Skipper perfect first mate for seafaring couple

While living on our 41-foot sailboat in Key West, Fla., we went to the local SPCA.

Being dog lovers, we missed canine companionship. We had owned a boxer, but he got terribly seasick and we felt sorry for him, so we found him a better home with a backyard and an owner who loved him.

When we walked into the shelter and saw Skipper, a purebred golden retriever, the pleading look on his face said, "Please get me out of here!" Not being able to say "no" to those big brown eyes, we did.

Skipper was 10 months old, given up by a family whose child had asthma. He had been very well-trained and was completely housebroken. Skipper is now 5 1/2 years old and for the first 3 years, he lived with us on our sailboat.

He adapted to life aboard so quickly it almost seemed he was born to it. For safety reasons, we taught him to never get off the boat without his leash, and he wouldn't, not even for us.

If we were on the dock and wanted him to come down, we had to go put his leash on him; otherwise he would just stand there and wiggle and whine.

We taught him to jump aboard the boat whenever his leash was taken off after a few unscheduled "dog-overboard drills." He didn't seem to mind, though. He loves to swim, so he would just paddle around until we "saved" him.

We began taking off his leash at the end of the finger pier, then at the end of the dock and eventually in the parking lot, each time telling him, "Get on your boat!" He would run and jump on the boat, then turn around and look triumphantly back at us slowpokes.

Soon, we could take off his leash anywhere in the marina, tell him to get on his boat, and he would run like the wind. Nothing would stop him. He would jump on board and proudly wait for his reward, which was much praise and attention from us.

One time, we took him off the boat to visit a neighboring "boat dog" on the lawn and took his leash off so he could play with her, but instead, he instantly took off for his boat, leaving behind a very confused-looking little friend.

Key West is an extremely dog-friendly town, and he was allowed just about everywhere we went. Sometimes, it was hard to get anywhere because of tourists who stopped us every few feet wanting to pet him.

One day, he went with us to the airport to greet a friend flying in for a visit. Every single person getting off the plane stopped to pet him. One man just sat on the floor, wrapped his arms around Skipper and hugged him for a couple of minutes and then got up and left, never saying a word.

In Key West restaurants, dogs get their own bowl of water. At his favorite place, he always received his ice water in a champagne bucket. One server once asked if he could have a "plate of scraps." We said "sure," and she returned with a plate piled high with bacon, ham, eggs and potatoes. On a recent return trip to Key West, this same server recognized him and remembered his name, even after two years! She didn't remember ours, but that's OK, we're used to being in his shadow.

We sold the sailboat and moved back home to Charleston in 2007. Skipper misses being able to go everywhere with us, but we take him everywhere we can. He adores James Island County Park, as well as White Point Garden and Hampton Park. He knows we are near one of those places when we turn down certain streets, and he dances and whines and carries on to let us know we better not pass them by.

We think Skipper is the perfect dog. He doesn't dig in the yard, he doesn't chew on our things, he never bites, barks unnecessarily or takes food off tables or countertops.

He never gets up on the furniture, even when invited. We didn't train him to any of that; he just has an uncanny ability to understand what belongs to him and to respect what doesn't, unlike any other dog we've ever had.

Buddy and LeeAnne Ward

Charleston

Odd Thomas

When my boyfriend, Matt, and I went to the SPCA to look at dogs, we said we were going to just look.

We should have known that would never happen. We had been talking about getting a dog and knew we wanted one some day. And some day came when we laid eyes on Odd Thomas.

He wasn't the first dog we looked at, but I noticed him right off as we walked by him. He had the eyes. Those big brown eyes that just draw you in. ... We took Odd out to see how we meshed. Matt loved that he was a tennis ball playing dog, but for me it was his eyes that drew me in. He was also a very happy dog and we fell in love. The next day we picked him up. He did really well in the car, didn't have accidents in the house and didn't attack Luna Lovegood, the cat.

He seemed perfect. We should have known that just like people, all dogs have their quirks, too. We found that out the first night when he took my dictionary off the bookshelf and decided it didn't need all it's pages or the covers.

So since finding out his biggest quirk of chewing or shredding everything he can when you're not looking, finding toys for him has been a challenge. Nothing with stuffing because he tears it open and pulls the stuffing out in a matter of seconds

Nothing with squeakers because they are punctured and removed in under 10 minutes. If it's rubber, it has to be industrial strength or that, too, is torn into little pieces and strewn across the floor. He even managed to get the top off a Kong, a toy that is supposed to be pretty much indestructible.

So while his chewing habits give us a run for our money, never knowing what toys will last a few minutes, a couple of days or maybe a week, we have fallen in love with a great dog who has been a great addition to our family. We even got up the courage to adopt again. A new cat, Agent Zero, joined our home last month.

Jessica Weber

North Charleston

Compiled by Brenda Rindge. Got a pet? Tell us about it. Submit your stories to pets@postandcourier.com or Pets, The Post and Courier, 134 Columbus St., Charleston SC 29403-4800.

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