Working: Dockside Ambassador

Walking along the New River in Fort Lauderale, Madison spends a good bit of time as Dockside Ambassador. She meets a lot of the dogs visiting aboard sailboats and yachts. These dogs all have really interesting jobs. They have lots of stories to tell and they usually make friends pretty quickly.


Like Buster, who Madison made friends with today. Buster is a sea-going Airedale. How cool is that? Buster takes care of his people aboard the motor yacht, "Pointless," which is registered in Les Cheneaux Islands, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Can you imagine how many sea-hours he logs? They were all the way down here, in South Florida, for a five day visit. They docked along the Riverwalk right by our condo.

Boat-dogs have to be pretty versatile. They usually wear a life vest, or stay on a tether or even in their kennel when they are out to sea. They have to be sure of foot, too, so that they don't slip around the deck. They are guard dogs and companions and in charge of lots of things, like watching the weather and making sure that sharks stay off the boat and in the water. They have to be well-behaved in a small space, and get along without complaining in strange places. And know when NOT to jump off. They have to have FOUR sea-legs!