bringing my dogs cruising -- HELP

[Lanevdl]

I can understand you love your dogs and that they are very much a part of your family, but don't bother cruising the Pacific with them. It's not just New Zealand but you won't even be able to take them ashore while in Fiji for example. Cat's are probably OK living full time on a boat without touching land but it is not fair on your dogs.
We circumnavigated the North Island of New Zealand last summer with our dog and during one 24hr period of high winds our dog struggled with the motion of the boat, she couldn't move around or go to the toilet without assistance. It bordered on animal cruelty. If you love your dogs don't take them with you, it's selfish on your part. Cruise after they pass away or give them to a good home.

[boom23]

We left USA in 2014 and cruised the S. Pacific with our two dogs. One passed away in Tahiti the first year. We are now back in USA with our second dog as we're selling our boat.

We love our dog and I would probably do it again but it has been VERY time consuming, difficult and VERY expensive. Every country, especially the more developed ones, require their own quarantine, vet tests, etc. New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia require 10 days quarantine. Before you even think about arriving to a new country you have to contact them and fill out all the necessary paperwork and find out what they require. Most times you'll have to do vaccinations & tests at the country you currently are. That's not easy in under-developed countries.

Some smaller island countries allow you to keep the animals on board at all times and avoid quarantine. This can change depending on who you talk to. They'll also tell you that if they see your animal on land, they will euthanize it.

Also, it is difficult and expensive to fly the animals back home.

If you have a choice, do not cruise with animals. Your life will be MUCH easier.

This has been our experience. Good luck! Cruising is a great adventure and definitely worth doing!

[bradfordharley]

We are preparing to cruise with dogs and this thread contains great information. I've already done alot of research, and we have decided to cruise with pets. This is not something to be decided lightly. Here was our thought process:
A-Leave the pets with Family or friends. Not an option for us, however debatably the best option for the dog/pet. We are lucky that our animals have already experienced boating and small cruising and adjust. Notice the term adjust, and not enjoy for the passages.
B-Cruise in areas that are pet friendly. Much of the Americas are very achievable with proper planning. We are starting in Mexico which is very easy.
C-Be prepared to dictate your itinerary around your pet and be prepared for the expense.

There are lots of cruising with pets blogs, facebook groups and data out there. Do your research, good luck and have fun!

Brad

[hamburking]

One summer I cruised for a month with my wonderful dog. I never saw the inside of a restaurant, and very few stores, since my dog was always with me. It was too hot to leave her on the boat. I became accustomed to always eating on patios, or getting take-out. In hindsight, I missed out on really seeing the towns we visited. I love dogs, but they have no place on a boat.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by hamburking

One summer I cruised for a month with my wonderful dog. I never saw the inside of a restaurant, and very few stores, since my dog was always with me. It was too hot to leave her on the boat. I became accustomed to always eating on patios, or getting take-out. In hindsight, I missed out on really seeing the towns we visited. I love dogs, but they have no place on a boat.

I think this is the essence of cruising with a dog. It will change the entire nature of the cruise, will definitely limit your options and will to a great degree establish what you do and what you experience.

For me, I love animals but want no more pets.

[CaptsWife]

Originally Posted by skipmac

I think this is the essence of cruising with a dog. It will change the entire nature of the cruise, will definitely limit your options and will to a great degree establish what you do and what you experience.

For me, I love animals but want no more pets.

Completely agree. Which is why we'll cruise WITH the dog now, and once he passes, there will be no more dogs for us. Part of me can't imagine life without dogs. And then again, I really don't want to cruise with a dog....for both the dog AND us.

[Prov]

Hi,

We just brought our Service Dog (german shepherd) to Turkey from the U.S. First it was a lengthy process with Titer tests (main requirement), Vet Exams, USDA Vet Exam 10 days prior to travel.

First we tortured her with 1 hr flight, 6 hr layover, then a 14 hour flight. Yes she behaved beautifully staying at our feet the entire trip. But I could tell she was not happy.

Upon arrival in Istanbul, we were prevented from taking a domestic flight and ended up renting a car to travel for another 7 hours by car.

While sailing and at the Marina, we contended with stray dogs and the like. Our dog walks perfectly at heel (off leash) regardless of other animals or cats. We kept her on a leash. However when there is an aggressive dog, she is in protection mode. There was an incident and the stray was hit by a car as it retreated.

