the starboard
side of the boat and saw a cloud of bubbles, but
no dog. Once he broke the surface, Pocket swam
like the dickens with one goal in mind, "Get
to the stern!" This is where he found his
mother at the ready to pull him from the frigid
wetness. Quickly he had a warm and sudsy bath
till finally, once sunshine did her drying magic,
the shiverings did cease. One might think the
result would be a demure and highly cautious canine,
not so eager to trot with such energy and enthusiasm.
But, alas, it's as if the whole ordeal happened
to some other foolish dog and Pocket appeared
not in the least worried.
Final note: this is the ONLY overboard incident
(other than objects from time to time) that we
have had in twelve years of doing charters.
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