On Sunday Momma and I hosted a doggie boarding class at our place led by Sara of https://www.AdventureIsBarking.com, and it was a huge hit.  Dogs and humans alike enjoyed riding on the boards — some of them for the first time — and socializing with each other.  We had a nice little (diverse!) group, and Sara said all the doggies did very well.

Dr. Becca (https://www.perpetualmotionanimalchiro.com) and my BFF, Winnie, were the first to arrive.  Winnie was new at boarding, so Becca asked me to go out with her for support.  As an experienced boarder,  I was totally comfortable and showed Winnie and the others there was nothing to be afraid of.  (Momma, who can’t seem to get over my one tiny shortcoming:  “Except perhaps for actually getting in the water.”)

Winnie turned out to be a real star, and here are some photos of us on Momma’s new kayak/paddleboard.

Also in our group were two gigantic (at least to me) German Shepherds who were no strangers to the water.  They were new to the boards, however, and the female, Camilia, was quite vocal about wanting to be on the same board as her brother!  They soon got the hanging 20 of it, and later had an absolute ball diving off the dock.

Another classmate was Arlo, a handsome pit bull and beagle mix who was also new to boarding.  Arlo was a natural, and I think he and his momma have been bitten by the board bug!  Here is our little flotilla in action.

Momma’s boarder friend, Lori, and her dog, Sam, also showed up.  Sammy does not like the water though (and Lori knows this – Momma suspects she came over just for the wine), and watched the action unfold from the shore.

Sara thought the class was a huge success and has plans to do more.  She and Momma are both big fans of Helping Paws MN (https://helpingpaws.org), and want to partner with them for an event later this summer.  As you can see, Sara’s Griff, Kayak, lived up to his water-vessel-inspired name!

Momma, who is universally known as an annoying helicopter mom, started out being a real pain in the butt.  From the moment others arrived, she would scoop me up and stare down the visiting dogs as if they were mass murderers.  She finally, reluctantly, set me down after Becca, Sara and Lori insisted, but was never far a-paw. As you’re all aware by now, I know her like a book, and she did not want to leave the wine party (which was how she viewed it) and make another trip to the vet (the expense!).  For the record, I had no trouble hanging out with the big dogs!

Speaking of helicopters, we also had a nice visit from Marine One Pilot Congressman Kline, his wife Vicki and their dog, Lucy. Although they did not partake in the class, Lucy and I played for a bit, and Momma (always the publicity hound), snagged a picture with them.

Lina, Model Student

WOOFDA!

Pawscript:  Momma wants me to thank Jim, Lori’s friend, for his help after the party/class.  It seems like Momma and Jim like each other.  Just woofin’.