Is Boating Going To The Dogs? - pets on boats

Boat/US Magazine, Jan, 2000 by Elaine Dickinson

The perfect boating mate has been found: one who never speaks back, obeys your every command, worships at your feet and showers you with affection. This crew member is alert and protective, takes up very little space on board and does not hog the sodas and potato chips.

Furry, four-footed crewmates, from dogs and cats to pet pigs, are often a big part of the boating experience. And whether it's a perfectly coifed poodle on board a motor yacht or a rambunctious schipperke patrolling the decks of a

sloop, pets are one thing boaters are as passionate about. For extended cruises, an animal's companionship can be invaluable and for kids, an extra playmate just adds to the fun of going out in the boat.

Some years ago, BOAT/U.S. published a letter inquiring about the best way to get a large dog back up onto a deck from the water. Of the hundreds of letters from boaters that have been printed on pressing issues such as safety, hurricanes, wakes, law enforcement, etc., none drew the kind of response from boaters that this one did. Letters poured in from seagoing dog lovers everywhere.

Hang around boats and marinas long enough and it also becomes clear that some breeds take naturally to the water. Golden retrievers, Labradors, Newfound-lands and web-footed Portuguese water dogs seem to have salt water in their veins; centuries of breeding to retrieve waterfowl, pull fish nets, tow dinghies and even rescue drowning mariners is quite apparent in many of these animals.

Boat dogs, it seems, are so popular that the Seattle Boat Show is now featuring a "Super Boat Dog" competition. Some 27 pups competed last year showing off their skills in fetching docklines, fenders and floats. The winner was (what else?) a Portuguese water dog.

And let's not forget about cats, They have a nautical presence going back to the ancient Phoenicians and for centuries cats have played a critical role in controlling mice and rats on board ships. Even the famous explorer Capt. James Cook made careful log entries on his supply of cats while on history-making voyages.

More recently, some dogs have gone to sea involuntarily but proven to be a credit to their breed for composure under duress. Hunter, a German shorthair, was playing on a small floating dock one evening in the San Juan Islands, chasing sticks along the waterfront with his owner, when the raft broke loose and the tide carried him promptly out into the Colvos Passage.

In the waning dusk, the current carried him farther out, heading north toward Blake Island. Hunter's plight was reported to the Coast Guard who promptly put out a radio broadcast of a dog sailing north "without running lights." Miraculously at midnight in the pitch dark a tugboat crew that had heard the broadcast found Hunter adrift in the shipping lanes and picked him up unhurt.

Another dog made national news recently when he bravely stayed on board alone after his owners accidentally went overboard in the Gulf of Mexico. Coco, a mixed-breed chow, drifted alone on the powerboat for three days until being rescued by TowBoatU.S.-Port Richey in good shape. His owners were spotted in the water by a patrol helicopter and rescued after 12 hours. We're sure Coco's main intent was to guard the vessel while waiting for his owners to return. Luckily there were two chicken dinners on board and some water.

Just like people, pets on board a boat face certain risks they don't encounter on land and a few precautions are always recommended.

Dr. Michael Merrithew, a lifelong sailor on the Great Lakes and a veterinarian in Flint, MI, who runs an animal hospital there, has some specific advice for pet owners.

Merrithew recommends that boaters considering getting a dog recognize that the majority of the dog's life will be spent at home on land and not out on the water, unless you re planning on very extensive cruising. For example, he said, don't get a huge Newfoundland because they're good water dogs when most of its time will be spent in a small apartment.

Unless hauling a 60- to 150-pound dog on and off your boat several times a day sounds like fun, consider a smaller breed you can easily pick up if you want to cruise with it.

"I choose not to sail with my dog because getting the dog on and off the boat and rowing him ashore is a real chore, he said. "Sometimes the best boat dog is the one you leave at home."

Merrithew also said animals are six to 10 times more likely than people to contract Lyme disease from tick bites, especially when boating to wooded, wild

places and allowed to run free on shore. There are now a reliable Lyme disease test and vaccinations available for dogs and cats, he added.

The other danger is heartworms from drinking standing water where mosquitoes breed, puddles which are so often found around marinas. Heartworm medication is a must, along with rabies vaccinations.

"I think the biggest pitfall is that people expect their dog to automatically have its sea legs," Dr. Merrithew said. "They're not automatic boaters. They need to get their balance and get acclimated just like people." Dogs can also get seasick, he said, and the best preparation for boat rides are car rides so they get accustomed to motion. Dogs do get over seasickness quickly, however, he said.