Sullivan shared her east and west-bound ocean crossings with a Black Lab service dog who has accompanied her owner on several voyages. Many ocean liners roll out the red carpet for such dogs, and we salute them all!
During her time in the UK, Sullivan visited colleagues at various maritime museums and ports of call. Buster, the history dog from Plymouth University, and Hatch from the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth were just two of many furry and human friends she met up with.
The museum's dory, "Noah's Barque" found a new home in 2019. She performed very well on the water, but the boat was too unstable to use for pet demonstrations and educational events. We are on the hunt for a boat with a flatter bottom and more deck room, in order to provide stability and greater safety during in-water demonstrations.
Our Museum hosts an annual in-water beach demo day. If you are interested in participating, your dog must be a known working water breed, and must demonstrate a skill or set of skills. You can bring your own dinghy. The event is held at a private marina in Pasadena MD.
In past years, particpating breeds have included Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Short-haired Pointer, Newfoundland, Portuguese Water Dogs and Yellow Lab. If you would like to participate this Fall, contact us!
2020 seemed to spark a renewed interest in Podcasting, as museums and other organizations sought ways to keep their profiles and messages front and center in the public eye. We were honored to be selected for an interview with The Mariner's Mirror Pocast, an adjunct of the Society for Nautical Research, which also publishes a quarterly journal and promotes world-wide scholarship in maritime history and conservation.
In recent years, we have been interviewed on one foreign and several national radio programs, and have been featured in comprehensive articles in Atlas Obscura, as well as Boating Times, Smithsonian Online Magazine, and the Washington Post. We contribute to several blogs on an invitation basis, and maintain an active exchange of information and images via social media.
In 2017, we circulated an exhibit on loan to us from CFB Esquimalt Museum (Canadian Navy) in Victoria BC. "Creature Comforts" featured mascots from the late 19th through mid 20th centuries. Our own maritime pets exhibit "All Paws on Deck" continues to travel on demand. It features several famous mascots, topical news and images, and a tribute to the pets who were aboard the Titanic on her fateful voyage in 1912.
