The Dogs of Dog River

At Turner Marine, you'll find a plethora of canine friends either sprawled on the decks of boats or roaming the marina grounds. This place is simply swarming with dogs! With few exceptions, they all get along. When I realized just how many dogs lived here I had to chuckle. This is, after all, Dog River!

Abbie is the Marina dog who follows Roger, the Harbor Master wherever he goes. She is sweet but doesn't really interact unless she knows you have a treat. She's picky about her treats too. If you have ever given her a piece of human food, Abbie remembers and will refuse the offer of "doggie" treats until she is absolutely certain that you are not hiding something special. Abbie likes to play a rock game with Roger. She finds a rock which she picks up and places on his foot. If he tries to grab the rock, she puts her paw on top of his foot to hold it down then picks the rock up in her mouth. It's a silly game but Abbie never tires of it.

Abbie

Abbie and Roger playing the rock game

LuLu, is a beautiful mastiff mix whose master is Andre, the yacht broker. LuLu is very sweet and loves to have her butt scratched. Chrissy, lives aboard our neighbor, Gary's, boat. She is a huge German Shephard who is less than friendly. I call her the guard dog. When we first returned to Mystic, Chrissy would bark and growl at us whenever we boarded our boat. I made a point of talking to her each time I saw her. Eventually she accepted us on the dock and now she just watches intently when we are on deck. I asked Gary if I could meet her. She took a treat from me then promptly nipped at me. I have been attempting to play with her whenever she is running around but have had mixed results. I think more socializing, some training and some exercise would help Chrissy.

Chrissy

Dog, is a black and white pup who follows Richard around the marina. Dog is always on a leash but is friendly and loves attention. He is well behaved with a tail that is in constant motion. Dog does not like being left alone at Richard's boat. We often hear him crying.

Ivy, is TJ's pup. TJ is a young yard hand with a perfect personality for the marina. He knows every single boat and makes a point of learning every boater by name. Ivy is sweet and friendly. TJ has been training her. The other day, TJ was walking to his boat and Ivy ran ahead to greet me. TJ called her back but Ivy was intent on checking to see if I had a treat for her. TJ told me not to pay her any mind as she was being naughty. He started to count, "one", Ivy's head went up and she looked toward TJ, "two", Ivy ran to TJ with head lowered, contrite for being the naughty pup. Just like a child, she knew daddy meant business.

TJ on his boat. Ivy was down below

PJ follows his master around the marina, meandering 10 feet behind her with head low. He looks like a fox, a very pretty boy. He stays to himself and is rather shy and hard of hearing. I was surprised to see that he got along fairly well with Miss Chrissy when they met. He and his master are from Wisconsin.

Chrissy meets PJ

Sweet PJ

Bridget belongs to Wes the Rigger. She is a gorgeous brindle bit bull mix. He rescued her from under a bridge, which is how he came up with her name. He learned very quickly that she does not do well with other dogs so Bridget has to stay in Wes's truck while he works. She is gentle with humans and loves attention.

Bridget
Photo by Susan Beabes

Mya, is a teeny tiny mini chihuahua who walks the docks with a beautiful Ukranian, named Alona. Mya is nervous but I'm working on her with massive treats that are bigger than her head and take her 10 minutes to ingest in tiny broken pieces. Alona is very sweet and Mya is one of my favorite pets here at Turner Marine. 

Alona, Mya and Beth

Introducing Mya to Uncle Fred

Alona and Mya

Alona, Beth with Mya, Uncle Fred & Uncle Ron

Turner Marine, on Dog River, is a Dog friendly place for sure, but we can't forget Mickey the cat, He is currently the only boat kitty at the marina. The workers, however, think of Mickey as a dog because of his size. He is a big boy! There is a family of feral cats that roam the area. They live at Helen Wood Park, just a quarter mile from Turner. I greet them every day on my runs but stay clear of contact with them. They are definitely wild!

Mickey on Sea Marie

Mickey ready for a new adventure

Mickey on the hard

Feral Cats at Helen Wood Park

We miss our Dory Kitty and our Jess Pup back in Minnesota. We know they are safe and happy with our son David. The dogs and cats of Dog River help us fill the need for the unconditional love of a pet.

Jess Kisses

Jess

Princess Dory