I just got back from up in that area that you are going to in the Q. I've got a SR 17 and it worked great. I'm 230#s and my bow man is around 170# plus we had 4 good sized packs. The canoe was easy to handle and very stable. Went over to Chatterton lake one day for a day trip to fish and had no problems with handling while it was empty. I'd say go with the 17 ft . But depending on how much gear you have in the boat you may want more room for the dog.