We adopted our West Highland Terriers. Daisey fourteen years ago from a private breeder, and Caesar from Lanarkstone Kennels nearly ten years ago. In the intervening years they have become inseparable from each other and very much a part of our family. Lately, Daisey has been feeling her advanced age and needs a lot of encouragement just to keep on going. Caesar, on the other hand, remains as playful and energetic as ever. A recent experience demonstrates the very special personality of our Westies.
After my retirement on April Fools’ Day I settled into a too sedentary lifestyle and have been seeking outdoor activities that would provide both enjoyment and exercise for my wife Joan and me. Costco has had some nice Coleman 15 foot canoes on sale that caught my eye. So I made the investment and brought one home. But, never forgetting my roots in the business of safety I also invested in life preservers for us as well as a couple more from PetSmart for Daisey and Caesar.
I highly recommend these floatation devices. They are very well made and permit good freedom of movement for dogs. They are designed to keep their heads above water while not restricting doggy paddling. But superior design and fine workmanship were lost on our two Westies when we tried them on. They just stood there with soulful expressions making no secret of the fact that they were not at all amused with my interest in their safety. It disappointed me that they did not appreciate that it was all for their own good. Have you ever tried to make that argument to a dog?
Well enough for the dress rehearsals, it had been six weeks since I brought home the canoe and it was high time for sea trials. Joan took the forward seat and I sat in the rear with Daisey and Caesar between us. The pups resigned themselves to wearing life jackets as long as there would be no other canines around to witness the event. But they were disgusted at me for subjecting them to the indignity of such an experience and for being so close to so much water. In all the years they shared with us they had made it quite clear that Westies do not like water. They do not like to be bathed, even with warm water, and will go out of their way to avoid stepping in puddles. No manner of bribes and attention was going to extract a doggy kiss from either of them. Joan and I accepted our fate and started paddling.
Canoeing was a new experience for both Joan and me. Do not get me wrong, I spent twenty-four years in the Navy and am very comfortable around water and boats. It is canoeing that was unfamiliar territory. I knew a canoe is an unstable vessel and that one should never attempt to stand up in one. Beyond that, the rest should be easy. After all how much can there be to pushing water with a paddle? We soon learned that every motion on our part would produce an immediate instability of the canoe on the water. It was a quick lesson in marital cooperation and coordination. But we soon began to enjoy the scenery and the relaxation of being out on the water. We even took time out of our paddling to eat lunch, though Daisey and Caesar refused to partake of even the ham in my sandwich.
We were in a relatively quiet sheltered spot on Puget Sound in Rich Passage that separates Bainbridge Island from the Olympic Peninsula. We never ventured very far offshore and stayed well clear of the shipping channel where the Seattle to Bremerton Ferry transits periodically. True to their nature, Daisey and Caesar began to accept their circumstances and we made friends again though they still refused kisses.
The time came to head back to shore and the dogs appeared to recognize the beginning of the end to their ordeal. It had to be terribly distressing to them when for no good reason the canoe suddenly and without warning overturned. The water was bitterly cold but I came right up to the surface and was happy to see my soul mate there and safe. There was no sign of Daisey and Caesar and the horrible realization came over me that they had both gone under. My first reaction was of gratitude that their end would be so quick. Yet it made no sense that they would be both under water wearing brand new life preservers! I reached underneath the canoe. The soft warmth of a puppy has never felt so good! They each managed to survive in the darkness of the air pocket. I pulled them back down under and away to safety. We were very much relieved at seeing both dogs swimming so beautifully.
We turned our attention to righting the canoe and getting back to the shore 200 yards away. Once right side up I went to put the dogs back into the canoe but they had drifted a few feet away and were not much interested in whatever my next trick would be. We began our long swim towards shore pushing the canoe along. In the process we were again distracted and lost sight of our dogs. I swam around to the other side of the canoe and found Caesar apparently confused and swimming in circles. So I called him over to me and he reluctantly complied. I hoisted him into the canoe but could not find any sign of Daisey. We again worried that she might have slipped out of her floatation device and would be gone from us. But we spotted her well ahead of us swimming directly to shore. At 14 years of age, Daisey is a very senior dog suffering from cataracts, arthritis and poor hearing. It is truly amazing that she could even see the shore, much less attempt to swim in that very cold water the distance of a city block to get there. Nevertheless, she was determined to make it and would have no more to do with us.
After a half-hour in the cold water, Joan began to feel the effects of hypothermia so I helped her get back into the nearly swamped canoe with Caesar. I was not about to risk another upset by climbing in there myself and, besides, my sedentary lifestyle has blessed me with a substantial layer of insulation against the cold water anyway. I pushed while she did what she could with the only surviving paddle, but it was not long before the canoe swamped again. Again Joan came up safely but Caesar was nowhere in sight. He had to be quite baffled when I found him again in the air pocket and had to pull him under, out and up to the surface. I can only imagine his bewilderment about what he had done that was so wrong to deserve so many dunkings.
We wasted no time rolling the canoe upright and getting Joan and Caesar back on board, this time to stay until we made it safely to shore. Old frail Daisey was there waiting for us, her leash entangled in some driftwood on the beach.
As soon as the life jackets came off, our pups became our best friends again, their tails wagging freely and their kisses unending. Forgiveness is often a difficult lesson for people to learn, but with Westies it is automatic and unconditional.
We got home safely and into a warm shower. Daisey and Caesar must have thought that I was completely out of my mind when I brought them in the shower also to wash off the algae and smell of Puget Sound. Had I still not learned my lesson that Westies are not attracted to water?
As for the canoe, it is up on blocks behind our house where Caesar regularly uses it to mark his territory. I have not decided yet whether or not it is for sale. Joan has.
Michael Treacy
Bainbridge Island
P.S. : In retrospect I must say that I had considered removing the leashes as a safety precaution when I put the dogs into the canoe at the start of this adventure. But the leashes were attached to the floatation devices and I felt that it might give me one more thing to reach for if I had to pull them back onboard. If I had to do it over again I would remove them and avoid the risk of entanglement in submerged debris.