Livaboard pets - does it work?

[Olly]

Hi

The 'plan' (if you can call it that) is to do a very leisurely circ nav and would love to take fido along for the ride. Is it feasible? What do we have to consider by way of quarentine, jabs, documentation etc etc?

The benefits are obvious (and so are some of the snags) but what kind of problems will we encounter along the way, are visiting dogs well received in foreign parts and are we mad for even wanting to take a dog along with us on the big adventure.

Thanks for any comments, advice or hilarity in advance

PS Which kind of dogs are best suited to liveaboard life?

 

[Abigail]

We have cats not dogs, so personal experience is limited to them. But lots of liveaboard friends and neighbours have dogs so also comments from observation.

Our two elderly cats seem pretty good with the liveaboard bit, are okayish with the sailing bit and hate the motoring bit. Efforts with valium and ginger have not enormously helped their seasickness. This puts quite a bit of additional strain into preparing to sail but so far we have managed it. I'm sad to say that it will probably not be a problem for much longer, and so we have decided that it is kinder to keep them than put them down as it would be impossible to find new homes for 17 and 18 year old moggies. We just don't sail very far at a time at the moment - longest single trip for them about 80 miles.

Key issues : toilet training, hair, exercise. The toilet training for cats is relatively simple of course. Many friends have really struggled with teaching their dogs it's okay to go on board. Until you can reliably teach them to do so, it's a lot of regular dinghying ashore. Hair - gets everywhere. Keep a sharp eye on electrics and bilge pumps. Exercise - not an issue with my two endlessly snoozing geriatrics, but much more of an issue of course with a dog. There are some dogs which rush around on deck - the harbourmaster at Kings Lynns has dogs who do this a lot! But mostly this has also to be arranged.

This brings up two key questions about dogs. One is age. We have seen dogs settle in at around 5-8 years old. And there is very happy westie on a boat near us who came as a tiny puppy, now about 6 months old. The other issue is size. The biggest dog we have seen really happy as a liveaboard is black labrador - now in Tobago having weathered a Biscay storm more happily than her owners, and enjoyed the Atlantic. We also know a similar size Heinz 57 who has travelled from Indonesia to Spain ( so far) and absolutely adores boats and sailing! Once above lab size, it seems really hard to give a dog the exercise and variety - we have seen St Bernards and Great Danes etc on boats and even on big trawler types they don't seem really happy.

So - should you take Fido? From Fido's POV, this depends on age, comfort, the sort of sailing you want to do, the boat you have. Obviously some take to it. Can you have him/her aboard a while and sailing before finally making your mind up, so you can find her/him a nicer home if that really seems the kinder option?

In terms of paperwork - don't both to even think about it if you are going to make short trips out of the UK and back. You are NOT allowed to bring animals back on your own vessel - only on an 'approved carrier' (commercial boat/plane). In effect this means (assuming they are passported, rabies jabbed etc), stopping at a harbour with a ferry/air service, taking fido to vet for tick treatment, getting on ferry (or putting fido on ferry), putting her/him in kennels in UK (or with friends) and going back for boat!

Of course some people say that the chances of you being checked by HMCE are low, and this is true. However - we were boarded between Harwich and Ramsgate once, and could not have hidden their presence. If the marina finds out you have brought animals back, (any marina) they will report you. If you are lucky, your animal will be briefly quarantined while a local vet examines him/her and hopefully gives clean bill of health. (All at your expense of course.) At the worst opposite end is 6 montsh quarantine or putting down.

So how you bring your animal back to UK is up to you, but not without risk over all.

Similar and additional complexities involved in importing animals to Australia and NZ, but not impossible if prepared to face quarantine. If you are leaving UK for good, and staying with Europe (Baltic/Med) and US, then I understand the paperwork is much less complex so long as the animal has an annually updated passport.

This is a long answer, but I couldn't do the poll, as the answers depend too much what you want to do! HTH

 

[snowleopard]

regulations on animals vary from country to country and even from port to port. i have read of dog owner's experiences in the caribbean where the reception varied from indifference to hostility. one owner reported being allowed to bring his dog ashore in jolly harbour, antigua then being kicked out of the island by customs at english harbour 20 miles away.

a dog on board makes a great burglar deterrent. older dogs not used to the sea will suffer, particularly with heeling. i met a south african with wife, 2 kids, mother-in-law and dog on board. the dog was less trouble than the others.

 

[anglo_saxon]

we are also looking at taking our 2yr old jack russell and will folow this thread with interest. i do have some information on the carabean countries re, formalities. pm me if you want a copy. my main concern is if it will be fair on the dog.

 

[Swagman]

Livaboard Pets - Best Choice?

A dogfish is my recommendation.
No mess, simple to feed, never barks back - and if you are ever stuck for a tasty evening meal..........multiple benefits.
Cheers
JOHN

 

[deborahann]

Don't live aboard but have had 3 westies over the years who all loved boating, I found that if you introduce boating to them when they are puppies they just accept it. You have to be sensible and accept they will fall in, my latest westie 15 weeks old (at the time) fell in the sea at the marina the first time on the pontoon. He had a life jacket on, and we just pulled him out. You do need to put somthing on them particualary when they are young, a harness or life jacket that you can get hold of or get a boat hook to. All dogs can swim, but if they can't get out and you don't notice they are in the water a life jacket buys you some time.

