Kyle Lake - BenjiBear Again

Kyle Lake - Benji Bear Again

It's the last day of December and the weather was going to get up to almost 70 degrees.  BenjiBear needs to get used to paddling with Scotty so we took advantage of the day and headed to a calm lake.  As soon as we got to Kyle Lake, we spotted a bald eagle in the tree!  Love when that happens.  BenjiBear was thoroughly excited about the trip in the truck and the preparations of the kayak on land.  And then he got into the kayak with Scotty and I wasn't with him.  The whining began and Scotty kept feeding him treats.  He didn't seem to whine as much as last time, but he still wanted to get over to me.  We did discover that if I paddled behind Scotty, out of sight, Benji did a little better.  The silly dog seemed to enjoy it at times and looked on shore and even laid down at one point.  I've got to break this separation anxiety of his!!! 

Dyer's Creek - BenjiBear's Inaugural Paddle

Dyer's Creek - BenjiBear's Inaugural Paddle

About 70degrees

It was an unusually warm day so we decided to do a short nearby paddle, with the sole intention of getting BenjiBear into the kayak.  He enjoys riding in the truck as he has a whole cushion covering the back and can crawl up to see us when he wants.  He enjoys riding back there more than even sitting on my lap, which is good.  There were a few other people out enjoying the water.  We got into the kayak and BenjiBear came with me.  Within only a few minutes he kept trying to jump out.  I let him and pulled him back into the boat.  He was not happy.  He seemed to be shivering so I dried him off with a blanket, but I'm hoping that will keep him from jumping out again.  After awhile, he seemed to enjoy it and was looking all around the creek - at the birds and the floating leaves.  The water was very low today in the creek and our paddles could touch bottom.  At times, it only appeared to be about 12 inches deep.  We decided to let BenjiBear ride with Scotty and that's when the whining began.  He wanted to be back with me, but we definitely want him comfortable with both of us.  We gave him a few cheerios, but that wasn't enough.  Next time, we'll bring a better treat to lure him in with Scotty.  Overall, for his first paddle, he did well!