Cruising With Pets

Salty Dog Adventures

Cruising With Pets

The amount of preparation necessary when planning a cruise with your pet will likely depend on your destination and the length of time you anticipate being away from home.

Because we knew we would be living aboard and traveling outside of the U.S., we researched at great length what would need to be done to get our dogs ready for extended travel. We talked to people who had already cruised with dogs, many of them to Mexico. We read books and articles, and studied websites such as PetTravel.com. We essentially became pet travel gurus, for lack of a better description. While Bryan and I are by no means experts in veterinary health or medicine, this article is meant to summarize our preparations and hopefully provide some helpful tips for those of you who are considering cruising with a four-legged companion.

Thankfully, when we chose to go cruising our dogs were young and in good health. They had always had regular immunizations and veterinary care. In an effort to be totally prepared, however, we chose to meet with our vet more than eight months prior to our departure specifically to talk to him about our plans and seek his advice. He advised us to have our male dog neutered (the female was already spayed) to lessen his susceptibility to cancer and infection, and ensure he wouldn't be able to impregnate any unspayed females we encountered along the way. We chose to have the surgery, and we also chose to have both dogs microchipped in case they were ever separated from us.

We met with the vet again just prior to our departure for a final check-up, any last minute immunization boosters and to have him complete our a USDA/State of California "Certificate For Interstate or International Movement of Small Animals." Most veterinarians in the U.S. are familiar with this form, but in the event yours may not be, it's a good idea to meet with him or her well prior to your departure if you'll be traveling internationally; we were told this form would be "required" to enter Mexico as well as to return to the U.S., and while you may not be asked to show it to the authorities at the border, I wouldn't recommend taking the risk of not having it aboard.

Be sure your pets have regular flea and tick treatments while cruising. Take any medicines or special shampoos with you if you will be traveling for more than a few weeks (most common brands like Frontline are available from veterinarians in the bigger cities in Mexico). We found that by washing the dogs and their bedding regularly and applying a monthly flea and tick treatment, we had very few problems.

Make sure your pet is well-identified. Our dogs wear collars embroidered with their names, our boat name, and our cell phone number. Additionally, they wear a tag that has their microchip identification number on it. In the event they are ever separated from us, we want to make sure there is no doubt how to get in touch with us if someone finds them.

Guarantee that your pets are drinking clean, pure water. If you are leery about it or wouldn't drink the water yourself, don't give it to your animals! This is one of the primary reasons we chose to install a water maker on our boat. Our dogs need a lot of water, especially in the warmer climates of Mexico. By always having fresh water available, we were lucky enough to never have to deal with a case of doggy Montezuma's Revenge. Additionally, be vigilant about not letting your pets eat anything off the ground or that looks like trash. You never know where parasites and toxins are lurking!

Exercise is important. Fletcher, our Weimaraner, is a big dog who needs to "stretch his legs" regularly. While in a marina or at anchor, we walk Sadie and Fletcher at least three times a day. It is essential for us to make sure both of them get a good, long swim and walk prior to and after any long passages.

Always clean up after your pet. Be prepared by having enough animal waste bags or recycled grocery bags aboard. We love the convenience of the dispenser style "Bags On Board," available at most pet stores. This bag dispenser can be attached to the leash with a carabineer. If we hope for the number of pet-friendly marinas and cruising destinations to grow in number, we have to show that we are responsible pet owners.

Safety while underway was always a big concern for us. For this reason, we chose to purchase lifejackets and harnesses for both dogs. Should the weather be rough enough that the dogs needed to be strapped into the cockpit, we attached their harnesses to tethers that Bryan made from nylon webbing. They generally don't like this arrangement, but we would prefer not to have to do a doggy overboard drill in rough seas!

Bring along anything that will help your pet feel comfortable on your boat. For us, this meant cozy but easily stowable dog beds, lots of toys, and their favorite food and treats. You want to be able to go exploring or go out to dinner without your pet feeling lonely and crying or howling the whole time you're away from the boat. Creating an environment where your pet feels more at home will help.

So is cruising with your dog or cat the right decision for you? Only you can answer that. If you're new to boating with a pet, let us be the first to say it takes some getting used to. Sometimes, it can be downright difficult. Pets generally have a lot of needs and can't do much for themselves. You will need to be patient and compassionate. Don't expect yourself or your pet to adapt overnight.

Many people comment to us that they could never travel with pets like we do. However, we've found that the benefits of having our dogs with us far outweigh the challenges. They are our companions, our buddies, and an endless source of love. They are a built-in security system on the boat. Having them along forced us to get more exercise than we would have otherwise. And they are people magnets - without a doubt we met some of the friendliest people in our travels because they wanted to meet our dogs!

While we hope that this information has been helpful to you, it is by no means an exhaustive list of the preparations you could or should make prior to cruising with your pet. We encourage you to talk to your vet and do your own research. Your experience will be better because of the planning you put into it!

Click here for more information from the USDA website:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/pet_travel/pet_travel.shtml