Cruising with Pets

[Plover]

Hello, I'm new to the forum and I hope I'm not asking something that has already been answered. If so, please direct me to the link.

Does anyone have information about requirements by various countries when traveling with pets? It is my understanding that current rabies and a health certificate is pretty much required by everyone. But then I read somewhere that The Bahamas requires you to take your pet to a vet clinic within 48 hours of arrival for an examination. Any idea what the cost for this is? What about other countries?

Cathy & Chris (and Major)
Plover

[Captain Smollett]

Does anyone have information about requirements by various countries when traveling with pets?

Welcome Aboard, Cathy and Chris (and Major).

Some of this board can write of specific recent experiences in the Bahamas, but if broader, general information resource is what you are after,

Noonsite

is a good place to start. 

Select the country you want, and then on the left under "Formalities," you can click the link for "Pets."

[Plover]

Thanks. That's a great website and should help us out a lot.

I would like to read about experiences others have had, both good and bad, to help me be prepared. Our first out of U.S. stop will be the Bahamas, not sure what's gonna happen after that.

Cathy & Chris (and Major)
Plover

[CharlieJ]

Hi Chris- welcome aboard.

I don't have the link on my Iphone but Laura found a website of the current Bahamas rules and regs. You should be able to find it easily. I didn't think it was a huge problem based on what folks we met dealt with.

I do know the entry fee will be $150 and that covers th fishing license too. If you plan to use a pole spear or Hawaiian Sling, tell them- they'll include coverage for that too.

Have fun- i'd love to go again.

[Frank]

Hi Chris...welcome aboard here. We'll be crossing in mid Dec. with a golden. I have to confirm...buy failing memory... is you must have a vet visit within 24hrs 'before' you leave (not land)  Craig (Faith) took Peterdog over....I'm sure he'll chime in later.

[ntica]

Don't know if this is the right tread?! But I'm thinking of bring along a nice pet/animal aboard Celeste when going. Been thinking Of cats, canariebird, duck... What is your suggestion, what will be nices comapany in the animal world?

[Captain Smollett]

TONS of people sail with dogs.

Quite a few sail with cats.  We have a cat.  Depending on the cat, it can go quite well,  but make sure you know the cat's "personality" first.  Ours did well.

Can't speak about birds; I've heard of it, but I guess it's fairly rare compared to dogs and cats.

[Capt. Tony]

I think the companionship of a pet would be quite welcome.  The choice would be difficult.  With cats and dogs, Smollett is 100% right.  You have to know the personality first.  There has to be a trusting bond developed between you.  It is your dream to go to sea-your pet-who knows how they will react to it.  That is where the bond and history comes in.

I know Craig and rose took Peter Dog with them on S/V Faith and had a great time. (at least it seemed and looked like from the photos)  I have only taken one of my dogs, a Boston Terrier, sailing and she loved it.  Small boat, small dog.  My Old English Sheep Dog and Bouvier des Flandres did not like the motion of the boat and never loosened up. 

I can clearly see a cat sailing.  But, personalities prevail there.  Cats aren't a pack animal willing to work as a team like canines will.

Birds are another ball of wax.  Many have specialized diets and need certain requirements to thrive in captivity.  While they will exist on substandard diets and in less than ideal environments, they will often become increasingly susceptible to a variety of disease states from pathogens already present within their system or imediate surroundings.  And big parrots and maccaws will chew the $%!# out of your boat.  they just have to do that.  And Scream for several periods a day-everyday.

Do some studying, ask some questions.  There are pet stores out there that will give you honest answers and answers you don't want to hear.  Just as there are some that will gladly tell you anything and sell you the most inappropriate animal for a companion.  Tal k to people you see with a dog or cat or what ever and ask them their opinion.  Keep in mind it is just that, their opinion, but, people with pets l o v e  to talk about their pets.

[Oldrig]

I grew up owning dogs, and I've known of many dogs that love to sail with their owners. However, dogs require exercise and, unless trained, will require a walk on shore twice a day to relieve themselves.

