Bayou Paddlesports | Kayak and Paddleboard Rentals on Bayou St. John | New Orleans, Louisiana – New Orleans, Louisiana Kayak and Paddleboard Rentals

6 hours ago

When people think of a best friend they think of their friend since kindergarten or someone they met in college. My best friend ended up being my dog Charlie.

Charlie came into my life when a friend from the film I was working on had an unexpected litter of puppies. He was first promised to a camera man but when he got a gig shooting the Beijing Olympics he wasn’t able to take him. I set up a meeting to meet Charlie and that little face melted my heart. I took him home and started to contemplate how I was going to make changes so that he and I could really do this right.

I left the film industry to be more available to him and I worked a few 9-5 and some 100% commission jobs so that I’d be home more. I soon realized the only time I was at peace was when we would all go kayaking! Charlie loved it! When we paddled he would swim, run on the sandbars, jump out of our boat swim over to tubers and people in the river. They always commented on how sweet and friendly he was. I saw how much happier we were so I began to think of how I could do this all the time.

I recognized that he was such a good soul that I needed to be with as much as possible so I decided to take the leap and change our lives so that we could spend as much time together as we wanted. We both looked forward to kayaking so much that it was the perfect way to spend my time with Charlie. I opened the business and we both helped New Orleans have fun on the bayou.

Charlie’s specialty was customer relations, he was always excited when people wanted to paddle with us and he made sure he got into the group photo. He ran up to greet them and he was always ready to fetch his ball from the water to show kids the bayou can be fun. He did that job like a champ til the end.

I’d like to thank everyone who has shared their memories and love for Charlie with us during this difficult time. Looking back on his whole life I realized that he came into my life and helped me transition from a path that wasn’t making me happy to one where I can live the life I was meant to live. I’d like to continue our mission to help everyone realize how spending time on the water with your pup just might change your life.

If you’d like to share a photo of you and Charlie or you and your pup post it here.

Thanks, we’ll see you on the bayou.

Rhonda
Bayou Paddlesports
Founder / CEO ... See MoreSee Less

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