"Dawg Daze"

Like so many Lakers, Jack and JoAnn Kirsch generally have to wait for weekends to enjoy the delights of lake life. With their home seriously off-water near Martinsville, their chances to savor Smith Mountain Lake’s magnificent sunrises and sunsets are somewhat limited.  
    But in their relatively short married life — they wed just more than two years ago — they’ve discovered the wonderful dimensions of family life that SML can provide.  
With boating in her Rahway, N.J., background and SML now a short drive away, JoAnn quickly concluded that on-the-water weekends would be a great way to enjoy time with her new family — Jack and his daughters, Avarie (11), Katie (18) and Meghan (19).  
    Both JoAnn and Jack, who was born in Chicago but settled in Roanoke, had come from fishing families. The lake’s reputation as a varied and prolific fishery was an irresistible draw.   
    The couple soon purchased a 1994 Sea Ray 240 cuddy cabin cruiser from Webster Marine, which they keep in a slip at Crystal Shores Marina. It’s become their weekend “floating island,” with plenty of cockpit space for fishing or hanging out in quiet coves, plus the performance to give the kids awesome tube rides.
    The boat’s name, “Dawg Daze,” refers to the family’s passion for raising and showing Dobermans.
    “We always have at least three,” JoAnn said. “Right now, they range from ages 8 months to 5 years.”
    The couple also trains and qualifies their dogs to visit hospitals and nursing homes as therapy companions.
    “Back in Jersey, I took dogs to visit families that had lost loved ones [in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001]. It was moving to see how the dogs could lift the spirits of people in mourning.”
    So it’s not surprising to find a canine reference in their boat name. The spelling of “Dawg Daze,” however, is a reference to the teasing JoAnn takes from Jack and the girls about her lingering Jersey expressions and accent.
    “I work from home, making appointments for a portrait studio in Mountainside, and I’m constantly talking with people from New Jersey,” she explained. “So I don’t expect to lose the accent any time soon.”
    Jack, on the other hand, spends his workdays interacting with locals as a Yellow Book advertising representative for Roanoke, Salem and the New River Valley.
    “We try to get to the boat at least every other weekend during the season,” he said. “I guess it is sort of our therapy from the work-a-day world we face during the week.”