Pet life jackets and EPIRB. Recommendations please.

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Deviation

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So I am looking at purchasing a life jacket for Franco but so many of them look really bulky and uncomfortable. I did find the Ruffwear K9 Float Coat, and whilst the price is a little high I'm happy to cough up for it if it is as good as it looks. I'm also liking the EZ Dog DFD and also the Crewsaver due to the big handle on the back, perfect for boat hook grabbing!
I will want him to wear it at all times whilst at sea and alongside so I want it to be thin, high vis, comfortable and effective. He is a little Belgian Malinois and only weighs 14kgs. Any recommendations gratefully received, and also does anyone use EPIRB for their fur babies / fur monsters?
 
My four-legged friend had the opportunity to try out an EZ Dog DFD in action the other day. I find it very, very bulky on her. It sits on her back like a plate although the straps fit properly.

On the other hand, she is still alive. Having slipped down a high river bank, she stood in the mud by the river in silence. My dog goes uncharacteristically silent when in trouble! The big handle and wide belly straps were wonderful. Scooped her, looking surprised, up.

I do think the bulky sides catch on things and tip her over, so I'm getting a different device. She's long/slim-bodied. A bulkier dog might find it fits well. With my dog, it seems to affect her balance, (she wouldn't walk in it at all at first), so it's counter-productive. I'll certainly get one with a big handle. I think that is one of the main factors in whether you recover your dog quickly or not. In an apparent emergency, I was so glad to have something simple to just grab instead of faffing about.
 
I think dogs float better than people (though I only really know Labradors, which probably biasses my view there) so it's the handle that's the really important part rather than loads of buoyancy.

An EPIRB would be far too bulky to strap to a dog, and PLBs have to be manually activated, so not really a practical proposition.

Pete
 
I would imagine that a harness with handle that sticks up is most important in retrieving a dog with a boat hook. Buoyancy if needed I imagine should be on the belly not much use on the top of the back which is usually out of water anyway.
You can use that foam that is sold for camping mattress for buoyancy. wrap it in a polyester type cloth of the right colour.
Straps can easily be sewn to create a bespoke harness buoyancy for the little guy.
Re location. You can get GPS tracker for the dog. Includes a mobile phone account to report back location. Don't know how water proof they are. Perhaps a SOLAS auto activation strobe light would be useful. olewill
 
William_H said:
Buoyancy if needed I imagine should be on the belly not much use on the top of the back which is usually out of water anyway.
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Bouyancy underneath will have a tendancy to tip the dog over ending up with the dog upside down underwater and floatation on top, especially if the sea isn't flat calm.

A big easy to grab handle is key though.
We have crewsavers for our 2, but the spaniel doesn't get on with his particularly well - probably because it sticks out slightly at the sides rather than following his body shape and gets caught on the shrouds as he does laps of the boat!
 
Certainly worth having for a heavier dog such as a lab but can be bulky on cocker spaniel size . Our spaniel fell in a river with muddy banks and I lifted him out by grabbing his neck but I doubt I could have lifted a lab out in same manner
Our lab once jumped off the pontoon when young into black mud and rescuing him if he hadn't made it out would have been hard without a buoyancy aid
There are a number of makes out there so I think you just have to take the time to visit a few retailers and try out as sadly dogs not allowed at SBS but maybe you might find at a boat jumble where Franco might be welcome and have a greater choice. They are also useful for clipping a lifeline on to handle when in cockpit as dogs can become too inquisitive after a while when sitting on benches.
 
where are you based? We are in Southampton and have both a Crewsaver and a Ruffwear on board in what is probably the right size if you want to try them out.
 
maby said:
where are you based? We are in Southampton and have both a Crewsaver and a Ruffwear on board in what is probably the right size if you want to try them out.
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We move back to the UK in August, so if the offer is still there then, would love to take you up on it. Many thanks'
 
Rogershaw said:
No I don't an fishing net AIS transmits its GPS location in real time where as a life tag does not.
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I only thought that if the OP had a Life Tag system already, (which would also be good for the rest of the crew) the alarm would let them know the dog was overboard straight away.

Hopefully they would realise that the dog was overboard long before the need for a GPS would be needed to locate him?

Only my thoughts on it.

Philip
 
Yes the AIS will not tell you that the dog has gone overboard but have you ever to find anything that as gone overboard in any kind of swell and/or at night.

That is really needed is a combined life tag /AIS transponder and EPIRB but they are not yet available. I do have a life tag type device that was made by a forum member some time ago but he does not do then any longer.
 
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