Cats have often been taken on cruises, as they don't require a lot of space and can be trained to relieve themselves in a variety of ways (one cruiser who wrote about it in Cruising World used pebbles in a perforated pan--I can't remember her name or when the article appeared).

But, as has been noted previously, you've got to form a strong bond with your companion animal--and, in the case of a cat, you should probably start with a young animal. Cats take a long time to bond with humans, and even longer to become imprinted to a place.

My wife and I recently lost our elderly (19-year-old) cat and replaced him with a younger cat from a nearby shelter. We've had him for more than a month now, and he's beginning to learn to think of us as his owners ("servants" in his mind--he is a cat, remember ;D). But we won't allow him to leave the house for another four weeks or so, just to make sure he will come back.

Having a pet on board can probably add to the experience, but be careful where you want to travel: many countries, including the UK, require that pets endure a long quarantine. Cats are especially unwelcome on island nations, because they can escape and devastate local wildlife.

Sorry for the ramble, but I've given this a lot of thought, especially since my wife will not cruise with me at all.

Best of luck in your search,

--Joe

[Godot]

I've taken Penny the Cat out sailing a few times, including a two week cruise up and down the Chesapeake. She was a little freaked out the first day; but adjusted to her moving environment quickly after that. In the photo below she was four or five years old and had been with me for around two years.

I suppose temperament matters. A nice, quiet, lazy cat that is content to just lounge around all day is probably best. Penny the Cat is not that. She is super active and vocal. After a day or two she became quite comfortable with the motion and ventured outside. Most of the time she was content to just sit with me in the cockpit. Periodically she decided she needed to take a stroll and would walk the deck. I'll admit to not being terribly thrilled with this but try telling a cat to stay in the cockpit! heck, I tried tying her in, and it still didn't work. Happily, I didn't have to execute any cat overboard drills.  :)

The harness she is wearing is designed for walking. She does take walks, similar to how a dog would, OK. When sailing I'll sometimes use it to tie her into the cockpit when I'm working the foredeck, otherwise she insists on coming up with me, generally getting in the way, and increasing the chance I won't be able to find her if she ends up swimming. Twice, now, she managed to slip out of it somehow, so I will try and lock her in the cabin if things are a little bumpy.

I generally single hand. She was good company, if a little demanding.

[Godot]

BTW, not sure what category this belongs in; but it wouldn't be a bad thing to put it somewhere public as opposed to Members Only. IMHO.

[Captain Smollett]

BTW, not sure what category this belongs in; but it wouldn't be a bad thing to put it somewhere public as opposed to Members Only. IMHO.

I moved the thread here to Sailfar Discussion since it may cover a lot of different topics...Joe, for example, mentioned the 'importation' issues that need to be looked at.  Some countries, don't allow ANY importation.  Malta, I believe it was, would destroy all animals on board, at least a few years ago.

[Oldrig]

Some countries, don't allow ANY importation.  Malta, I believe it was, would destroy all animals on board, at least a few years ago.

A few years ago, at least, New Zealand had a similar policy: Euthanize your pet, give it to an outgoing cruiser or don't bother entering our ports. I think a number of other island nations have similar policies.

--Joe

[gpdno]

I always though a chicken would make a good live aboard pet.  My hens are friendly and the kids love them.  Hens do well in enclosed spaces, eat a wide range of foods, plus you would always have fresh eggs  ;D

Greg

[s/v Emerald Tide]

Malta, I believe it was, would destroy all animals on board, at least a few years ago.

That is certainly incentive to do your homework before leaving home.  I'd have to turn back, because that just ain't happening in my world....

[Oldrig]

That is certainly incentive to do your homework before leaving home.  I'd have to turn back, because that just ain't happening in my world....

It certainly calls for some serious consideration. I can't imagine bonding with an animal, enjoying its companionship during a long passage and then having to decide whether to destroy it or go ashore--actually, I would think it would be no choice: Just keep sailing.

