Mark and I love dogs. It’s hard to believe that it’s almost been ten years since we last had one of our own, on Irie. Kali passed away in Puerto Rico in December 2008 and we lost Darwin on a trip to the US in December 2010.

From the moment we sailed west from the Eastern Caribbean and then into the South Pacific, we rarely saw boat dogs anymore and sometimes enjoyed the company of strays. They’d follow us on hikes or walks in town.

Once we left the sailing life and “semi-settled” in the US, we experienced a lot of dog love during three years of house and pet sitting assignments. When we moved in our camper van Zesty, we worried about missing out. But, we’ve managed to pet multiple camping dogs and even had one over for a morning of dog sitting! We’ve made many furry friends along the way this year.

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