We need to talk about the dog ❤️

We're down to one dog and her name is Georgie. She's 13. There's been talk about how difficult it will be to include her as part of this project. And that's true.

Let us count the ways. 

• We can't (well, won't) fly with her. An airline once lost my dog by putting her on the WRONG PLANE. She's too big to fit in the cabin and flying in the baggage hold is hugely stressful for dogs. That means we have to drive cross country every time we want to come home, or go back.

• It will be hard getting her on and off the boat. She's not spry and she weighs 60 pounds.

• No more just letting her into the yard to pee. We'll have to put on clothes and shoes and stuff - maybe even before morning coffee - help her off the boat, put her on a leash, walk her, pick up poo. And again at night. And during the day. And in rain, and wind.

• She will always have to be on leash. There are chickens and goats at this marina among other living creatures.

• When we go off to meet or interview people do we take her with us in the car? What if the weather is hot and that's not safe? How long can we leave her unattended on the boat? What happens to the boat temperature in hot weather?

• There's not a lot of floor space aboard for a dog bed. Where will she sleep? (Duh, on our bed, next question.)

• Et cetera.

A younger Georgie the Boat Dog

We've given this some thought and our answer is pretty much the same we've given to every objection so far on this project: We don't care. People have dogs on boats all the time and they deal with it. People have dogs in city apartments; same thing. You adjust to your new reality. The alternatives - give her away? Board her for months at a time? Wait till she dies to start the project? - are all untenable for us. 

We're probably not the world's most reasonable people. But we do love Georgie and consider her family. We like cross-country trips! We think involuntary walkies are good for the soul. We know dogs are. So, our project will include an elderly boat dog.