In Venice, children and dogs grow up around small boats, and it isn't unusual to catch glimpses of both on the city's canals: 

Yesterday afternoon, these children were playing in a small boat alongside the Campo San Barnaba.

A few blocks away, by the Tramontin squero or gondola boatyard, a small dog stood watch on the bow as a woman piloted her boat down the Rio di San Trovaso. Here's a close-up of the dog: