Say hello to our new crew: Marley the Dog

Meet our new crew, a very special dog named Marley. He arrived this week and has turned our world upside down.

Our all time favourite shipmate was Millie, who lived with us for 13 years. She sailed thousands of miles from Turkey to Indonesia, through deep oceans and challenging weather to new countries and cultures. She was a beloved companion, excellent mouser, and productive fishercat; we will always remember her.

But now the time is right for a canine companion. Cats on rivers and canals, where you are tied up to shore every night, can be…difficult. They like to get off, explore, and get lost. Mostly, they like to come back when they feel like it. On a yacht at anchor, there was nowhere for Millie to go, so we never worried.

Dogs, on the other hand, stick to their people and their place and (usually) come when called. That’s our hope, anyway.

We have wanted to adopt a rescue dog since we decided over a year ago to live back in the UK, and had no preconceived idea about breed, age, or sex. In fact, because we are big softies we thought we’d end up with a three-legged, one-eyed ne’er-do-well, rejected by all. We imagined a long road ahead.

But then, rather like the sale of our old boat, SY Esper, and purchase of our new boat, WB Happidaze, it all happened very fast. Our neighbour’s daughter fosters dogs and thought she had the perfect match. The next day, Marley came for a look at us, and it was love at first sight.

Aireworth Dogs In Need

ADIN is a small, local charity staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers. There are no smart premises, no kennels, and no facilities; this group of animal lovers takes in abandoned dogs to foster them and find them loving homes. Since 2015, they have rescued over 1000 dogs, finding forever homes for most of them, and foster carers for the rest.

They always need volunteers to help with fostering and home checks, but if that is a bridge too far, there are opportunities to sponsor animals that need special care, or you can send this registered charity a donation.

They are even part of a weekly lottery which means you can support them and be in with the chance of winning yourself some dosh! Choose Aireworth Dogs In Need under ‘Animal Charities’.

The charity has to cover all kinds of expensive overheads like kennels, food, collars, leads, and vet bills. Nicola, the charity treasurer, gave us a recent example of where the money goes:

“We have recently paid out £3k alone on one dog – a French Bulldog called Teddy. He had to have BOAS** surgery and actually died on the operating table! They managed to bring him back. He is now doing brilliantly and can breathe! We will be putting an update post soon. But it’s just one example of the astronomical vet fees we have to pay each month on top of behaviourists and kennels when we don’t have enough fosterers.”

ADIN has an event coming up on 31st May at Cliffe Castle in Keighley. It’s called WOOFTS! It’s a fun day out for families and dog lovers. The venue is along a canal not too far from where we are now, so we are going to make a big effort to attend. See you there?

You can find out lots more on Facebook : Woofts 🐕

What breed is Marley?

Watch the video to find out exactly what breed he is. Clue: he’s not a “Labradog”!

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