July 28, 2008
My challenge: to take Ollie (at the time, a five-month-old Border Terrier puppy) on our regular summer sea-kayaking trips on Georgian Bay. Canoeing with a dog is easy. Kayaking with a dog seemed a bit more difficult. So I dreamt up a contraption that would allow Ollie to join us on these kayaking trips. Thanks to my Dad helping in the construction!
Witness it, in situ:
My criteria in the creation of the crate:
- Traction: Kayak decks are fibreglass with a shiny gelcoat. Ollie would need a surface that would allow him some sort of gription as dog nails on gelcoat doesn’t really work.
- An edge: In wavy conditions, the kayak can pitch quite suddenly. Having something that would contain the dog would help him stay on the boat while in swells seemed important.
- Sun protection: All day kayaking without sun protection would equal fried puppy. My perfect design would offer some kind of sun protection.
- Wind sturdy: Winds on Georgian Bay can be fierce (for example we had one evening this trip of ~ 45 km / h winds or 6 on the Beaufort Scale). Any extras (such as the sun protection) would have to stand up to a whipping wind.
- Waterproof: This seems obvious.
- Protects the Kayak: Since the Kayaks aren’t mine, I figured it would be bad if it ended up scratching the kayak when installed.
So with these criteria in mind, I set to creatin’. Since the kayak crate was a success, I’ve provided an illustrated step-by-step guide if you’re interested in making one yourself. Read more »
April 28, 2007
The two brothers hit it off instantly and spent the next twenty minutes playing. It was also fun comparing notes with Fozby’s owners (Fozby is as vocal as Ollie; loves to snuggle in bed in the morning; has a thing for tennis balls; “leaks” when he is excited). It was just a blast watching them.
March 18, 2007
Ollie is a new dog, now that we’ve finished stripping him.
November 27, 2006
Check it out.
And here are his puppy photos featured on the same site. I’m proud to say that Ollie has received 10.4 biscuits out of 11 with over a thousand votes!
July 12, 2006
This is Ollie’s new grass bed. He loves it.
It’s a dishpan that I drilled full of holes in the base, added soil and some shade-loving grass seed. Add a little water, and a few days later (4 days), you see the results above.
I made it on a lark, hoping that Ollie would like it. Seems like he does. Heather showed it to him this afternoon, and after we came home from the dog park, Ollie crashed in it. Fun!
June 23, 2006
As you can see from the photo above, Ollie passed his puppy obedience class. We’re all so proud of him (too bad he can’t read yet).
If you follow the photo above, Dad’s got a nice set of pictures from the whole class.
Originally uploaded by corbeau_du_nord.
June 21, 2006
Ollie snuck a second round on me and I had to unwrap the sealed poo bag. Never a good thing.
June 10, 2006
I went to Woofstock with Heather, Ollie, Dad and Sue today. It would be an understatement to say it was an experience. Ollie had a blast-so many dogs to meet. It also seemed like Heather really enjoyed herself. Highlight of the day? Doggie Ice Cream. Who knows what the stuff is made of, but the sight of a dozen dogs enjoying the creme glace is too much to handle.
Click on the image above to see all the photos I took of the event.
May 29, 2006
Captured!
Originally uploaded by corbeau_du_nord.
May 28, 2006
Had a great weekend at Camp. Ollie went for his first swim and canoe ride! Have a look at the rest of the photos.
Originally uploaded by Gavatron.