She loves to sail and has her own lifejacket. So the sailing and being on the boat was absolutely great.

We are now in Izmir (as I write this), we can't take her out, there are just too many stray dogs. It has been challenging and not pleasant having to deal with this situation.

We made the decision on this trip to leave her behind with family when we make these sailing trips in the future. Not an easy decision considering she is a Medical Alert Dog and it is my health that is risked. But it means more personal monitoring.

The stress of traveling with the dog is much more than just the hoops you have to jump through from country to country.

My advice is to leave the animals with Family. I know it is hard.

Take care.

[Pameladz]

Originally Posted by s/v Moondancer

50,000 people die per year of rabies and NZ is rabies free and intends to stay that way. It is difficult and expensive to take your dogs to NZ and you need to respect their laws and reasons for those laws. You will find similar problems in other British based systems.

New Zealand —

We know lots of world cruisers and very few if any with dogs. The way around the NZ laws is not to go there. But then Australia has similar rules.

Ceilydh Set Sail: Cost of Bringing a Cat to Australia

Why can't they allow if the dogs had a veterinary test?

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by Pameladz

Why can't they allow if the dogs had a veterinary test?

NZ does allow dogs in, but the process is lengthy and expensive.

We brought our dog with us when we moved from Canada to NZ a few years ago (by plane). It took us over six months from microchipping and titre testing our dog via a lab in Kansas to being able to fly him to NZ. That first step started a six month clock, which when ended required a second titre test. With both tests negative for rabies, we were able to get the import permit for our dog.

We handed our dog over to the pet moving company two days before our flight and once in NZ he was taken straight to a quarantine facility. He was there for three weeks. Then we finally could bring him home.

That was absolutely the worst time in our lives - we visited him once and hearing him cry as we left, all crying ourselves, meant we didn’t go back until he was able to come home with us.

Don’t do this to your dog over and over - just don’t blue water cruise with your dog.

[Caddy Shack]

I think the blanket statements are over the top, but time will tell for us. For now our plans are limited to Mexico and based on my time spent there previously, we don't expect it to be a huge deal. Our dog has been living aboard with us for six years. We're leaving with him next week!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wr_JT9p6c0&t=3s

[TJ D]

We have a bit of a different take than the 'don't cruise with your dog' camp. I think that it's perfectly viable.
Baxter has lived on board with us for 10 years. After a few years in the PNW We've sailed from the W. coast of the USA south a couple of times, transited Panama, spent time in the Caribbean, went up and down the E. coast of the US/Canadian Maritimes a couple of times, and are now cruising Europe.

The dog has been with us for all of this but the transatlantic. We flew him ahead, because we were crossing from Newfoundland, and expected some hard weather. Baxter's not happy when it's really rough.

Having the dog along has been very much a net positive. But, there are drawbacks. Here are a few thoughts.

1. The S. Pacific is on our list of places to cruise. We won't do it with the dog. No way. Islands in general (especially rabies free ones) aren't too keen on foreign animals. This area is really a logistical nightmare for pets.

2. There are plenty of cruising opportunities with the dog, however. We've had no issues whatsoever. There is a cost to comply with local regulations, but we've typically been able to find a vet who can complete a health certificate. We do our best to fully comply with our next country's rules, but generally find that they couldn't care less.

3. The UK (rabies free) has been the strictest country. And for good reason. Still, we had no problems.

4. The dog does limit a lot of what you can do ashore while they're along. Baxter doesn't mind being left on board all that much, so if we have some indoor activity we'd like to do, we ditch him on the boat. But, we're always aware of our time away. It's not a hardship for us, but it is a factor.

5. As long as the dog can learn to do his business on board, it's not too bad with being forced to get him ashore all the time. Baxter used to be pretty stubborn about not wanting to toilet on board if he could see land, but now that he's older, it's less of an issue. I think he's getting lazy as he gets old, and he'd rather stay home than go through the exercise.

Anyway, we've been just fine cruising with the mutt. He's happy on board, doesn't mind the passages.

I think that it's fine to cruise with dogs, with the right approach.

But not to the S. Pacific.

TJ