Dogs and thrills - how they love sailing

by Glen and Eddie Tuttle/Sail-World Cruising on 8 Mar 2010 Do you take your dog on the boat with you when you go sailing? Just as most dogs just love a ride in the car, most dogs get just as much of a thrill out of speeding along with all sails flying as we do.

Watch http://www.johnahern.net/!John_Ahearn's wild and extraordinary video below to see what dogs are capable of, and hear some good sense from those who have been sailing with dogs for years.

Much of the information relates to the countries where they have been sailing, but the message is clear, and you can adapt the advice to fit your own situation.



Glenn and Eddie Tuttle sailing on their boat Tothill, have been cruising with their Havanese dog Coco Bear for eight years in tropical waters, mostly in the Caribbean, and offer this advice to those who are not quite sure of what challenges they will face...

1) Disease - Most cruisers head for the tropics when they sail, and the tropical climate provide a paradise for pet diseases. Ticks are the biggest culprit and they are almost everywhere. This includes the debris and grass on white sandy beaches, the boardwalks and almost anywhere there is dirt or grass. The most prevalent diseases are Ehrlichiosis and Babesia, also known commonly as tick fever.

I mention this first as this has been our biggest challenge. Despite all our efforts Coco has had the disease twice. The disease is called the silent killer (symptoms are very slight at first) but it is treatable. A local vet will know the dangers and routinely do a blood test for it and are very familiar with the treatment.

One bite from a tick can transmit these diseases. So prevention is the key. Frontline will kill the tick after it has bitten your dog but will not prevent it from getting on and biting the dog and transmitting the disease. Frontline does help in preventing the infestation of ticks on your boat.

Heartworm is also prevalent as well as many bacteria related to sanitation and high water on streets. The other big problem in Caribbean locations is RAT poison. Bottom line, be very careful where you take your dog and keeping them on a leash helps to avoid the hazards. Lastly, make water available and encouraged all the time.

2) Safety - Make your boat safe for your pet by installing lee cloths and establishing rules of safety for the dog. One big help is having a really good life jacket that has a handle on top so you can put your dog in the dink from the big boat and then put it ashore or pick it up.

Although our dog is a water dog he wears his jacket from the time he gets off the big boat until we get the dink to the beach. That way if he falls out of the dink he can be found and retrieved easily. A good brand is Outward Hound. We also have a sturdy harness for him that he can not escape out of and a long training leash for beaches so he can roam but not get into tick territory.

For cats have something over the side at anchor so they can climb back onto the boat. Don't leave your dog unattended, especially at anchor. Always have someone watching or in charge of your pet when you are gone. We have know four pets lost overboard. Very sad.

3) Supplies - Before you leave your home town, try to get all issues and questions resolved with your favorite vet. I was lucky to have a Vet who still responds to my emails with advice. Talk to the Vet about tick prevention. Have the Vet help you prepare a first aid kit for your pet and buy the necessary pills. Buy a very good supply of Frontline Plus and Heartguard Plus. Although you can find it in many places it is usually more expensive. If your dog or cat needs special Prescription Diet food buy it and put it on board. Do have on board an airline carrier for your small pets. You never know when you will have to fly somewhere.

4) Adapting to sea life - Try to train your pet before you leave regarding bathroom issues for long passages. Coco grew up on the boat so he uses the deck and we hose it down. At night he uses our enclosed cockpit. Also, try to socialize your dog with other cruising dogs and people. Many dogs develop very bad habits if left alone on the boat all the time.

5) Paperwork - Do get all the proper papers done before you leave because you never know when you are going to have to fly home with your pet. Travelling through airports with a dog requires more paperwork and health certificates than going by boat. I did get health certificates from various countries before we went to others. The islands in the Eastern Caribbean that don't allow dogs have never been a problem to us as we did not want to take Coco ashore in town due to many things discussed above.

Instead he stayed on the boat and we took him to isolated beaches for fun times. In Trinidad he got off the boat at sunset at Crews Inn and went for his walk on the docks. No one cared as long as the Customs guys did not see him.

6) Inland Travel - In some places there are boat workers who will take care of and watch boats. If you stay long enough to travel inland you can develope relationships with these great locals so that they both watch your boat and your pet. Many have been working for cruisers for years and are trustworthy. The best place for your pet is on your boat with a caretaker.

7) Vets and Agents. If you are sailing internationally, before you leave home check the local vets and agents who can assist you with getting your dog into and out of countries you intend to visit with a minimum of fuss.

8)When you take your pets to land to exercise their legs make sure they do not drink any street water or eat anything. They can develop serious diarrhea from street water. If this does happen, remove the needle from a syringe and use it to force gatorade or flat lemonade down the throat of the dog until you can get it to a vet.

For excellent information on cruising and to keep up to date with what's happening in world of long range cruising, connect with http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cruisers_Network_Online/!Cruisers_Network_Online

..............................
Selected Letter from Reader:

Sender: Bill Zardus

Message: The EPA just sent out a warning a few days ago about frontline type pesticides for dogs.


My dog contracted lyme disease 5 years ago even though I was giving her frontline every month and many other people at our local dogpark told me the same thing. And both the symptoms to recognize lyme disease in dogs and the cure for lyme disease (when you react to the symptoms quickly) turned out to be much easier for dogs than it is for humans for some crazy reason. Once I realized that, I stopped using frontline.

Call me crazy but the EPA needs to start spot checking online retailers and small local retailers to make sure they are selling legitimate products in my opinion. In 5 years of tracking these stories, the only retailer who has ** EVER ** been caught selling counterfeit products was caught by an alert consumer in Virginia who noticed a discrepancy in packaging !! And I wonder to what extent counterfeit products, are the cause for the complaints the EPA receives.

Please let me know if the EPA has ever prosecuted any
other retailer in the last 5 years for this

Best Regards

Bill Zardus ..........