Lowcountry Dog... in the South, a Preppy Pup can also be a Marsh Mutt

South Carolina Lowcountry Preppy dogs... explore the marsh at low tide...

...enjoy expanses of grass where they can sun-snooze away...

...and plunk around in the ocean waters off of their own island's tiny beach.

Ah, the life of a South Carolina coastal Lowcountry dog is such the proverbial, "life of Riley" or, as in this case with us out here on this island, the life of Kanon!

Any good Prepster's loyal hound is always a bit on the spoiled side and yet not too spoiled or too prissy as that for the most part, Preppy dogs are big ole' sporty dogs quite used to tromping around outside in the midst of nature just like their owners. Here in South Carolina, we love our Boykin Spaniels, Carolina Yard Dogs and bird dogs of course but any ole' good-ole-dog will do. Just like those Good Ole' Boys... Yes, it's Southern and Preppy mixed with a bit of humor and a love of the great outdoors around this part of the South!

In The Official Preppy Handbook's section titled, "Prep On All Fours- The Proper Pet", the listed "preferred breeds" of Preppies are as follows: Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, English or Irish Setter, Old English Sheepdog, Newfoundland, Basset Hound, Pugs and then "also favored" are Brittany Spaniels and such. Our big dog is a Doberman who sports a very preppy dog collar complete with a fly-tie motif since he's in a household of fly fishers but of course. Kanon hasn't yet been around us as we've actually fly fished however he has gone kayaking, running all over the beach, sploshing away in the marsh, walking in the woods and now jumps right on into James' truck whenever the back door is open since he and his Daddy head out n' about quite often on adventures in what is now officially known as, "Kanon's Truck".

Kanon's canine buddies on the island are Cotton, Beau as in short for Beauregard as in short for General P.G.T Beauregard and tiny Tucker who gets right in there and plays with the big-dogs no problem. Even the dog names in the lowcountry go-Southern don't they? What's a Brandy or a Whiskey when you've got ole' old white haired Cotton teaching Kanon how to drag a fallen, dried-up palmetto frond around the yard as well as the southern dog sport of the tossing of pine cones? Haha. Actually, any good dog named after one's preferred-drink is an excellent lifestyle decision. In our house, if that were the case then James would name it Scotch and I'd name it, "any white wine, I don't care..." oh yeah... or Port since I like that as well but especially so apres' a good dinner while sitting by one's fireplace, ahh.

When we were living out on the mountainside of Park City, Utah in a miner's cottage being literal ski bums for awhile, I would have named any other dogs that came our way Port, Port Jr., Port III and so on with alla' my apres' ski lounging around, lol, however we just had our sweet Dobie-girl Duchess and her name fit her perfectly. As does Kanon's... though I must say that here in the still Rebel-yellin', still Antebellum Deep South, most folks think I'm saying, "Cannon" as in, those things the Confederates utilized during the War of Northern Aggression as my Grandmother called it. Um, I learned that it was a Civil War (i.e. internal national war) but whenever I brought that to her attention, she'd retort, "Darlin', there was nothing civil about it!" Oh well, old folks...can't change 'em eh? Anyway, spelling and explaining Kanon's name to people isn't a bother since, heck, with my name, I'm doing just that all the time anyway.

And so, it's the Life of Kanon out here... I took the top picture earlier this evening as he and I were walking around the yard and also checking out the kitchen garden after a good, long rain today. I really love this photo! I think it captures the beauty of this place as well as the beauty within Kanon's ever-interested state of being. Dad likes it so much that he's asked for me to get a large copy of this for him. This reminds me of the famous painting by Andrew Wyeth, "Christina's World". The second photo is of Kanon also this evening doing one of his very favorite activities: sunning n' sleeping away on the grass in the front part of our lower yard. And the third photo is of him in the ocean waters off of our island's small beach.

I'd say with confidence that Preppy Dogs, and Southern Lowcountry island dogs, are some of the luckiest, life-lovin' dogs around...