Brizo’s Tail

Hi, hi! Hello! My name is Brizo and I’m 7 months old. My mom named me Brizo since I’m a sailing dog and Brizo is a Greek goddess who protects mariners. Mariners are sailors she told me. I thought it was something they did to meat. I’m nearly grown up and my job is to protect our boat where we live and also my mom and dad, so I think it’s a cool name. Mom tells me that all Portuguese Water Dogs used to be sailors but there are not too many of us left who still sail.

When my mom first brought me home we lived in a cool windy place. Now we have been traveling for a long time and it is really hot now. Mom says this place is called Mexico. I am good at finding shady places on the boat – the big sails help to make shady places, too. When we sail all night and all day, which we did a lot on this trip then I stand all the night watches. Standing the watches doesn’t mean you stand – I usually lay down for the night watches – but that is sailor talk for being outside and watching the boat. My mom has her watch from 7 pm to midnight and I stay out with her so she doesn’t feel lonely. Then my dad has his watch from midnight to 5 am and I stay out with him in case he needs something. I’m very helpful this way. In the first part of the trip I used to snuggle up so they would be warm at night, but later it got warm and I just curl up nearby in case they need me. Sometimes there are funny lights in the water and mom gets really excited. I don’t know what a dolphin is but there are some funny things in the water during the day so maybe it’s the same thing. I wish they’d hold still like a civilized dog so I could sniff out what they are, but they keep disappearing underwater. I think it’s a little rude but I don’t tell my mom.

I had to learn to pee in a special place on the boat, right at the front. They put a special rug down for me and I’m supposed to pee on that. I’m very good at it and they are very happy with me. After I pee they throw the rug in the sea water and pull it back out, so it’s usually a little wet but I don’t mind. But I don’t always like to poop on it and I find special places nearby to do that. Sometimes my dad seems surprised at the places I find. I’m very creative.

One night we had a very big storm called Raymond. I don’t know why storms have names, they don’t come when called or anything. But this one had a name. All night long the boat bounced up and down and made very loud noises sometimes when it fell down a wave. Mom slept on the floor when it was dad’s watch and held me against her. It did make it easier not to go rolling around, but it was kind of hot. I could tell it made her feel better so it was ok. Salty water was everywhere and it was really noisy and my mom didn’t let me go outside to do my peepees until it was daytime. That was hard. It was still very bouncy in the daytime but I did my pees in the right place. She kept pointing “Pee Here Pee Here” near the cockpit, but she was wrong, there was no pee there. So I ignored her and peed in the regular place like always. Finally the storm ended and we went to a new place they called Cabo. It was nice to get out and sniff dog smells again.

During the storm I only got dry food, but once we stopped in Cabo they gave me some more fish. I like fish. I think it’s my favorite thing to eat.

The only thing I don’t like about our home is that there is this big ladder between inside and outside the boat. It’s too tall to jump down so mom or dad let me step on their shoulders and then they put me on the floor inside. They call this “carry”. Sometimes, if I’m worried they are leaving me I can get UP the stairs by myself, but I get confused about how I do that. If I try when I’m not worried my back legs get confused. So mostly I just put my front paws on the steps and they lift me up. I’m nearly a grown up girl now so I don’t know why they don’t take me with them always but sometimes they say “Guard the boat” and leave me alone for a long time. Mom says it was an hour which is a very long time.

My favorite new thing to do is called swimming. Mom and Dad walked me to the beach, which is just the same water we sail on but at the edge of it which is all sandy. But it rolls into the shore in big bumps which turn kind of foamy. The first time we all went to the beach they just walked right out into the water, leaving me on the beach. I let them know that was not fair but they completely ignored me. I was worried about them being by themselves so I just decided to jump over the foamy bumpy bits and see if I could get to them. I got right out to them and they were so excited! I guess they were worried all by themselves. Anyway they told me that was good swimming. Now we go every day and it’s fun. I swim all over the place near them. It does make it feel cooler when we get out. The only bad part is that when we get back to the boat I always have to have that hose thing squirted all over me. Mom rubs and rubs me while running the water over me. She says she’s just getting the sand out, but it’s pretty obvious that she’s also getting the water in my fur and ears. It would be ok if she didn’t put it on my head, but I don’t like that. But then I shake and shake and I feel so cool and nice.

I like being a sailor dog. I have some other sailing dog friends and I hope I get to see them again. One day we all got to play on the sandy beach together and we ran and ran and ran and it was the most fun ever. I hope we can do that again soon.

That’s my story so far. Sniff you later!