Yes we are the crazy dog people who take our dogs everywhere with us. We are the boat with paw prints, dog toys, barking and the ones that have doogie poop bags in every coat we own! Truth be told, we just wouldn’t have it any other way so when Mike’s good buddy came for a visit with his 80 lb labradoodle, Ollie, we all just piled onto R Lil’ Ship for a weekend trip to Kingston, WA.

Although it would seem that 4 dogs and three humans on a 40 foot vessel would be really cramped, it wasn’t at all. There was plenty of room and with our many banquettes everyone was comfy and had a spot. If you can’t tell, none of these dogs knows they’re a dog or that the floor is a good spot for them!

The weather was warm and the seas were mostly flat on our way to Kingston. The dogs all did great together in the close quarters of our 40 ft vessel. Ollie, was a natural on the boat for his first time. He was also surprisingly really calm in the dinghy, he didn’t freak out nor did he swamp us! He only fell in the water one time and once we pulled him back on board, he bounced back just fine! Piper fell in too, but it’s a rare occasion when Piper doesn’t fall in as she is fearless and loves to walk on the dinghy tubes no matter how fast we are motoring.

No matter how many times we re-visit a destination we usually discover at least one new thing. This time, as we were walking through Kingston we discovered some new local art to include one lonely little Facebook stone (see pics) and a brewery we will have to visit once this pandemic is over. We also want to check out the Firehouse theater when it re-opens (again once this pandemic is over).

We always enjoy searching out the many giant adirondack chairs throughout Kingston as they are great photo opportunities. Getting the pups to all sit still and look when we are taking the picture is an entirely different story! Of course there is also the pet store, marine store, Mora’s ice creamery and the crepe place. There is a really nice grocery store and hardware store as well.

Heading back to the marina after our walk, we found a large grassy, mostly fenced in field where we let the dogs run free and play for a few minutes. That old saying “Tired dogs are good dogs” is very true!

For those of you hesitant to take your dogs boating, don’t be! Dogs are super resilient and good boating companions. We walk and hike more than we probably would without the dogs and we have somewhat taught our dogs to adapt to boating. They all know how to use the potty patch we have fashioned for them on the Portuguese bridge, so if its early morning and we are anchored, it’s not really all that inconvenient. Beats getting up, getting dressed and getting in the dinghy at 5am! Just as we have our rain gear, so do they. They all have rain coats and slush suits to keep them somewhat clean and dry. We have a dog shower wand that hooks up to the stern faucet if they need a rinse off and even a mini professional dog salon hairdryer that tucks away. Sure they are some work to have onboard, but the experiences we share with them and they joy they bring us is all worth it!