Source: A tutored student of John Knoderer's of www.MAZES.com on newsgroup rec.puzzles 9/14/97. I was later told it is related to an old Henry Dudeny puzzle.
Let call l the Lisa's dog and let assume that everyone exits the raft after each trip. We have the following sequences: trip n° direction on the bank A on the raft on the bank B after trip (i odd) 1 ==> A,B,C,D,L,c,d l,a,b a,b 2 <== A,B,C,D,L,c,d l a,b 3 ==> A,B,C,D,L,d l,c a,b,c 4 <== A,B,C,D,L,d l a,b,c 5 ==> D,L,d,l A,B,C A,B,a,b 6 <== D,L,d,l C,c A,B,a,b 7 ==> C,D,c,d L,l A,L,a,l 8 <== C,D,c,d B,b A,L,a,l 9 ==> b,c,d B,C,D A,B,C,D,L,a 10 <== b,c,d l A,B,C,D,L,a 11 ==> d b,c,l A,B,C,D,L,a,b,c 12 <== d l A,B,C,D,L,a,b,c 13 ==> d,l A,B,C,D,L,a,b,c,d,l If we assume that a dog without its owner can pass a human who is not its owner only when the raft comes alongside, the number of trips is reduced to trip n° direction on the bank A on the raft on the bank B after trip (i odd) 1 ==> A,B,C,D,L,c,d a,b,l a,b 2 <== A,B,C,D,L,c,d l a,b 3 ==> A,B,C,D,L,d c,l a,b,c 4 <== A,B,C,D,L,d l a,b,c 5 ==> A,B,C,D,d L,l a,b,c,l 6 <== A,B,C,D,d L a,b,c,l 7 ==> D,L,d A,B,C A,B,C,a,b,c 8 <== D,L,d l A,B,C,a,b,c 9 ==> d D,L,l A,B,C,D,L,a,b,c 10 <== d l A,B,C,D,L,a,b,c 11 ==> d,l A,B,C,D,L,a,b,c,d,l Always with this last assumption, it's possible to make 6 humans + 6 dogs cross the river with 13 trips: The first 8 trips are the same as above. trip n° direction on the bank A on the raft on the bank B after trip (i odd) 1 ==> A,B,C,D,E,L,c,d,e a,b,l a,b 2 <== A,B,C,D,E,L,c,d,e l a,b 3 ==> A,B,C,D,E,L,d,e c,l a,b,c 4 <== A,B,C,D,E,L,d,e l a,b,c 5 ==> A,B,C,D,E,d,e L,l a,b,c,l 6 <== A,B,C,D,E,d,e L a,b,c,l 7 ==> D,E,L,d,e A,B,C A,B,C,a,b,c 8 <== D,E,L,d,e l A,B,C,a,b,c 9 ==> d,e,l D,E,L A,B,C,D,E,a,b,c 10 <== d,e,l L A,B,C,D,E,a,b,c 11 ==> L d,e,l A,B,C,D,E,a,b,c,d,e 12 <== L l A,B,C,D,E,a,b,c,d,e 13 ==> L,l A,B,C,D,E,L,a,b,c,d,e,l 7 humans + 7 dogs have to make 17 trips: trip n° direction on the bank A on the raft on the bank B after trip (i odd) 1 ==> A,B,C,D,E,F,L,c,d,e,f a,b,l a,b 2 <== A,B,C,D,E,F,L,c,d,e,f l a,b 3 ==> A,B,C,D,E,F,L,d,e,f c,l a,b,c 4 <== A,B,C,D,E,F,L,d,e,f l a,b,c 5 ==> A,B,C,D,E,F,d,e,f L,l a,b,c,l 6 <== A,B,C,D,E,F,d,e,f L a,b,c,l 7 ==> D,E,F,L,d,e,f A,B,C A,B,C,a,b,c 8 <== D,E,F,L,d,e,f l A,B,C,a,b,c 9 ==> D,E,F,d,e,f L,l A,B,C,D,L,a,b,c 10 <== D,E,F,d,e,f l A,B,C,D,L,a,b,c 11 ==> d,e,f,l D,E,F A,B,C,D,E,F,a,b,c 12 <== d,e,f,l L A,B,C,D,E,F,a,b,c 13 ==> d,e,f L,l A,B,C,D,E,F,L,a,b,c 14 <== d,e,f l A,B,C,D,E,F,L,a,b,c 15 ==> f d,e,l A,B,C,D,E,F,L,a,b,c,d,e 16 <== f l A,B,C,D,E,F,L,a,b,c,d,e 17 ==> f,l A,B,C,D,E,F,L,a,b,c,d,e,f,l With higher numbers of humans and dogs, it seems impossible to cross the river except if the raft can receive more than 3 at a time.