PULEESE take me with you! - Dogs and Sailing

'Most dogs adjust pretty easily to life on board' .

They’re great companions while cruising - .. .

Across all the oceans of the world you can find sailors who take their dogs and cats with them when they cruise, and put up with the inconviences for the love of the animals... and there ARE inconveniences. Most dogs do adjust to life on board without much fuss. However, good preparation can make life much easier when travelling with Fido, or Fluffy, and you'll enjoy their company just as much as you do at home.

Here Ann Cameron Siegal provides a great selection of tips to help you enjoy your time aboard.

Before You Push Off:

Order an ID tag for your pet that includes good contact information, both land based and sea-based - or, if applicable in your country, consider having an ID microchip implanted in your pet. The chip, about the size of a grain of rice, is inserted at the scruff of the neck and contains a number linked to a national registry.

Have your pet fitted for a personal flotation device (PFD), available at most boating stores. Regardless of how good a swimmer your pet is, a sudden dunking can cause panic, and a brightly colored life jacket with a handle on top will make the animal easier to see and retrieve.

A lifejacket with a handle makes retrieval easy - .. .

'Getting a panicky animal out of the water is difficult, because their survival instinct takes over and they will claw at any solid object -- which is usually you,' said John Paul Landry, whose exercise classes for dogs emphasize water safety. He recommends getting your pet used to the PFD in small steps -- 'a couple of minutes in the back yard, then on a walk, then maybe in a pool.'

Teach your dog basic safety commands, such as 'on boat,' 'off boat,' 'stay' and 'sit.' Good luck with finding any verbal command a cat will pay attention to.

Obtain seasickness medication for your pet if necessary. 'The first time out is not the telltale,' warned Jody Findlay, a marine store supervisor, who lives aboard a 40-foot houseboat with her Rottweiler, Kohl. Often, in time, pets will become conditioned to the motion, but sometimes medication is needed.

While the same medications used for humans -- Benadryl, Bonine, Dramamine -- also work for pets, consult your vet. Whatever you do, don't let animals take refuge in the V-berth -- that's where motion is felt most. A nest of secured cushions or a carrier near the boat's center of motion will help skittish pets feel safe.

Slow introduction is a great idea if the dog is nervous at first - .. .

Training:

Introduce your pet to the boat in incremental steps. Ideally, begin the exposure when the animal is young. When Frank and Nancy McCabe took their two cats on a seven month cruise they invested time to make the felines feel at ease. 'First we took them to the boat and just sat below with them. The next time, we turned the engine on but stayed at the dock,' said Nancy McCabe. They gradually worked up to a day sail, then a weekend, then a week-long cruise.

Teach your pet about the properties of water. Dip their paws in it. On calm days, the water around the boat can look like an inviting shiny floor.

Be alert even at the dock, because surprisingly, that's where many accidents happen. Terri Parrow, vice president of Internet Operations for boat owners association BoatUS, was washing the deck of her 33-foot boat docked in Friendship, Md., when one of her Jack Russell terriers slid down the soapy catwalk, jumped on the gunwale and tried for the dock. He missed and landed in the water.

Practice swimming and rescue drills with your pet. Parrow had already trained her pups to paddle to a swimming platform so they could be helped back on board. 'You have to figure things out in advance,' she said. 'What would you do if. . .' Fill in the blank, then make a plan. Pet and owner should practice drills on a nice day, when it's 'play,' so everyone knows the procedure.

Pet-overboard drills should also include what to do when underway. As liveaboard Ed Johnson points out, 'A sailboat pulling a dog overboard on a lead attached to a PFD is not quite the same as dragging a pooch two feet behind the props on a cigarette boat doing 40 knots.' Another pet owner, Frank Fitzpatrick, has trained his Labrador, Max, to grasp a mouth-size float on a rope so that the dog can be pulled to shore if he falls overboard.

While docked, rig up a self-rescue system, such as a coiled line or carpet strip hanging into the water at each corner of the boat, to make it easier for an overboard cat to climb back on. A fishnet with a long handle is also helpful in scooping up a drenched cat or small dog.

Sammy is doing this for fun, but an inadvertant fall is less desirable, especially at sea - .. .

On Board:

If you must tether your pet, do so in a secure area on a short lead. A body harness with a lifting strap is helpful when your pet is tethered. Never tether a pet at the neck, and never leave a tethered pet unattended on deck or dock.

Provide traction on deck. There's an ongoing debate over whether wooden decks are better than fiberglass. 'Fiberglass is slippery by nature, and even worse after we spend hours waxing it,' said Blaine Parks, who cruises full time with his wife and two golden retrievers. The Parkses use ordinary bathroom throw rugs with non-slip backings to help with the dogs' footing. They've even snapped indoor/outdoor carpeting to the floor of their dinghy to give their dogs better traction on bouncy trips to shore.

Provide steps or ramps for dogs who have trouble navigating companionway ladders. Cats can navigate anything.

Provide a shady place so your pet can get out of the sun, and find a way to protect their paw pads from hot decks by either cooling the deck with water or making a piece of nonskid carpet available.

This dog has adjusted rather well - .. .

Make sure your pet has a chance to exercise. Cats tend to get all the exercise they need by crawling up, over and through spaces on a boat, but dogs, especially larger ones, need to get rid of pent-up energy. While occasional trips to shore in the dinghy are preferable, they're not always feasible. Parks and his wife use stretching exercises and physical therapy on their golden retrievers to keep the blood flowing. Landry spends 30 minutes throwing a Frisbee to his dogs before setting out on the water.

Swimming is good exercise for dogs, but water conditions and the dog's stamina must be carefully monitored. 'Dogs won't tell you when they're tired, so you have to listen to their breathing and watch their strokes,' said Landry. He recommends hydrating dogs before letting them in the water -- otherwise they'll drink from the river, lake or bay, and 'you end up with a sick dog.' Landry has trained his dogs to drink from sports bottles, which are easy to carry on his kayak.

The Scoop on Poop:

Cats have two options: an anchored litter box or using the 'head' (the toilet on a boat). Don't laugh. Training a cat to straddle a toilet seat requires tremendous patience, but it can be done.

For dogs, a box of sod or a piece of AstroTurf may work as a substitute when landfall is not possible. Some people simply train their dogs to go on the bow, giving a whole new meaning to the term 'poop deck,' but this practice is hazardous in rough water. Whatever method you choose, be sure your pet understands what is expected before setting out.

Going Ashore:

Check your planned itinerary to find out where the pet will be welcomed and where not. In many countries there is no problem, but island countries like New Zealand and Australia have strict quarantine laws. Even while cruising in your own country check ahead -- some marinas do not allow pets, and many parks and wildlife areas do not permit pets ashore. If vaccinations are compulsory in your country, always carry them with you.

Meeting all of the challenges of having a pet on board might sound like a daunting task, but many yachties feel it's worth the work. 'Take them with you,' said Parks, who has logged more than 8,000 miles with pets aboard. 'Too many people leave their pets behind without ever giving them a chance afloat. We know because they all flock to our boat for a 'fur fix' while they pour out their stories about why they left their beloved pets behind.'

by Ann Cameron Siegal BoatUS/Sail-World Cruising