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aptain is a diving dog. From his vantage at the Paradise Cove Marina boat ramp, he’s ready to plunge in to Neuse River tributaries at the splash of a hold-down strap. His owners Scott and Deb Dickinson describe his underwater recovery efforts as those of an eager, but disoriented diver.

Scott says, “he can hold his breath a long time under water. Sometimes we throw him a rock…and he comes up with a beer bottle.” Or a wheel. Or an oyster. For his search and recovery efforts, even if he comes up with something other than what he went down for, TownDock.net names Captain Mister December.

Captain and Scott Dickinson. The sign features one of Captain’s favorite snacks.

Captain with Scott and Deb at Paradise Cover Marina

Captain is a Labradoodle. Known as “Cappy”, Scott says, “his mom was a small black Lab and his dad was a huge white Poodle.” Curly haired and bounding, he inherits his love of water from his paternal side and his wavy locks from his mom.

Paradise Cove Marina is home to a diverse crowd. Over the course of a week, duck hunters and trout fishermen may mingle with music lovers, beer drinkers and dogs. Outside the bar, past the fuel pump and the sign with the fiberglass shark, is the boat ramp. It’s here, on the finger pier down from the mailbox where boaters leave their five-dollar launch fee, that Captain holds court.

Swimming makes a Labradoodle hungry. Here, Captain ponders a light snack before taking to the deep. He considers the notion you shouldn’t swim within 2 hours of eating unsporting.

Captain’s favorite haunt is the shallow section of the boat ramp, the paved stretch where boats slide off their trailers and out on to the Neuse River. Here, in dog chest deep water, Captain is content wading back and forth, feeling the bottom with his paws. Raccoon-like. Looking for rocks. When he feels what he’s looking for, a quick plunge of the head retrieves the desired item.

This is where most water loving dogs’ affair with the wet stuff ends. Some might go as far as retrieving a floating stick or ball. But should the item sink from view, the game is over.

Not so with Captain.

Captain churning up the water at the boat ramp base.

When not milling about in the shallows, Captain enjoys diving off docks. Here, he’s trying to coax Deb in to chucking a rock in the deep.

In aquatic terms, Captain is positively buoyant. That means he floats. This not being able to sink dictates Captain’s unique diving style

Depending on wind direction, the marina’s boat basin is 4 feet deep. When Scott throws a rock in the deep section, deeper than Captain can stand, Captain watches the stone arc through the air. Then he heaves himself into the water, belly flop style, and paddles madly toward the splash. Once positioned where he last caught sight of the rock, where it sank, he swims in a circle.

When the moment is right, he thrusts his head underwater and starts paddling wildly with his hind legs. Being a floater instead of a sinker, his body doesn’t want to follow his head to the bottom. Water showers and sprays and with great doggie determination he overcomes the laws of flotation and disappears under the waves.

Bubbles rise to the surface. Ripples spread across the marina waters. Then calm. No sign of dog or rock or the underwater struggle Captain is waging.

Scott says Captain can stay under water for 8, sometimes 10, seconds. Then, like a hairy porpoise breaching, Captain’s head erupts through the surface calm. Hair plastered to his skull, he snorts and catches his breath. Shakes. Gasps. Then starts swimming for shore.

Captain focuses as Scott prepares to throw a rock in to the water. When the stone’s in the air….

…Captain hurls himself off the dock and streaks through space. The rock is visible outlined against the sky. Moments later….

…. he vanishes with a splash in the water. Long seconds pass. Just when to onlookers wonder where he’s gone…

… he bursts from the deep like a Trident submarine.

Sometimes he’ll have the rock he was searching for in his mouth. Other times, well, it’s something quit different.

In his determination to dredge something, anything, from the bottom, Captain often surfaces with unusual items. Scott says, “he’ll dig along the bottom until he finds something. Sometimes it’s the rock I threw. Other times it’s an oyster. He’s found boat hold down straps, pieces of carpet, beer bottles, and the wheels off trailer jacks.” Scott lumps these random finds together as “environmental cleanup”.

Retrieved item clamped between his teeth, Captain will paddle ashore, eager to retrieve another item. Eventually, the diving effort takes its toll. If it’s cool, Deb and Scott will towel him dry and Captain hops on to a favorite chair for a snooze.

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Before moving to Pamlico County, Deb and Scott lived in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. They purchased Paradise Cove Marina with their partner Michael Holsonback in early 2012. Before they could open their business, the property needed work. While making the transition in to their new business, Deb stayed in Pennsylvania. Scott, with a background in contracting and developing, moved to Paradise Cove to begin renovations.

Captain made his first trip to Paradise Shore Marina in Scott’s Ford F350 dump truck. It was February. Scott says when he opened the door to let Captain explore his new home, “Captain got out the truck, took 10 steps and jumped in to the freezing water.” Scott says, “it’s definitely been a good lifestyle change for him.”

He’s been swimming and diving and leaping off the dock ever since. That is, when he’s not schmoozing.

Leaping isn’t reserved for docks. Here, Captain scores some air miles to get a treat. Deb says he has different moves including the vertical jump and the “Cappy Dance”, a spinning, circular maneuver he breaks out come meal time.

Marina life can be busy. Some days, when the boat ramp is a blur of pickups slipping boats in to the Neuse, Captain weaves between the patrons and their trucks scouting meals. A friend to all, he shows a special interest in anyone who leaves a loaf of bread unattended in their vehicle – especially if the doors are open.

This can be good for business. Deb describes him as a “bait eater”. She jokes, “Captain has probably eaten most of the mullet we’ve sold.” He also loves ice cubes, biscuits, Gulp fishing bait and snow balls when he can get them.

His appetite occasionally detracts from the bottom line. Deb says Captain sometimes snags pastries off people’s boats and she’s had to reimburse them from the marina store’s supply. This happened enough that, among certain fishermen, he’s known as Honeybun. Weekends, Paradise Cove hosts events that feature live music. Sometimes, patrons bring meal from home. “Captain” Deb says, “stays upstairs for potluck Saturdays.”

When not mingling with customers, Captain enjoys doing whatever Scott and Deb are doing. Favorites activities include going for boat rides and sitting in the backhoe cab.

A sentence as innocent as, “Do you want to go grease the back hoe?” can send Captain racing for the John Deere. While good company, he can’t dig a ditch.

Scott says, “Captain has taught us not to take life too seriously. When you’re having a really bad day, he’s having his best day ever.” Some days, if you own a marina, that can be as simple as throwing a rock in the water. It’s hard not to smile when your dog brings back an oyster.

Congratulations Captain… you’re Pet Of The Month… Mister December.

Captain’s Bio

Celebrity Pet Most Resembles: Robert De Niro

Nickname: Cappy, Honeybun
Best doggie pal: Mickey, Malcom Quay’s Great Dane/Lab mix
Hopes to find under his Christmas tree: One-dog submersible
Doesn’t want to hear: “Captain we’ve dredged the marina 12 feet deep.”

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.