The Tale of a Salty Dog… (Or, How to Sail with Humans)
There I was at the shelter, hoping to find my forever home with loving humans, when this fun, adventurous couple said, “There’s our salty dog!”
I didn’t know what they meant, but I would soon find out.
My first night in my forever home was on a sailboat, with my very own bed, in my very own space and special patch of artificial turf on the aft deck for… well, you know what happens there.
Since dogs are susceptible to motion sickness, especially if the water is rough, there’s doggie motion sickness medicine. But I’m a salty dog, so I didn’t need any. And besides, we haven’t even left the dock yet.
Being smart, my humans got me accustomed to the sailboat while we were still tied to the dock. And that’s where it happened… This fur ball of a cat jumped on board and made herself at home. Now we had a salty cat. She got her very own bed, in her very own space with her very own litter box for… well, you know what happens there too.
We each have our own bowls in our own special spots, and we get regular feeding times. I’m sure that darn cat gets more treats than me even though I’m cuter.
They knew our safety was paramount, so they got us cool pet lifejackets to wear with fluorescent colours and beacons so they could see us if we went overboard. They even had handles so they could lift us b
ack onto the boat. I tried to gnaw the handle off the darn cat’s lifejacket, but my humans gave me better chew toys to play with while on board. (Lucky for that darn cat)
I’m sure I need a manicure and pedicure because sometimes I can slip on the deck, the floors inside and even getting on and off the boat at dock. So, my humans put extra non-skid on the deck and the floors for better traction. They even put in a retractable ramp for dock access. That’s probably for the cat, she’s such a princess. Well, anyway they are always there to make sure we’re safe. And they take me ashore for lots of play time and treats while that darn cat just sleeps.
My humans really planned our trip well. Did you know that not all countries or islands are pet-friendly? Now who wouldn’t love me, I’m adorable. The cat, well that’s another story and besides she’s a stow away. Regardless we are not going anywhere that isn’t pet friendly. My humans even made sure that our destination has a vet.
So here we are finally off shore with the sails hoisted on our way to the islands with that fun and adventurous couple. I have the wind in my face and my butt in the cat’s. Ahh, this is the life of a happy Salty Dog.
