Boatyard Dog - Issue 111

While this issue’s Boatyard Dog does visit boatyards from time to time, he is actually what could be called a deckhand dog. Five years old, of Labrador/Chow lineage, Jethro was found roaming the streets of Louisiana shortly after the Hurricane Katrina disaster and was rescued by kind-hearted souls. Now living with Bennett and Cayce Gray of Deer Isle, he works on the Miss Lizzie and The Mink, two mail boats that make the run back and forth between Stonington and Isle au Haut. Jethro assists his pal Bennett in boarding passengers and stowing their luggage. He stands watch by the helm while they are under way. He helps deliver the mail on Isle au Haut. And, by request or not, he provides guided tours of both islands—Deer, and Isle au Haut. “Jethro goes on the boat every day with Bennett and is a huge hit,” writes Cayce Gray. “People are amazed by how well behaved he is and cannot believe it when they see him climb the steep ladder from the lower deck to the upper deck on the Miss Lizzie. Residents of the island know him well, and tourists stop to take pictures of him.” And why not? After all, Jethro is one handsome seagoing dog.