Now listen. I am the First Mate. This is my boat. I was not thrilled about the idea of a stranger stepping aboard unannounced. Mom told me I had to allow it. I told her I strongly disagreed. We stared at the dock. The dock stared back. In the end, no one came. Victory for Karl.
Eventually Dad returned and announced the magic words: we were cleared in. That meant paws on land and adventure officially underway. We leapt down and began our exploration of West End, Bahamas. Let me tell you, the sniffs. Incredible. Life-changing. The kind of smells that make you stop and just appreciate being alive.
We jumped down onto land and started exploring West End, Bahamas. The sniffs were unreal. Olympic level sniffs. The kind that make you stop walking because your brain needs a minute to process everything your nose just told you. It was the off season, so there were not many people around. It was warm and beautiful, and everywhere I looked there was water, sand, and smiling humans.
The first official activity was getting ready for the beach. Dad mentioned, very casually, that there were a lot of sharks in the Bahamas. Excuse me? Sharks? I asked an important follow-up question: What is a shark? Dad said not to worry and that he’d keep a lookout. Seemed reasonable enough. Beach it is.
The water was amazing, warm, salty, and honestly delicious. Mom did her usual nagging about not drinking it. Something about “salt” and “getting sick.” I pretended not to hear her. There were fishes everywhere, darting around like they were late for something. I supervised the swimming closely because that is what First Mates do.
After our beach time, we went for a walk to explore more of the area. Everything was quiet and peaceful, which made it even better. But I started to notice something important. Many people did not seem happy to see Sister and me. Some avoided us. Some watched us carefully.
Dad later learned why. Many people in the Bahamas are afraid of big dogs, especially German Shepherds. Dogs like me are used by the Bahamian Military for drug raids and search work. Because of that, we sometimes represent authority and danger rather than friendship.
This is serious, and I understand it. We are large and powerful dogs, and fear does not always come from who you are, but from what you remind people of. Dad made sure we stayed calm, polite, and respectful. Being brave also means being gentle when others are nervous.
Even so, I know that time changes things. With enough good behavior and a few proper sniffs, people learn who I really am. I am not a threat. I am a traveler, a First Mate, and a very good boy.
We planned to stay at the marina, which felt important and fancy. My people had birthdays coming up, so we were staying a couple of weeks. Sister and I have birthdays only a few days apart, just like Mom and Dad. That is how we roll in my family. We are all very cool.
Before I finish, I will share one piece of top secret information. Many people ask how big dogs like me go potty on a boat. The answer is simple and impressive.
Mom and Dad trained Sister and me to use a piece of artificial turf just like real grass. The grass lives near the bow of the boat. That is the front for you landlubbers. We do our business there, and our people clean it up just like they would on land.
Easy peasey.
We are smarter than toddlers, you know.