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The judges have picked an Apex dog as Pet Of The Month because of the splashy impression she made in March during one of her many visits to Oriental.

It was the day of the NSA Coffee Cup Race and Kayla was closely watching the preparations going on in the water near the Town Dock. A little too closely. In a flash, the small Westie had fallen in to the water. And in another instant, her owner Jim Gay was pulling her out by the handle on her life vest.

An embarassing moment

The Pet Of The Month judges can attest that no animal was harmed in the taking of this photo. That’s a handle on the back of the vest, not a collar Jim’s holding her by.

Jim Gay says that’s the first time Kayla has ever fallen in to the water in her 8-1/2 years. She started sailing as a puppy and has been all along the NC coast with Jim and Linda Gay and their daughter Jennifer, in a Tanzer 22 and now a Vancouver 25. In all those years, “Kayla’s been seasick only twice”, Jim says, “Which is amazing considering what we sail through.”

Dolphin Training

Kayla spots a dolphin

Kayla brings a particular skill set to her job as crew, detecting dolphins long before her owners do. Jim says she’s awakened them “several times in the middle of the night when we’ve been anchored. I’ll take her out in to the cockpit and there will be a huge pod of dolphins feeding around the boat. We’ll listen to them break the surface and blow all around us.”

The judges are told that in more quiet times the command, “Get those dolphins, Kayla!” sends her racing around the cockpit in search of them.

Besides such entertainment, Kayla has other cockpit duties. Linda reports that Kayla loves to watch the hand line. When the planar trips, she barks to alert the rest of the crew that there’s a fish on the line. Jim adds that Kayla “gets really excited watching the fish flop in the cockpit.”

The Gays think that she tolerates the boat because she she loves the water. She will run, they say, “into the Neuse River from shore as soon as she gets to Oriental”.

Product Recommendation: As for that “Handle” life vest that made it so easy to pull Kayla out of the water, the Gays recommend it as a quality of life enhancer on the boat. They use it to dip Kayla in to the water “like a tea bag” to rinse the sand off of her before putting her on board.

Back home in Apex, NC, away from the water, we are told that Kayla chases rabbits and deer, digs for moles, plays soccer, sits in her dog bed by the window and barks at everything that enters her yard.

Jim & Kayla discuss world events on the Bean porch

It should be said that the judges have not heard her bark (and they are particularly sensitive to that frequency) so before they do, they decided to make Kayla the Pet of the Month, having been witness to the rescue and the ease with which Kayla makes herself at home in chairs on the porch of the Bean. And we’re going on Jim’s word that while she may be a lap dog while at the Bean or on the boat, “at the house she wouldn’t consider sitting in your lap.”

Bio On Kayla:
Turn Ons: dolphins, fish flopping in the cockpit, going to shore in the dinghy, digging for moles, getting more attention then Jennifer, chasing and biting waves along the shore
Turn Offs: having another dog sniff her butt, having Jim say, "Get that dolphin, Kayla!" when we
are on the shore, 30 hour boat trips to weather in rough seas
Favorite Meal: I only get dog food! (Iams Lamb
and Rice) with an occasional Cape Lookout clam dipped in garlic
butter.
Last Book Read (or Chewed): Goodnight Moon, sometimes sits with Jennifer for bedtime stories.
Celebrity Pet Most Resembles: Carol Channing
What Pet Likes Best About Oriental/Pamlico County: Sitting on the porch of The Bean eating home-made dog biscuits, freedom to walk right on into the Provision Company with her owners, being able to walk on sidewalks and streets.
Change Pet Doesn’t Like in Oriental: She used to like going down the large metal slide that was in the park on Mildred Street. The Little Tykes plastic slide with the turn in it just isn’t the same.

Know a pet that is a standout? Send in some details and a photo to info@towndock.net. Tell why that pet deserves the coveted TownDock.net Pet of the Month Prize Package --- accolades, a pat on the head (snakes excluded) and a box of Milk Bones ( or snack suitable for the species). We regret that we cannot offer a college scholarship to Pet Of The Month winners. Animals caught near the HarborCam attempting to suck up to the judges will be disqualified.