WELCOME TO RIVER DAVES PLACE

pup’s first lake trip

Marios Metalworks

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Messages
1,811
Reaction score
3,718
Headed out tomorrow. School me on doggie life vests as I’m using a hand me down for now.

Must haves from what I’ve been reading up on:
- high viz colorway
- sturdy grab handle
- d-ring up top

This is the little dude, Hitch. GSD / Belgian Malinois / Husky mix that just turned 7 months and tipping the scales at about 48lbs. Too smart for his own good with a little bit of that Husky “fu*k it” mentality sprinkled in. Aim to give him a great life on the water.

0E181BBE-8627-4844-A006-453C49471577.jpeg

DD4E1239-0E5D-470F-A912-75F97F407CC7.jpeg
 
Last edited:

Marios Metalworks

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Messages
1,811
Reaction score
3,718
Welp. Yesterday’s weather sucked so we’re headed out today.

Gave me some time to track down the two life jackets I liked the most and get them on the dog. The Outward Hound has a lot of adjustment points which is nice but that also means more clips, loops and straps. The Ruffwear seams to be #1 on this forum and for good reason. Build quality is nice and the neck is not only one piece but also has a concealed adjustment point. Much simpler design.

The Outward Hound:
973FC76E-D4C8-42E6-B139-3534AB9C7363.jpeg


The Ruffwear:
238A55E8-31BE-49A3-BF9D-778D648962F8.jpeg
 
Last edited:

CJ_Donahue

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 24, 2018
Messages
1,085
Reaction score
2,482
We have a full figured Golden (aka Fat but my wife yells at me for calling the dog fat) and found the quality is not all the same. On the beach is no big deal but to lift a dog straight up out of the water by the top grab handle is key. We found one with thr botton having velcro and straps. The velco divides the pressure across the dogs entire belly and the straps take the weight. Dog is happy and doesn't break.
20210214_085048.jpg
 

Marios Metalworks

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Messages
1,811
Reaction score
3,718
Little dude did great! Followed me right into the boat off the dock and took a seat on the back bench.
A6E0DAC0-0740-45C5-A8F2-E22817337DC3.jpeg



We headed straight back to the sandy beach for lunch and hung out there until sunset. Hitch played non-stop sprinting up and down the shoreline. He did good getting into the water but was a little hesitant going in deeper than he could stand. Fine by me as we have a long summer ahead of us!
2F4F4D78-759A-460C-B2CE-D6E7A1AB2FF4.jpeg
 

fmo24

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2008
Messages
6,280
Reaction score
4,373
That’s awesome. A towel on the seat helps reduce scratches and I think is more comfortable in summer temps for him.
 

Marios Metalworks

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Messages
1,811
Reaction score
3,718
@fmo24 thanks for the heads up!

This dude is def my pup. He played hard, ate and then took a nap. He already knows the lake routine lol.


What do y’all do with the bags of poop? I brought a little 2 gallon paint bucket and lid which worked great.
 

Marios Metalworks

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Messages
1,811
Reaction score
3,718
Little update on my guy Hitch. He’s been out four times now and I don’t think he can get enough of the lake life!

The Ruffwear harness has performed flawlessly up until his last time out where he spent more time swimming around. The upper handle was used a few times to hoist him up and I noticed the adjustment strap around the neck loosened up. Simple fix will be to sew the strap to itself right next to the adjustment clip once he stops growing.

2nd trip
321C1969-113D-4AD3-8420-7963B08B6ACA.jpeg

792C07D7-2423-40C3-83A3-4B7EEB2B6163.jpeg

94C26E6D-B352-44F5-BC9A-5C6DBFDFE526.jpeg


 

Marios Metalworks

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Messages
1,811
Reaction score
3,718
4th trip this past weekend
EEA69355-23CC-4C83-9EA4-B9F97422385D.jpeg

26F7AD48-45E2-4CD3-8C10-2A609409C13F.jpeg

F18A2071-1B25-495D-80CC-BAF978C0EDCE.jpeg

5A0600F4-BE73-4424-A8E4-4D4E391E60C5.jpeg


He’s taken a liking to the 62oz frozen Nalgene bottles towards the end of the day. He likes to lay on them when he’s resting.
2E524F2E-CC89-48EF-B9AF-8B7C55F56505.jpeg

23FC5A50-37A1-47C9-9049-BA3EAFE3C5CB.jpeg


Picked him up to show him that one day he’ll have his own little spot on a 270 like this one and he literally looked at me as if he was saying “I won’t hold my breath” haha 😛
3423CF7B-3799-4A69-801E-3229A6C1266C.jpeg
 

Marios Metalworks

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Messages
1,811
Reaction score
3,718
This was a fun little excursion to the backside of Bartlett Damn below the lake. Although it felt wrong coming down the hill without a boat in tow, it was an eye opening experience to access the Verde river so easily and within miles if the marina. I never knew this place existed and was thoroughly surprised to see the dirt trailhead start behind the dry storage parking lot.

