When people decide to retire, they often take up new hobbies or get more involved in their current ones. And that’s just what David Bahnson, a retired orthopedic surgeon from Vermont, decided to do.
Bahnson and his wife, Linda, were already avid kayakers when they decided to add their four-legged friends to the mix. What ensued is absolutely incredible.
Lots of people take their dogs out on their kayaks with them, but they have the pups crammed down into the cockpit with them. That’s a bit on the crowded side, especially when your dogs are as big as Bahnson’s.
He has two Golden Retrievers, named Ginger and Susie. Susie fit in the cargo compartment, but with the addition of Ginger, something had to change.
That’s when Bahnson decided to make a custom kayak that would accommodate both dogs. The original kayak he built from a kit by Pygmy Boats. When Ginger came along, he just modified the kayak to allow her to accompany them on their outings.
"When we got Ginger, I just put in another hole," said Bahnson. "It's like a triple kayak, only there isn't enough room for the paddlers to put their feet - but it's perfect for a dog."
Susie and Ginger are enthusiastic kayakers, just like Bahnson and his wife. It doesn’t take much convincing to get them in their seats. Although staying close to shore is the normal routine, the dogs could swim well if they happened to fall in. Fortunately, they seem to understand how to stay safe in their own little places. "They seem to love it," Bahnson said. "They get excited when we'd pull the kayaks out and see that we were going."
Since Bahnson built his first kayak that was made for taking the dogs along, Susie and Ginger have passed on. But the Bahnsons are still out there, this time with new pets, garnering attention every time they hit the water.
"I love my dogs. I love training them, the companionship. We've gone miles and miles of paddling with our dogs," said Bahnson. "They just really enjoy going places."