On 12 September 2015, a tiny Greek rescue puppy came aboard Ruffles Spray in Lefkas Marina and changed our lives. Her name was Ellie, and at just five and a half weeks old, she had already experienced a rather difficult start in life. But that was all about to change.
In fact, within twenty-four hours, she’d already worked out exactly where she wanted to sleep. And it certainly wasn’t in the lovely little bed we’d bought her!
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Life Aboard Without Mitzie
In 2014, we’d lost Mitzie, our faithful little companion who had shared so many adventures with us aboard Ruffles Spray.
For years, she’d been part of everything we did. From our early days aboard to our travels through the Mediterranean, Mitzie had been there, sharing the good times, the difficult times and all the little moments in between.
Losing her left an enormous hole in our lives.
I was particularly affected. I missed her terribly, and although life aboard continued, something was missing.
Ann and I had talked about having another dog. We weren’t looking to replace Mitzie, that would have been impossible, but we both knew how much we’d loved sharing our lives with a four-legged companion.
We’d also agreed on two things. If we did have another dog, it would be a rescue, just as Mitzie had been. And we’d rather taken a fancy to the Greek Kokoni, a small native Greek dog.
Little did we know that somewhere in the mountains above Lefkas, a tiny Kokoni puppy was waiting for us.
Forty Puppies and Absolute Mayhem!
Our friend Alex ran an animal rescue centre on the Greek island of Lefkas. One day, she invited us up to her house in the mountains.
We went along, not really knowing what to expect.
Well, what a sight greeted us!
There were around forty puppies running around, playing, tumbling over one another and generally causing absolute mayhem.
It was complete chaos.
Amongst all this activity were two little sisters, Ellie and Ami, who seemed rather quieter than the others.
In fact, Ellie had decided that the safest place to be was underneath an armchair.
Perhaps she was the sensible one!
Ann and I took turns holding her. She was such a tiny little thing, with beautiful brown eyes, floppy ears and a predominantly white coat with lovely brown markings around her face.
We were smitten.
And, as anyone who has ever fallen in love with a puppy will know, once that happens, there’s usually no going back.
Two Little Puppies Abandoned in a Shoebox
Ellie and her sister Ami hadn’t had the best start in life.
The two puppies had been abandoned in a shoebox outside the local mayor’s office.
Fortunately, the mayor was a friend of Alex. Rather than leaving the puppies to an uncertain fate, he took them to her, where they could be cared for.
That’s how Ellie and Ami came to be amongst all those puppies at Alex’s house.
Alex decided to keep Ami, while Ann and I fell completely in love with Ellie.
So, without really planning it, we’d found ourselves another dog.
Or perhaps Ellie had found us.
Preparing Ruffles Spray for a New Crew Member
We returned to Ruffles Spray, which was moored in our berth at Lefkas Marina, and began preparing for our new arrival.
It had been a while since we’d had a puppy aboard, and we wanted everything to be ready.
We bought Ellie a new bed and placed it beneath the starboard settee, exactly where Mitzie’s bed had always been.
Her water bowl went in the same familiar spot where Mitzie’s had stood.
We bought some new toys, too.
And because Ellie was so young, we made a few practical preparations. Puppy training mats went down in the saloon, and I removed the carpet tiles around the mast, just in case of any little accidents.
We thought we’d covered just about everything.
As it turned out, there was one rather important detail we hadn’t considered.
But more about that in a moment.
Ellie’s First Day Aboard Ruffles Spray
The following day, we returned to Alex’s house to collect Ellie.
She was just five and a half weeks old.
Understandably, she was a little nervous, and because she hadn’t yet completed her vaccinations, we carried her rather than letting her walk around outside.
Back at Lefkas Marina, we carried our tiny new crew member aboard Ruffles Spray.
Everything was ready.
Her new bed, her water bowl, her toys and a nice safe saloon to explore.
We put her down on the floor and waited to see what she’d make of her new home.
We needn’t have worried.
Within moments, the nervous little puppy we’d carried aboard was exploring the saloon, investigating her toys and playing with me.
It was wonderful.
After all the sadness of losing Mitzie, there was laughter aboard Ruffles Spray again.
Ellie particularly enjoyed playing with a piece of rope, although, like most puppies, she seemed perfectly capable of turning almost anything into a toy.
And when she’d finally exhausted herself, she simply curled up and went to sleep.
Eventually, she discovered the lovely little bed we’d prepared beneath the starboard settee.
She seemed quite happy with it.
At least, she was happy with it while Ann and I were in the saloon.
Ellie’s First Night, And a Change of Sleeping Arrangements!
That evening, we settled Ellie into her bed and went aft to our bedroom.
We’d made sure she had everything she needed.
A comfortable bed, familiar toys and puppy mats in case she needed them during the night.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well, Ellie had other ideas.
As soon as we’d gone to bed, she started whining.
And whining.
And whining some more.
We waited, hoping she’d eventually settle down and go to sleep.
She didn’t.
By about one o’clock in the morning, I’d had enough.
I climbed out of bed, went forward to the saloon, picked up our tiny new crew member and carried her back to the aft cabin.
I put her on the bed beside me.
Silence.
Not another whimper.
In fact, Ellie slept soundly for the rest of the night and didn’t wake up until nine o’clock the following morning!
Ann, of course, considered this a one-off. Just something to help Ellie settle into her new home.
Ellie had other ideas.
From that very first night, she slept on our bed.
And that was that.
We’d carefully prepared a lovely little bed beneath the starboard settee, but Ellie had taken less than twenty-four hours to establish exactly where she intended to sleep.
After all, why sleep under a settee when you can sleep with your humans?
A New Chapter in Our Life Afloat
Looking back, it’s remarkable how such a tiny little dog could make such a difference.
Ellie couldn’t replace Mitzie, and we never expected her to. Mitzie had been part of our lives for so many years and had shared adventures that we’ll never forget.
But Ellie brought something new.
She brought puppy mischief, laughter, companionship and a whole new set of adventures waiting to happen.
From two abandoned puppies in a shoebox outside a mayor’s office to a comfortable bed aboard a sailing yacht in Lefkas Marina, Ellie’s life had changed completely.
And so had ours.
I sometimes wonder what Mitzie would have made of our newest crew member.
I suspect she’d have been rather impressed.
After all, Ellie had been aboard Ruffles Spray for less than twenty-four hours and had already trained her humans.
And just like that, Ruffles Spray had a new captain.
Welcome aboard, Ellie. ❤️
