Of Dogs and Kayaks

April-May 2000

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

Winter Behaviors, Spring Awakenings

by Rick Hudson

Not the safest way to paddle, photo Alan Wilson

Some time ago, my wife and I bought a kayak. My wife insisted we buy a double kayak so she would avoid being left behind. The one we acquired had a curious third hole between the two paddlers' holes (cockpits). Unaware of the enormous repercussions that this would have, we decided it would make a good place for our dog. Little did we suspect how such a casual decision could affect our lives so much.

Later, while out in our new craft with the dog, someone on the shore spotted us and took a photograph. Which was shown to someone, who mentioned it to a friend, who wrote to a colleague, who asked for a copy, who scanned it and emailed it to someone, who-well, you get my drift.

What followed next was a call from a lady in Connecticut, asking if I would write about paddling with dogs. Nothing too long, you understand... just something that would interest the readers. It turned out she was the editor of a magazine for mutts.

I felt honoured. Or honored, as I had to spell it for US readers. It would never have occurred to me that what we were doing was in any way unusual, or interesting. But there I was, being asked to write about kayaking with a canine. Andy Warhol was right about those 15 minutes of fame.

However, I declined. I felt under-qualified. One swallow didn't make a summer, and all that. I should have known better. Days later I received another call from a writer who wanted to interview me, so that she could write an article on kayaking with a canine.

Again I declined. But there was a growing suspicion that forces were afoot, so to speak. I didn't have long to wait. I received an email from someone looking for 'pointers' on paddling with pooches. Clearly, there was an untapped well of people out there, all secretly yearning to launch their lapdogs, yet lacking the experience or courage to do so. Well, it's obviously time to lay bare the Six Great Pillars of Wisdom on Canine Kayaking.

1. The First Law of the Universe, that Bigger is always Better, is hereby refuted. A small dog is a better paddling dog. It holds less water in its fur. It has a lower centre of gravity, and hence centre of balance. A small dog is more easily launched before coming in to land, or swung aboard when it swims out after you.

2. While it is true that some dogs are extremely smart, and can count to five, herd sheep, and jump through flaming hoops, they have one serious flaw. Dogs do not understand Newton's Third Law- "To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction". A large dog, shifting its weight casually while, say, watching a passing seagull, can cause a sudden instability that is only seen as humorous, in retrospect, on hot summer days.

3. Notwithstanding dogs that ride on motorbikes, or fit into backpacks, the average family pooch seldom aspires to any transport more advanced than the family car. So be prepared to spend some time getting your dog used to the idea of riding in a kayak. Discourage excited exits in pursuit of wildlife, or at the approach of a cresting wave. Most especially, discourage wild romps in the sand/water before embarking on a trip. Having a large, hairy, wet canine shake itself dry when only half a paddle's length from you, can be distressing. Training is the answer. After several carefully disciplined entries and exits from the kayak, you should be able to tolerate your dog doing this.

4. Onshore, never tie your dog to your kayak, in the naive belief that, since they are the two most important items on your trip, it wouldn't hurt to keep them attached to each other. If you do, you could lose both your transport and your best friend simultaneously, in the likely event that a sandpiper lands nearby, or an otter swims past offshore.

5. Remember that beaches are the last great bastions of "dead things that have washed ashore". This is one of the main reasons why dogs love the water's edge so much. However, discovering too late that your canine buddy has just rolled in (i) the remains of a dead bird, (ii) the remains of a very dead seal, or (iii) the remains of an extremely dead whale, could just push you off everyone's social list until well into the new millennium.

6. With the rise in urban disapproval of all things doggy, there is no finer way of spending a day than being away from it all on a huge, human-free beach, in the company of a canine companion.

Rick Hudson lives on Vancouver Island, BC, where he is currently teaching his cat to play chess.