boat rental | Ammo the Dachshund

Adventures on the lake are quickly becoming my favorite thing to do in the summer. And at the Marsh Creek Boat Rental, where dogs are always welcome, there is a whole slew of fun to be had out on the water!

On the Lake with Friends // Ammo the Dachshund

I started out my adventure by renting a paddleboard with mom. There’s nothing quite like gliding through the water on one of those!

On the Lake with Friends // Ammo the Dachshund

This time I brought along my pal Shilah, for her very first boat ride in a motorized rowboat rental.

On the Lake with Friends // Ammo the Dachshund

Dad also rented a kayak which I happily took a few laps around the lake in.

On the Lake with Friends // Ammo the Dachshund

Since this was Shilah’s first trip to the lake I decided to let her test out the paddle board, which is one of my favorite rental choices.

On the Lake with Friends // Ammo the Dachshund

Shilah had also never been swimming before, so I gave her a little coaching from the sidelines.

On the Lake with Friends // Ammo the Dachshund

Eventually though I hopped aboard to show her how to man her lake vessel with style. She’s only one, so she has lots of learning to do still!

On the Lake with Friends // Ammo the Dachshund

Shilah almost got to assist in her first water rescue when Dad accidentally tipped his kayak, but luckily things didn’t get too crazy.

On the Lake with Friends // Ammo the Dachshund

Later I showed off my natural swimming skills, and it was enough to convince my pal to take her first dip too! You can see her showing off at the end of this video:

On the Lake with Friends // Ammo the Dachshund

Being on the lake with my friends was so enjoyable I just didn’t want it to end!

On the Lake with Friends // Ammo the Dachshund

So when we landed back on shore I decided to practice some of my swimming skills.

On the Lake with Friends // Ammo the Dachshund

I’ve gotten quite good at playing fetch in the water, mom even picked up this new floating buoy toy for me from West Elm (which mom bought before it sold out).

Sigh, I’m so sad that summer is coming to an end, but hopefully I’ll get to squeeze in a few more lake trips before it ends!

Last week I took a short stay-cation in my hometown of Downingtown, Pennsylvania. While I didn’t actually travel anywhere exotic or new I did get to have a whole bunch of brand-new adventures. I hope you’ll come along for the ride with me this week, as I have lots to share!

One of the first things I did on my vacation was to go stand up paddleboarding (also called SUP or stand up paddle surfing) at the Marsh Creek Boat Rental.

Stand Up Paddleboarding with your Dog - via Ammo the Dachshund

Visiting the lake isn’t new to me, as I’ve been known to zip around on a motorized row boat with my mom and dad, but SUP was something I have never done before.

Stand Up Paddleboarding with your Dog - via Ammo the Dachshund

I was so excited when I saw the paddleboard come out that I couldn’t wait to hit the water, especially on this super hot day.

Stand Up Paddleboarding with your Dog - via Ammo the Dachshund

I did end up swimming A LOT while I was on the water, sometimes by accident because I was standing too close to the edge while some turbulent water knocked me in, and sometimes because I wanted to take a trip over to visit dad in his canoe.

Stand Up Paddleboarding with your Dog - via Ammo the Dachshund

Luckily I do know how to swim, and my new life vest kept me even more afloat – and made it easy for mom and dad to scoop me back onto the board.

Stand Up Paddleboarding with your Dog - via Ammo the Dachshund

I’m pretty sure I was the talk of the lake that day and I enjoyed waving at all the other people out enjoying the cool water.

Stand Up Paddleboarding with your Dog - via Ammo the Dachshund

This may have been my first time paddleboarding, but it certainly won’t be my last! Especially if this heat wave in Pennsylvania keeps up!

Stand Up Paddleboarding with your Dog - via Ammo the Dachshund

Tips for Stand Up Paddleboarding with your Dog

Before visiting a lake rental spot make sure that they allow dogs on their rental boats and boards
Make sure your dog has a properly fitted life vest – keep a leash attached to it so you can quickly grab your dog should they go overboard accidentally
If you have never been on a paddleboard yourself, practice paddling on the lake without your dog first, it will be much harder to maneuver the board with a dog on it too
Allow your dog to get used to the board near the shore first with you standing in the water
Be prepared to get wet – very wet (but that is the point isn’t it?)
Don’t bring a dog paddleboarding that doesn’t know how to swim, it is pretty likely that at some point they will go overboard especially if it is windy out
If your dog has a strong herding instinct it is best to have only one “member of the pack” out on the lake at a time, otherwise your dog will be upset when his “pack” isn’t close together, causing him to jump overboard or panic
Have as much fun as possible!

Stand Up Paddleboarding with your Dog - via Ammo the Dachshund

And the icing on my cupcake…..according to Shape Magazine I burned 500 – 700 calories every hour I was out paddleboarding (although mom says she’s pretty sure they mean it’s her that’s burning those calories), but regardless it’s also apparently the new “celebrity trend” – with paddleboarders like Jennifer Aniston and Kate Hudson testing them out too.

Stand Up Paddleboarding with your Dog - via Ammo the Dachshund

So considering I’m probably just as famous as those big celebs (right?) then it must be the super cool new thing to do! Not to mention I look awfully sexy doing it! *wink*

So what do you think? Is your next big adventure going to be paddleboarding with your dog? Or do you just enjoy living vicariously through me? Or better yet – have any suggestions of new adventures I should try?

Make sure you stop by the blog tomorrow to hear all about my adventures on my very first airplane ride!