Sheila & Duncan and Gryphon & Edgar @vermontpaddlepups

Today’s episode is with Sheila and Duncan, the dogparents of Gryphon and Edgar @vermontpaddlepups, a couple of lab mixes who are extremely experienced canoeists! Sheila and Duncan focus on promoting safe paddling with your pups.

During the week Gryphon and Edgar help Sheila with her volunteering duties at Green River Reservoir State Park, where they count loons and do water clarity testing. With six or seven lakes or ponds in the area, they like to rotate through out the week. Some of the other places they adventure close by are Waterbury Reservoir, Wolcott Pond, Berlin Pond, and Belvidere Pond. Some not-so-local favorites include Northeast Kingdom in Vermont, super dog friendly Acadia National Park in Maine, and Kejimkujik National park in Nova Scotia.

A recent road trip adventure was to Canada where they paddled and camped at Parc régional du Poisson Blanc, Quebec. Afterwards, they made their way down to the Adirondack Mountains in New York, where they paddled many different lakes and a couple rivers. There, they had the chance to paddle on Henderson Lake which is the headwaters of the Hudson River! But their biggest trip was to Banff and included paddling adventures in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, and Algonquin Provincial Park. 

The gear they use and recommend includes life jackets for both dogs as well as hoomans. They use the Astral Bird Dog and Ruffwear Float Coat. While they always carry leashes, NEVER keep a leash on a dog or tie your dog into a boat! For colder weather, they use neoprene vests under their life jackets. For warmer weather, they use Insectshield bug scarves. For drinking water, they carry Ollybottle. And in their first aid dry bag or backpack, they keep a Fido Pro Airlift sling in case of emergency.

Their shout outs go to North Country Animal League @northcountryanimal, Kev and his family in Winnipeg @oxford_dogs_skijor_n_more, fellow Tubbs snowshoe ambassador John Soltys and Tink @moosefish, Amy and Pungo @itsmorefunoutdoors, and Devin, Pat, and Bella @colorado_canine.

To read more about Gryphon and Edgar’s adventures, check out the Vermont Paddle Pups blog!

Below are two links to information about cyanobacteria, or blue green algae, on the EPA website:

https://www.epa.gov/cyanohabs

Labs that test for cyanobacteria by state

Thanks for listening!