Lake Dogs

Lake Dogs // Summer // Ammo the Dachshund

By now you probably know that hanging out at the lake is one of my favorite things to do in the summer. I love it so much that whenever I can I like to bring my dog friends to the lake with me too. You might remember a few summers back when I introduced my gal pal Shilah to the lake when she was just 1 year old.

Lake Dogs // Summer // Ammo the Dachshund

Well it seems my gal pals keep getting younger and younger (*wink*), and this time I brought along my new friend Maya the rescue pup to the lake.

Lake Dogs // Summer // Ammo the Dachshund

It was a bit more of an overcast type of day, and I was a bit worried we might get rained on, but you know what…..when you go to the lake you gotta expect to get wet!

Lake Dogs // Summer // Ammo the Dachshund

This time I decided to rent a double kayak with my mom and dad. Since the water was a little cooler I didn’t feel like getting as wet so a kayak seemed to be the way to go.

Lake Dogs // Summer // Ammo the Dachshund

Maya started out on the kayak too so that she could get her sea legs.

Lake Dogs // Summer // Ammo the Dachshund

And it didn’t take long for her to take the obligatory accidental lake plunge. Don’t worry Maya, we’ve all been there!

Lake Dogs // Summer // Ammo the Dachshund

But Maya didn’t let a little dip in the lake discourage her, she hopped right back on and even tried her paw on the paddleboard too.

Lake Dogs // Summer // Ammo the Dachshund

She even got brave enough to take a purposeful plunge later on in the day (which my camera crew totally missed!)

Lake Dogs // Summer // Ammo the Dachshund

And incase you’re wondering, life guard Ammo was on duty the whole time and I kept a watchful eye on my young puppy friend.

Lake Dogs // Summer // Ammo the Dachshund

Needless to say I was very glad she figured out the whole swimming thing on her own, because I was much too comfortable to perform any daring rescues!

Lake Dogs // Summer // Ammo the Dachshund

I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that this won’t be Maya’s last time on the lake.

Lake Dogs // Summer // Ammo the Dachshund

After all, how could you not come back with a view like this! Ammo the Dachshund

Swimming Dogs and Ponies at the Lake

Swimming Dogs and Ponies at the Lake // Ammo the Dachshund

It’s no secret that I love spending time at the lake during the summer.

Swimming Dogs and Ponies at the Lake // Ammo the Dachshund

But did you know that my pony friends from the farm also enjoy relaxing at the lake on hot summer days?

Swimming Dogs and Ponies at the Lake // Ammo the Dachshund

Swimming Dogs and Ponies at the Lake // Ammo the Dachshund

While I’ve been to the lake with my ponies many times before, this time I decided to find out what it was like to swim with them! My favorite pony Minnow offered up his back to take me for a swim around the lake.

Swimming Dogs and Ponies at the Lake // Ammo the Dachshund

Swimming Dogs and Ponies at the Lake // Ammo the Dachshund

And since ponies don’t come equipped with seat belts, mom had to come along too to make sure I didn’t accidentally fall in (not to worry though, I wore my life vest at all times too).

Swimming Dogs and Ponies at the Lake // Ammo the Dachshund

Swimming Dogs and Ponies at the Lake // Ammo the Dachshund

My pal Minnow is actually a Chincoteague Pony and he was born wild on the Island of Assateague. Which if you know the story of the Chincoteague Ponies, then you may know that as a young pony Minnow made the swim across the Chincoteague Channel during Pony Penning Week when he was just a young foal. So if anyone knows how to swim, it’s my pal Minnow.

And I have to say, swimming on the back of a pony is a heck of a lot easier than swimming in the lake on your own. I think it’s going to have to be my preferred method of transportation on the lake from now on!

Swimming Dogs and Ponies at the Lake // Ammo the Dachshund

Swimming Dogs and Ponies at the Lake // Ammo the Dachshund

So thanks Minnow, for taking me on my maiden pony swimming voyage! I hope to have many more in my future! Ammo the Dachshund

P.S. Thanks to my pals from My Life, Naturally for taking some of the photos in this post!

Kurgo Lifevest for Dogs Review & Giveaway

Disclaimer: This product review & giveaway is sponsored by Kurgo and contains affiliate links.

I don’t know about you, but I can hardly keep my tail from wagging with the thought that Summer is just around the corner!

One of my favorite summer activities is to spend time at the Marsh Creek Lake with my family – swimming, paddleboarding, and kayaking…..there are so many fun activities on the water to look forward to.

So when my friends at Kurgo sent me their Surf n Turf Life Vest for Dogs to test out I couldn’t wait to get my paws wet!

Kurgo Lifevest Review & Giveaway // Ammo the Dachshund

One of the perplexing problems with life vests for dachshunds is that it’s very hard to find ones the accommodate our deep chests. As you can see I’ve sort of maxed out the velco capacity in the front, but thankfully Kurgo’s vest comes with an extra long buckle so I don’t have to worry about it not staying on!

Kurgo Lifevest Review & Giveaway // Ammo the Dachshund

The Surf n Turf comes with lots of extra handles and hooks on the top so that you can easily grab a hold of your dog in an emergency or attach a leash to one of the hooks. As a bonus the back ring even doubles as a bottle opening, how cool is that!

Kurgo Lifevest Review & Giveaway // Ammo the Dachshund

The underneath buckles have plenty of length to fit dogs of all sizes and I liked how it didn’t have any extra bulk underneath which made it easier to swim in.

Kurgo Lifevest Review & Giveaway // Ammo the Dachshund

I really liked how padded and secure the Surf n Turf was as opposed to the vest mom and dad had purchased me a few years ago.

But you can’t truly give a review of a life vest without first hitting the water…..

Kurgo Lifevest Review & Giveaway // Ammo the Dachshund

So a couple weekends ago I hit up the Brandywine River on one of our unseasonably warm days for April.

Kurgo Lifevest Review & Giveaway // Ammo the Dachshund

I must admit that water was bit colder than I would of liked, because you may be surprised to know that I actually really enjoy swimming…..but especially when the water is really warm.

Kurgo Lifevest Review & Giveaway // Ammo the Dachshund

Even though it was chilly, I still braved the water because I’m an expert product tester and couldn’t give you guys my honest opinion if I didn’t take a dip in it myself!

Kurgo Lifevest Review & Giveaway // Ammo the Dachshund

The Surf n Turf held it’s own in the water and kept me happily floating ABOVE the water like it should. A little known fact about me is that as much as I enjoy swimming I won’t swim unless I’m wearing a life vest. One can never be too safe (no matter the size of the dog) and I feel much more at ease braving the waters with my vest on!

So if you’re looking for a life vest to keep your small, big or in-between sized dog safe around the water this summer I highly recommend the Kurgo Surf n Turf Life Vest.

You can even use code KURGO20WIN for 20% off your entire purchase at Kurgo!

And now for the best part…..

Kurgo Lifevest Review & Giveaway // Ammo the Dachshund

ONE Lucky WINNER will win Kurgo Surf n Turf Life Vest for their dog

Here’s HOW TO WIN:

For this giveaway I will be using, Rafflecopter. Winners will be chosen at random and you will be contacted via e-mail to claim your prize. Don’t worry, we never share your information! All the winners will also be announced on this blog post once the giveaway ends on 4/29/14 12AM EST. Open to USA or CANADA residents only. Winners must claim their prizes within 48 hours of being notified or prize will be forfeited. Good luck!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t forget, today is the last day to enter my Penn + Pooch Giveaway!  Ammo the Dachshund

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Kurgo, but all opinions are my own.