Safety First! Dogs are natural swimmers, but they tire quickly when swimming and are susceptible to rough water, so Dudley wears a PFD around open water. RELATED STORIES Essential Advice Enjoying Eastport

Dudley was not too happy with us when we forced him to wear his little yellow life jacket.

Dudley can't seem to catch a break — our dog that doesn't love water continues to have to deal with it. While in Eastport, we took a boat out to look for the Old Sow, the largest whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere. Our captain was happy to have Dudley along. We're always worried about the little guy, especially where large expanses of water are concerned, so we humiliated him by making him wear his life jacket.

That's right, a life jacket. As former sailors, we're used to choppy seas and heeling over at precarious angles, so whenever we went sailing, Dudley had to wear a life jacket. If he fell out of the boat, not only would the jacket keep him afloat, but the handle at the top would help us scoop him out of the water. Since we knew we would be spending time in boats during our travels, we brought the jacket along, just in case.

So, even though it may not be "cool," and it may not be "hip," (and none of the other dogs have to wear one), we will continue to make him wear his little yellow lifejacket.