Growing up in central Texas, Frisky acquired an appreciation of water early in life. Once she had witnessed the delightful spectacle of rain after extended periods of drought, she understood just how much of a difference water could make in her comfort level.

She sometimes even has her own private wetlands in our backyard, which tends to flood to a depth of 6-8 inches during heavy downpours.

Terriers are not especially known to be fond of water sports, but Frisky has adapted well to this major form of relief during hot weather (which occurs for about 3/4 of the year in this area).

While she prefers shallow ponds and creeks to match her diminutive stature, Frisky has no other restrictions on the water, as long as it is wet and cool. Water quality is not an issue with Frisky; she enjoys the sparkling clear water of a river just as much as the rank and muddy water of a drying out water hole.

If the depth gets a bit beyond the length of her legs, which happens frequently, Frisky simply swims. Because she began kayaking and canoeing at an early age, she needed to learn basic water safety, including how to dog paddle. This skill has often come in handy when a boat capsizes or, because of excessive excitement, Frisky happens to fall in.

Frisky LOVES to ride in boats. While she enjoys exploring the shoreline and can easily access shallow areas, she is well aware of the advantages associated with watercraft when it comes to getting close to things "over there," especially when somebody else does all the paddling.

The first boat that Frisky learned to use was a kayak. Although she is small enough to comfortably sit in the cockpit along with the paddler, she rarely takes a boat ride sitting down. There is just too much of interest and she usually stretches as far out of the seat as possible. By the end of a day in this posture, her muscles are exhausted and aching, but she's a dog and cannot fathom the future consequences of most of her actions.

Frisky sometimes rides in canoes, which are much more spacious and give her ample room but also have higher sides making sightseeing more difficult. Although the boating is fun, while on canoe trips she also relishes the freedom to splash about during breaks.

Another water craft with which Frisky is intimately familiar is the air mattress. We use this sort of conveyance in various places around Texas, especially on the San Marcos River and Town Lake in Austin.

One of Frisky's favorite pastimes is retrieving rocks from underwater, although we've never figured out why this should be so appealing. Such pointless, but amusing, behavior entertains both her and us during breaks on river trips.