--Joe

[tomwatt]

I believe Hawai'i still imposes a 1 year quarantine on animals... so your dog or cat would spend up to a year in confinement... or until you left. In the interim, you'd still need to feed and care for your animal, with all the accompanying hassles and expenses.
It was a daunting enough requirement that we gave the family dog away to another family before our move.

[ntica]

cat is probably the most common pet onboard a boat... But I think a freeflying bird will suit me, (not a parrot!) canarie or something like it...Had some experienze with birds in my "former life"...  see picture My beautiful Toucan  (R. Sulphuratus) had a pair of those beautiful birds once...
And thanks for comments on the "pet company" tread

[Michael Homsany]

Cats and dogs aren't much of a problem in most countries (in Fiji you have to pay a F$1500 per animal bond), and in NZ/Aus you can work things out with their Biosecurity if you do it before you ever arrive there.

Any other animal starts becoming very problematic, esp. avians.   Countries need to protect not just their domestic meat animals, but also native species, and there are a lot of diseases that aren't species specific in birds, so most countries ban them (again, unless prior arraingements are made with their Biosecurity people).

I was an unfortunate witness to how a simian was delt with.  A cruiser declared his capuchin monkey, the Biosecurity guy said 'Wait', went up to his truck, came back with a gun, shot the monkey in the head, stuffed him into a biowaste bag, threw it in the back of his truck, and left.  The owner was devestated (and we were all a bit thunderstruck).

Aside from that, I've cruised with both cats and dogs, and all personality dependent on the animal.

On the other hand, we've watched our pets die, from what would have been otherwise trivial problems, because where there isn't competent medical care for people, there is less so for domestic pets.  Our current cat is recovering from a botched spaying two weeks ago by a SPCA vet.  We started her on anti-biotics pretty much straight off when the stitches began to pull out, then took her to a Quarentine Officer (who cares for livestock), and he stitched her back up.

Not very pretty, but several animals have died here in the past two weeks from the botched de-sexing operations.

All food for thought.

[s/v Faith]

Wow,

  How did I miss this thread?  I guess I have been out sailing too much to properly follow the forum.

Yes, as Capt. Tony said we took Peter with us on our long cruise and he added immeasurably to the experience.  Now my dog is a little more advanced then most pets since he can pull his weight by standing watches underway and occasionally helps with the cooking (well, the dishes anyway).

  Most folks said we were crazy to bring an 80# lab on a small boat with us... and they are right that we are crazy but Peter was no trouble.  Like most every decision made on a boat though there are certain things we had to accept.

  Peter only once went onboard, so mostly passages were limited to overnight 0r a little more then that.  We did find ourselves exploring remote shoreline that I might have passed up if not for him... I have absolutely no regrets for having brought him. 

  He wore a harness on deck whenever out of sight of land, even when we did not.  There was a terrible story a couple years back about a couple cruising with a dog (also a yellow Lab) who lost him over the side some time after they left Elizabeth City NC and spent the next 2 weeks looking for him.  It turns out that even an excellent swimmer like a lab (wearing a life jacket to boot) was not able to swim ashore and he was found dead by a local wildlife and fisheries policemen.  I bring this up, because the duty of a captain is to consider the plight of his crew first and last....  I would have a very difficult time living with something like that.

  If I were to make a coastal cruise I would not have any hesitation to take my dog.  Passage making might be really tough unless you had just the right pet.   I do know one lady who has a golden retriever who happily relieves himself on the foredeck and another couple have a Jack Russel who will use a litter box below when off shore.   Living with a litter box on a small boat may be a tough thing, but like all things on a boat would be a compromise that might be worth making.

  Some folks will say that taking a pet aboard is cruel.  I do not agree.  Peter had the time of his life on our trip, and even now he gets excited when I start packing boat gear to head out. 

  As others have said, make sure you introduce any animal to the boat in a careful way and do be a good Captain and not subject them to something they will not be able to tolerate... but with that said I would say 'go for it'.

  I am quite sure Peter would agree.