Cruising with a Dog
Living Aboard a Boat
The A to Z Challenge
F is for Fido: Cruising With Dogs
Thursday, April 07, 2016TheCambrians
Having a dog aboard adds a whole new dimension to cruising. They’re wonderful company, entertaining (who doesn’t
make up elaborate conversations from their dog’s point of view?) and can be a
good source of home security. We don’t have a dog aboard, but we did. For 13
years. Our Sally was a difficult pup (in the most delightful way) and taught us
a lot during the time we were together. Here’s some of what we learned:
Information
Is Key
If you’re sailing to another
country, it’s important to know what the regulations are regarding the importation
of domestic animals and to follow them to a T – your pet’s life may depend on
it. When we brought Sally (the aforementioned dog) to New Zealand fifteen
years ago, we had to prepare six months in advance by having her microchipped and
putting her through rigorous testing for rabies . . . and she still had to spend 30 days in quarantine (which has
since been reduced to 10 days). The sad thing is that even after all of
our hard work preparing her to move south and our efforts to make sure
everything was in order, FDA sent her to New Zealand with the wrong paperwork
(she clearly wasn’t a cat, let alone two of them) and if it wasn’t for the good
working relationship between the kennel owner who was charged with receiving
her and MAF (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry), she would have been
“destroyed”. Fortunately, the process isn’t as arduous with most other
countries and the information is reasonably available online.
It’s
All a Compromise
It’s not always possible to
follow the wind when you have a dog aboard. When we first embarked on this
lifestyle fifteen years ago, we had dreams of sailing the world . . . not
necessarily a circumnavigation, but close. Sally changed that. She
was fine cruising around Lake Mead (where we had our
first boat) for days on end, but the open ocean turned out to be an entirely
different story. While she could handle short passages, sailing for
several days would have been too stressful for her (she never really did
learn to go to the bathroom on deck and hated rough seas). We talked about
flying her to different destinations but, at the end of the day, importation
regulations got in the way. We tried leaving her behind in the care of a
very good kennel facility for six months while we sailed to Tonga ,
but that didn’t work for me – I missed her too much. So we changed the way
we did things and eventually left New Zealand
for dog-friendlier waters and happily postponed any plans for another offshore
passage. For us, the important thing was that we were together. The where
was secondary.
Be
Flexible (You Won’t Regret)
Carrying on with the previous
point, Sally needed to be taken into consideration whenever were planning a
passage, choosing an anchorage or a marina: When we came up the West Coast
of the US in 2008, we had to harbour-hop to accommodate her, which turned out
to be a really special way to see part of the country. When she was still
alive and we planned our routes for the season, I choose state or provincial
parks as our anchorages as often as I could so that I didn’t have to worry
about trespassing when taking her to shore. As it turned out, they’re our
favourite spots. And the absolute best marina we ever wintered in was
in San Diego and
all because the other marinas didn’t allow pets. We may not have always
ended up where we intended, but the last 15 years have been one hell of a ride
thanks, in part, to Sally.
Be
Realistic
Cruising with a dog isn’t much
different than cruising in general – it’s not all romantic walks on exotic
beaches while watching the sunset (although there are plenty of those): It’s
dealing with the endless bureaucracy associated with government
officials. It’s sprained paws from jumping off rocks. It’s impromptu
baths after your dog rolls around in whatever smelly thing they can find on the
beach. It’s being woken up at 3 in the morning to make an emergency run to
shore because your dog has diarrhea (and refuses to go to the bathroom on
deck). It’s having your dog throw up on your head (through an open hatch)
after swallowing too much salt water. It’s the good, the bad and the ugly
all rolled up into one . . . and I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat (we
both would).
Pets
Can Be a Liability
Dogs are amazing creatures:
They’re sweet. They make the best friends. They enrich our lives. But
don’t kid yourself; having a pet aboard a boat (at one time or another) is a liability. When you’re out at sea and things
turn ugly, the last thing you want is a nervous dog underfoot. But it
happens. When Sally was younger, we carried a collapsible kennel aboard
that we’d set up in the aft head for times just like that. She hated it
and used to howl like a banshee; but she was safe and we could take care of the
boat without worrying about her. As she grew older, she became more relaxed and
would only look up at us with her big brown eyes to ask, “what’s going on?” whenever
things got a little rough before tucking herself in behind the salon
table.
Having
a Dog Aboard Is a Lot of Work
Shore trips, brushing, feeding,
cleaning, socializing, walking . . . it all adds up. And it’s not always
fun. If you’d asked me if I enjoyed cruising with a dog after going to
shore in the pouring rain or after Sally rolled around in rotting fish guts, my
answer would have been a resounding ‘no’. But you’d get the same response
out of David after he’s just finished fixing the head for the third time in as
many days.
Share
the Responsibilities
Sally and I were together before
David entered our lives and because of that, I ended up being her primary
caretaker and she looked to me to fulfill all her wants and needs: Time to eat,
me. I don’t feel well, me. Let’s go to shore, me. Not only did David miss out
on seeing some amazing things on our walks and trips to shore, but he also
missed out on a part of Sally’s life that he can never get back. And now that
she’s gone, I'm a little disappointed for him. Equally as important, when it
was pouring down rain and cold outside, I can’t help but wonder why I was the
only one who had to don their foul-weather gear and head outside. To do it
all over again, we’d share the responsibilities . . . just like we do with
everything else.
Be
Prepared
Like with anything else
associated with cruising, it’s important to be prepared. Before we could leave
port, Sally had a long list of provisions to buy which (when she got older)
included prescription medicines. Most years we could go several weeks
without access to a veterinarian, so a medical kit aboard for Sally was a
must. And our ditch bag wouldn’t have been complete without dog food, her
PFD and a spare leash.
We
All Need Our Space . . . Even the Dog
Over the years, David and I have
found ways to be alone, even if we’re in the same room. But Sally
preferred to have walls between us and took over certain areas of the boat – as
a pup, it was the v-berth and as an older dog, both heads (complete with comfy
dog beds). If your dog isn’t pushy like our Sally, find a small, den-like
space aboard the boat and make it theirs. It’ll help bring them comfort
when they’re nervous, sick or just ready for a nap.
It’s
All About Quality Time
We don’t have much time on earth
with our furry friends and cruising is one lifestyle that allows us to make the
most of it. Not only did we get to spend 24/7 with Sally, which is exactly
what pack animals live for, but our lives have been enriched by the company of
this ridiculous little creature who amazed and amused for 18 wonderful years.
Have
a Good Vet at “Home”
The most important thing we
learned in Sally’s final year is how important it was to have a good vet at
“home” whose opinion we trusted. Even though Sally saw several of them over the
years, the one in Wichita (who
helped with her testing to import her into New
Zealand ) was her primary doctor and I could
call him for advice or a second an opinion whenever or wherever I needed to.
Dogs have a way
of finding the people who
need them,
filling an emptiness we don’t even know we have.
Thom
Jones