My westie is now carefull to avoid water, and wouldn't even paddle at the side of a lake recently, but he jumps in the dinghy quite happily from water sploshing round the bathing platform, and out onto the beach or into shallow water. He's a lucky dog, he has also taken to Canal boating, but for both types of boating we tie him up whilst we are moving. Again its much better to do this via a harness on a rocking boat. The dog...

 

[ongolo]

I have a dog on my boat, but two places I will avoid is St.Helena and Malta. Dont want dogs, will put them down.

Friends of mine travelled with a Ridgeback (very large dog) by truck from europe across africa. They had no trouble on any border. To avoid Nigeria and angola, they loaded the truck and dog onto a cargo ship and wanted to land here in Namibia. The statevet was impossible to please, stated dog must undergo 12 tests, if one is positive, dog will be put down. As a result, truck and dog as put back onto the cargoship again and shipped further to Cape Town. Truck and dog was off loaded, nobody gave a hoot, and they cam back by truck, crossed the border to Namibia and nobody even looked at the dog.

The Captain and crew were most helpful, went home for Holliday and are feared to have been killed by tsunami, they lived in the area and no longer answer emails.

I have often wondered if it is good for my dog to live on the boat, but he is in his bunk most of the time, hates water, so hopefully will not fall in. But he is so devoted to me and lived all his life on the boat, if I could aks him to live in small crate with me or on a big farm without me, he would choose to be with me no matter what.

To allow his claws to wear down, I have put marble sand as used on surfboards on my deck, he charges around the deck and barks at something and I know who is coming without looking outside. He either barks or he wags his tail and doing,doing doing against the side of the cabin roof, indicates a friend, the speed of the wagging tail even tells me if it is a very good friend. When I am alone and cold in my bunk, he cuddles up in the hollow of my leg.

There are the very active breeds like a border collie and maybe even a jack russel or a fox terrier. They would suffer for lack of exercise, but a golden retriever or labrador are not very active and would make good boat dogs.

 

[CodStewart]

Olly!
So you are going then? When is the grand departure!

 

[BobOwen]

Just out of interest, on the subject of whether to take a dog or not, I was talking to a good friend last night about dogs in general.

Prior to our imminent sail away departure, we passed our Border Coll onto our friends after much soul searching. We saw the dog after some weeks with her new family and she greeted us wildly. However, after a few minutes she walked away with them without batting an eye! (Unlike us). This was after 4 years of having her from a puppy.

My friend who I was talking to about this, looks after dogs for an agency. The dogs are from various folks who don't care to use kennels, while they're away. He has the dogs at home and treats them as his own for the duration of their visit.

Over the years, having been host to a huge number of dogs, he has come to the conclusion that virtually every dog accepts its 'new' home within 2 to 3 days. By this, he means that the dog to all intents and purposes is perfectly happy with its new surroundings and new 'owner'.

He couldn't recall one single dog that appeared upset, distressed or bothered that it had lost its original owner after a few days. (As far as the dog knows, this is for ever).

I'm sure many of us dog owners are convinced their mutt will pine away should they be parted, but it does seem to be not the case! We do tend to think of dogs from a human perspective, but they are dogs - not human.

My friend, who is far more experienced than most dog owners, is adamant that if they have food, shelter and a bit of loving they are pretty content.

Certainly made me feel better about it anyway!

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[tomdane]

Hi

No liveaboard experience but we have had our rather large German shepheard with us sailing on week-long vacations here in Denmark - no problem at all. The dog just wants to be near us now matter where (could take her to deep space). In bad weather and for nights out we lock her in the cabin, just like locking the door of the house.

We would do 8 hour stints and since 95% of all sailing i Denmark is from harbour to harbour walking the dog is no problem.

Sweden is impossible due to rabies regulations, avoid it completely.

 

[tomdane]

The trick to avoding howling goodbyes is that the dog should leave you (i.e. the temporary owner should walk the dog away from you into another room) instead of you leaving the dog behind.

Works like a charm, never had any problem since we started doing this (wonder about the short-term memory capacity of mutts).

 

[Olly]

Thanks for the info - where can I get a harness suitable for a large Collie. All the ones i've seen have handles stitched on at the top. They would NOT be strong enough - not by a long shot!

 

[pragmatist]

Bought ours in a pet shop - very expensive - doesn't have a handle but you can lift by the straps across the back - adjustable and can lift 5 stone of boxer in it. If you have real trouble then I'll look for a make next time I'm at the boat - pm me if you get stuck.

 

[snowleopard]

We left our devoted dog for a year while we went cruising. She had two other homes during that time and din't turn a hair. Since then we have been away twice for 5 weeks each time and again she has been quite happy. The simple conclusion is that most dogs are complete tarts!

...But not all. We had an Irish Wolfhound from a rescue agency who was about 4 when she came to us. Every time we met other people out walking she would rush up to them excitedly, look up at them then come back to us, tail down. We're quite convinced she was looking for her first owners. The fact that she had been re-homed twice, both times as a result of marriage breakups, can't have helped.

 

[craw4d2003]

We are going to take our 3 year old cocker spaniel over the atlantic hopefully next year. We will be sailing around the islands and would very much appreciate any information on legalities of taking her with us. Leaving her behind is not an option as we will not be coming back to the med.