On Board with a Vizla

Lilly was two and half when we moved on board. Like most Hungarian Vizslas, she was quite mad (and things haven't changed much). We weren't sure what she would make of being on a boat and not having a garden to run riot in. We hoped that she would learn to swim, we hoped she would calm down a bit, we hoped that she wouldn't mind the move.

We soon realised that being on the boat meant there was so much for a Vizsla to do. Watching fish, watching birds, throwing things overboard so daddy has to go and retrieve them ... ha she does have a sense of humour! Dinghy rides are always fun and beach walks are really appreciated.

So, the practical side of things. Lilly's bed has to be under the Taylors heater for maximum comfort. We knew that replacing the wood burning stove would always be a priority. Having only 45 foot to run and dive is not a reason not to do it and having wooden floors in the wheel house creates a great slide when it's nearly walk time. We have a very useful piece of artificial grass on the aft deck to avoid being 'caught short', luckily Lilly will do anything for a treat so teaching her to go on command was quite easy to do.

Lilly had always hated going out in the dark so she had learnt from a young age not to need the loo after dark. She will quite happily go from 4pm through until the morning, without needing to go out, but she is perfectly happy using our portable garden if she needs too. We knew it would be important for her to be able to go on the boat in case it is too rough for us to get into land during a storm.

The best thing for Lilly has been that her dad has been at home working on the boat. Although she is more than happy to be left for a few hours, it is soooo much nicer having daddy to play with everyday. Quite happy to curl up for a sleep after her morning walk, Lilly generally decides that by 2 o clock, she needs attention and the best way to get that is to go and pinch one of daddy's tools and jump around and do a 'five n dance' (ner ner na ner ner)I have got your spanner, ner ner na ner ner! You get the picture!

Lilly just loves the dinghy. She loves the trip into land each day, dropping mum off at the steps then going around to the beach for play time. She hasn't ever got into swimming, only on the occasions when her enthusiasm is greater than the space at the front of the dinghy. In fact she decided to jump in on my first solo attempt at driving the dinghy in for her daily constitutional! So not only did I have to master the engine, the wind and the tides, I had a mut overboard situation as well.
Luckily, with the life jacket it is quite easy to pick up a floundering dog and get the back in the dinghy.

One thing we didn't expect was the amount of fireworks that go on around Falmouth ... which land in the bay! Unfortunately one landed on the boat (not great on an old wooden boat) but it really scared Lilly. Luckily we had phosphorus homeopathic remedy a nice high potency, and she has been fine ever since.

We have learnt that Lilly's toys have to be able to float. It would be even better if they quacked or made a noise when they hit the water (maybe we need life jacket alarms) .... but we have had to launch the dinghy at least once a month to go off in search of Gary. (Gary is a fox toy .... named after a geordie diver who lives locally (whose name is Gary Fox).

Lilly's favourite pastime is fishing. We liken it to the obsession of teenagers with their computer games. Like most teenagers, we have to limit gaming activities to 2 or 3 hours a day ... otherwise she gets cold and completely exhausted. Have you ever tried watching a fish for hours at a time?

So, the consensus is Lilly loves living on a boat. Yes, she has to be quite agile to jump on and off the boat, she loves being part of the fun, loves being warm and cozy (something we struggled with at our old house) and she loves all of the attention she gets from other boaters. In fact Lilly must be one of the main tourist attractions as she rides figurehead on the dinghy up and down the river.

We can't imagine being on a boat without a dog and Lilly is fine company and makes a first rate Ship's Mate!