The dude did amazing on the kayak. He’s a natural and very calm when shit hits the fan, which it did within five minutes of splashing the river. We ended up below a tree line with the kayak submerged then eventually flipping. Hitch held on to me up until it was time to bail out. After that he simply swam a few feet to shore and waited there with the biggest shit grin on his face lol.
B429B576-E104-468A-9FA6-8B6A39888F6A.jpeg

D5745574-926C-40DE-8B18-C1852012A16D.jpeg
3616A5A9-3A1C-4D2D-9EDB-30BCA3667956.jpeg

E6D692F6-6C1E-442F-8911-362538242615.jpeg
 

havasuhusker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
1,096
Reaction score
1,214
Our dog's first lake trip is coming up. I am interested to see how he does and hope he loves boating as much as I do!
 

havasuhusker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
1,096
Reaction score
1,214
@havasuhusker bet he'll be a natural. Hitch didn't actually get all the way into the water on his own accord until he saw me swimming.

I hope he takes to it ok. It took some training for him to get comfortable in the pool, which was unlike any other lab I've had in the past, so I'd imagine there will be a period of training for the lake as well. Nonetheless, the wife and I are looking forward to having him on the boat and having a good time with us!
 

Maw

Dont re Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2008
Messages
1,609
Reaction score
1,646
This is the second lake season for our 16 month old Chocolate Lab. She swims year round in the pools, and drinks as she's swimming. The problem is when in Havasu she does the same and then has the Hershey squirts for a week or two after we get back.
 

Marios Metalworks

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Messages
1,811
Reaction score
3,718
Trip #5 in the books! Hitch is getting more and more comfortable on the boat with every trip out. This weekend we spent a lot of time in and out of the water along the shores. Did another over nighter Saturday and met up with some friends today. Just got back home 😴

2BA2D4FD-08C0-4CCD-9B3A-24307D46E9D3.jpeg

E526A25D-94B9-4E39-8F3E-25E6A87936B0.jpeg

6A0286B7-BF2B-4867-ADA9-5A573A674D9C.jpeg

53F29578-FF8B-434B-8720-4973D240586E.jpeg

109D5CED-AD36-4AEE-853B-316CD50040FD.jpeg

C9C85CF4-7A3A-4D0B-B11F-A34574928BF2.jpeg

3FCD9A5E-5C36-484F-B580-C564A6511B53.jpeg

986BA367-3433-4E6F-9D75-E8F92B458276.jpeg

CE0D0863-3364-4C76-A4B6-A6C7459187A2.jpeg

59642100-C949-4098-899E-7540313F3FE1.jpeg
 

Marios Metalworks

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Messages
1,811
Reaction score
3,718
This is the second lake season for our 16 month old Chocolate Lab. She swims year round in the pools, and drinks as she's swimming. The problem is when in Havasu she does the same and then has the Hershey squirts for a week or two after we get back.

I’ve heard that’s a common result of dogs treating the lake as a giant water bowl. Fortunately both lakes Hitch has drank from haven’t messed him up.
 

Marios Metalworks

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Messages
1,811
Reaction score
3,718
#7 was a two night, three day camping trip at the Bartlett flats. First time spending the night in that area and it was nice but a little crowded for me.

Hitch is really coming around to not only being comfortable on the boat at speed but also getting on and off when it’s time. Started teaching him to just float next to the swim step and wait for me to lift him up vs. trying to claw his way up. He naturally gets up on the bow when we find a nice beach but still needs work on when and how to jump off. Eventually I’d like him to be able to jump off at depth, retrieve the bow line and swim to shore. I’ve seen some pretty cool videos of dogs that’ll keep tugging on the line until the boat is beached.

417677F0-1D32-4C51-96D6-00A8BEC943EE.jpeg


22FE65D2-9A33-45AA-A1EB-5B4B140FBCC4.jpeg


4C7ED3BE-D95D-416F-9B19-2E75E783E645.jpeg


E0B83DBF-2E24-498F-871C-A7C245A04E7D.jpeg


D5730394-C19C-4D44-9333-544A4068B8FC.jpeg

39DC70B8-5564-4873-805E-514A022E8DA3.jpeg

E237AC89-D339-4818-9255-913F535EFFEB.jpeg

B17A773B-2C39-4D12-95A8-E11E3EF2BB3F.jpeg

B87837E6-9272-4B29-9BB8-8F6EE64421F9.jpeg

94155BF9-A066-4FBC-946A-8CC9A0E26BC1.jpeg


And here’s an offering for you old dogs 😜
4371BA6A-8661-4733-B2B4-653D4C676841.jpeg
 
Last edited:

Marios Metalworks

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Messages
1,811
Reaction score
3,718
#8 was an all day extravaganza at Canyon Lake. Hitch’s first real taste of summer with temps hovering around 108.

