Back in harness

Another little - but vital (not least for my peace of mind) - pre-boating job ticked off today.

Ricky and Geoffrey have smart new harnesses. I always feel more comfortable walking them in harnesses anyway, as I'm sure they could slip out of their collars, with their delicate little heads (indeed, Ricky has done - but he's managed to slip out of a harness too, so I checked the design very carefully). But when we're boating there's the added worry of them falling in - again, Ricky has put this to the test - and there's no way we can haul them out by their necks. Ricky has always worn a harness when boating, but Jim has worried that it rubbed under his armpits, and didn't want the same fate to befall Geoffrey's delicate skin...

So, I have splashed out on these rather flashy American jobs which not only are padded round the armpits, but look to be doing the best job of distributing the weight across their chests should they find themselves suspended by it. They're lightweight and don't have too much across the back, which I thought might get hot. They don't have a grab handle, but they will have their leads on, and there's enough to get hold of once they're close. We know Geoffrey can swim, so aren't so concerned about him needing a lifejacket (at least, not on the canal), and assume that Ricky, being a similar shape (big chest, tiny head), although he doesn't like swimming and doesn't have such big paws, will at least float the right way up ...

Hopefully now I've forked out £87, they won't fall in.