Most the folks on this BB that I have fished with have fished with my dog, Guinness, too. He's a 100 lb. black lab, who loves being outside, especially on the river. He plays around in the bushes behind me, or sits at my feet if I tell him to. He doesn't chase fish, or people, or other dogs, and he doesn't go in the water unless I tell him it's OK.

He especially loves going in boats, and really loves it when people catch fish. He hasn't really figured out the cnr thing, though...the look on his face when I release fish is priceless:

"What the $%@# are you doing? We got up at O dark 30 to just let 'em go?"

He's also the biggest ham in the world, sneaking into almost every fish picture when he's around...and not just mine and my partners', but anyone's. He loves the camera!

Other than that, he's a model fishing partner. He never low holes me, or casts over my line, or starts telling me his life story when I get within twenty feet of him on the river bank.

Unfortunately, he's going on 13 years old and has some increasingly difficult arthritis problems, so he only goes on easy trips with easy gravel bars to walk along.

Whenever people post the "Who would you want to fish with?" threads, I always think I'd like to fish with him more, if he was only up to it. It breaks my heart to pack the truck and see him sitting on the porch watching me, knowing he's not going to get to go that day.

All that being said, a poorly trained dog is a nuisance and a menace on the river. Barking, biting, swimming, grabbing gear or bait, or chasing fish that are being landed are all behaviors that ruin the experience of being out there for most of us.

Dog owners are like sled owners...the problem is not sleds or dogs, the problem is bad sled drivers and bad dog owners.

Some dogs just shouldn't be on the river...and some people just shouldn't own dogs.

Fish on...

Todd.