Although I had been on the boat a few times since his last trip out in May, he had not. It just didn’t make sense to bring him out to Lake Pleasant where there isn’t a ton of easily accessible shoreline for him to play on. So you can imagine how damn excited he was when I pulled out his life vest in the morning! He wouldn’t let me stow it and instead insisted on wearing it hahaha

F083FB4C-8A3E-4C39-AA2C-FE0483FD4C0B.jpeg

“Let’s go im driving!”
F23D36D9-4CD4-4BBE-B36F-2855068D2D2B.jpeg

37B65948-BE7D-416C-BF0C-F021A3266DBF.jpeg

I wonder what he’s looking at?
CB958FAA-0F67-4A4B-B29F-51D7491D243F.jpeg

Goats!






























629078E2-B95D-40E4-9669-FA5570C646D0.jpeg

161BB647-D338-40D1-B9B5-D7E4340263AA.jpeg

 

Hardly Satisfied

Riverside, CA & Havasu
Joined
Jan 24, 2008
Messages
7,400
Reaction score
2,103
Headed out tomorrow. School me on doggie life vests as I’m using a hand me down for now.

Must haves from what I’ve been reading up on:
- high viz colorway
- sturdy grab handle
- d-ring up top

This is the little dude, Hitch. GSD / Belgian Malinois / Husky mix that just turned 7 months and tipping the scales at about 48lbs. Too smart for his own good with a little bit of that Husky “fu*k it” mentality sprinkled in. Aim to give him a great life on the water.

View attachment 972360
View attachment 972361
He‘s a good looking dog
 

havasuhusker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
1,096
Reaction score
1,214
#8 was an all day extravaganza at Canyon Lake.


How is Canyon Lake? It's only like 30 mins from my house, but I've never been. How far up the Salt River can you go? Wondering if it's worth taking a trip up after work one of these days?
 

707dog

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2010
Messages
3,630
Reaction score
4,337
#8 was an all day extravaganza at Canyon Lake. Hitch’s first real taste of summer with temps hovering around 108.

Although I had been on the boat a few times since his last trip out in May, he had not. It just didn’t make sense to bring him out to Lake Pleasant where there isn’t a ton of easily accessible shoreline for him to play on. So you can imagine how damn excited he was when I pulled out his life vest in the morning! He wouldn’t let me stow it and instead insisted on wearing it hahaha

View attachment 1018994
“Let’s go im driving!”
View attachment 1018995
View attachment 1018997
I wonder what he’s looking at?
View attachment 1018999
Goats!
View attachment 1019001

bro he gets any bigger your gonna need a new boat...lol went through this thread and its inspiring as we are going to start taking our bully out with us on the boat just need to get him fitted for a vest he is a walking rock.



























View attachment 1019002
View attachment 1019003
View attachment 1019004




bro he gets any bigger your gonna need a new boat...lol went through this thread and its inspiring as we are going to start taking our bully out with us on the boat just need to get his fitted for a vest he is a walking rock.
 

Marios Metalworks

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Messages
1,811
Reaction score
3,718
@havasuhusker I think it’s worth it at least once a season. The canyon walls are breathtaking and the water is consistently colder than any of our local lakes.

It’s good on the weekdays and great in the evenings. The basin is tiny and gets pretty choppy from the wakes bouncing off all the rock walls. The canyon run is the only reason I go as the scenery is incredible. It’s comparable to the no-wake zone at the back of Saguaro except you can trim’er high and let’er fly the entire way. The back beach is pretty nice mostly because the no-wake zone is very close by. If the water level is good, you can sneak past the sandbar near the old bridge and idle up another 10minutes to the damn buoy line. The water is ice cold up there so be careful when jumping in.

The journey there def commands all of your attention and skill as there’s a few hairpin turns where a longer rig gets dicey especially with wide turns against blind oncoming traffic. The roadways have improved 1000% in the last few years but there’s a lingering pothole about 10ft before the last hairpin turn that I cannot avoid because of the blind corner that precedes it. My only option is to slow roll it.

I got my fix for the next few months. I’ll be back again towards the end of the year.
 

Marios Metalworks

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Messages
1,811
Reaction score
3,718
@707dog I stand behind the Ruffwear vest for your rockbully. It’s pricier than most but it’s simplicity and ruggedness is top notch 👌

Yes I agree on a larger boat being a necessity too! A ‘96-‘99 Hallett 270s non-stepped closed bow would be perfect for him. It’s not for me...it’s for the dog 🐕
 

havasuhusker

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
1,096
Reaction score
1,214
@Marios Metalworks , can't get out today. Having people over to watch the Suns game. But the wife and I like to do a dinner/evening cruise during the week when time permits.
 

Big B Hova

HOSS
Joined
Nov 7, 2014
Messages
5,359
Reaction score
11,249
Top