that’s one hot dog!

A couple Q’s & A’s about living with a dog on board:

What about the heat?

At times, Kemah has definitely shown signs of stress from the heat and humidity of the Tropics. In these instances, we make sure he can get wet to drop his body temp as much as possible. We’ll wet his coat, soak a towel for him to lay on (in the shade) and place a wet bandana around his neck. Just like a car in Texas, we never leave him in the salon with the hatches closed on a warm day. And, we make sure to leave fans for on him in addition to the open hatches.

Does Kemah get seasick?

Kemah has definitely looked “unwell” at times underway. But, like a little trooper, he’s never tossed his doggie cookies. The few times he’s looked “green” it’s usually on the first day of a passage and passes after a while. Basically, his tell-tales are moping around, being un-interested in eating and just generally not being himself. There’s little we can do for him besides making sure he stays hydrated and in the fresh air. Other than that, just like people, K has to simply wait it out. Pobrecito.

Is there dog hair everywhere?

Yes and no. Kemah does shed but he has very short, fine, almost clear-blonde hair. I (Laurie) have very long dirty blonde hair. And, D has curly red beard hair. So, between us all, we definitely sweep and dust weekly.

Does he stink up your boat?

Yes and no. First thing’s first: boats have smells. It shouldn’t stink on your boat, but our totally clean & dry boat certainly has a distinct flavor I notice upon entry. Hey, she’s 20 years old; I prefer to think of her as “seasoned”. Speaking of which, Kemah can certainly get a bit ripe after several days of saltwater seasoning with only a rinse. So, he gets a bath with oatmeal shampoo as needed, which for him is about once a week.

But back to K’s effect on the boat smell:

Most days, the hatches are open and their an amazing breeze running through the boat. On those days, I can’t smell K – or the boat.

On other days – like the 40 straight days of rain we had in Panama in July – the boat is closed up and it’ll get a distinct wet dog-smell – and K has super short hair!

The jury’s out on whether that particular boat stank is because of him or a side effect of the moisture and all of our stuff on board. Regardless, about once a month we deep clean the boat: we launder all our (custom-made-by-me, removable) cushion covers, pull up all the carpets, shake them out on deck, spray them with vinegar and lemon juice and bake them in the sun for an afternoon. I think this majorly contributes to things staying fresh and it’s something we did at home, even when we were on land.