Buttercup learns to kayak!
Sunday morning, August 9, 2026, 6:30AM. Buttercup and I head out to Whitewater Lake State Park for the millionth time. We're headed for the boat launch/pet area on Rice Lake, one of our all-time favorite spots.
Today is a different type of sojourn. Today Buttercup is going to learn to kayak.
I introduced her to the kayak at home, by sitting in it in our yard. (A technique I picked up from a dog trainer on Instagram.) I encouraged Buttercup to walk on it, smell it, sit on it, and just be comfortable around it.
We drive out to Rice Lake early when no one else is around. I unload the kayak, paddle and life preserver, while Buttercup goes straight for the water. I sit in the kayak. Buttercup hardly notices what I'm up to, since she is running up and down the shoreline, sniffing and exploring as usual.
When she comes back...
She doesn't seem very interested in kayaking.
So... I paddle away.
She jumps in the water and swims after me. I paddle in a wide arc and head back to the dock. Now she knows the stakes....
Patience and calm. No need to rush this.
Eventually she hops in and stays still long enough for me to push away from the dock. And once we are moving, she never looks back. She doesn't jump out, she doesn't move around too quickly and tip us...she is a total rock star!
We stay close to shore, padding into the nearby bay. Her nose is twitching like crazy as she smells parts of the lake she's never been to before. Fish are jumping, turtles flipping off logs, and birds are calling out - probably warning others "There's a dog on the lake! There's a dog on the lake!"
We see a great blue heron perched on a fallen tree. A magnificent creature. I don't want to disturb it.
When we paddle slowly past it and Buttercup doesn't bark or fuss or jump off - she just watches - I know we are going to be alright. I see a future full of beautiful floating sojourns stretching out ahead of us on lakes and rivers across this country.
Wanna paddle with us?
Sojourn on!
Who-hoo!! Way to go, Butters. And fantastic dog training and camera work, Jen. Couldn't love this more.