Getting Lifeslinged at the Slip

[WildJasmine]

Our chocolate lab fell in the water at the slip at extreme low tide the other night. I had to get in the water to get him but we couldn't lift him out so we lifeslinged him.

I was so tired from struggling with him I had to be lifeslinged out my self. Probably funny to watch but it was an intense 15 minutes.

So If you were wondering, it is possible to lifesling a dog.

And kudos to the wife for getting him and a slightly drunk 250 pound fat man out of the water before the sharks got us.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by WildJasmine

Our chocolate lab fell in the water at the slip at extreme low tide the other night. I had to get in the water to get him but we couldn't lift him out so we lifeslinged him.

I was so tired from struggling with him I had to be lifeslinged out my self. Probably funny to watch but it was an intense 15 minutes.

So If you were wondering, it is possible to lifesling a dog.

And kudos to the wife for getting him and a slightly drunk 250 pound fat man out of the water before the sharks got us.

No ladder on the boat? No ladder on a neigbors boat? No ladder on the piers (this is a building code requirement)? If no on the latter, the marina needs to add them. This should have been a trivial event.

[Target9000]

These are the moments that video cameras were made for. j/k Glad it worked out!

[WildJasmine]

Originally Posted by thinwater

No ladder on the boat? No ladder on a neigbors boat? No ladder on the piers (this is a building code requirement)? If no on the latter, the marina needs to add them. This should have been a trivial event.

I have a rope ladder on the boat, the dog is 70 pounds. I am much stronger than the average person and there was no way I was going to be able to carry his struggling self up. There is one ladder on the dock at the opposite end and again it was extreme low tide, carrying a struggling 70 pound dog 6 feet up a ladder is not as easy as it may seem to you. I would almost say its impossible.

In any case If you have a dog and take them out on the boat, make sure you are prepared with the correct tools to get them out of the water if the situation arises. It was an eyeopening and learning experience.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by WildJasmine

I have a rope ladder on the boat, the dog is 70 pounds. I am much stronger than the average person and there was no way I was going to be able to carry his struggling self up. There is one ladder on the dock at the opposite end and again it was extreme low tide, carrying a struggling 70 pound dog 6 feet up a ladder is not as easy as it may seem to you. I would almost say its impossible.

In any case If you have a dog and take them out on the boat, make sure you are prepared with the correct tools to get them out of the water if the situation arises. It was an eyeopening and learning experience.

I agree with the struggling dog bit. Maybe when I was in my 30s, but I can barely remember that.

It was the re-boarding yourself that concerned me. Rope ladders are fine for the slender in fair weather. Do you and your wife a safety-favor and get a real ladder. Nature sent you a warning, and I've learned over the years to head them. Think how much fun she would have had if she was also sailing the boat. She might have failed.

[WildJasmine]

Originally Posted by thinwater

I agree with the struggling dog bit. Maybe when I was in my 30s, but I can barely remember that.

It was the re-boarding yourself that concerned me. Rope ladders are fine for the slender in fair weather. Do you and your wife a safety-favor and get a real ladder. Nature sent you a warning, and I've learned over the years to head them. Think how much fun she would have had if she was also sailing the boat. She might have failed.

Already on my list of stuff to get. You are exactly right. We had just gotten the life sling a week or two before, had we not had that it would have been a huge ordeal.
I agree with the lessons of nature. We have been handed a few recently and there always seems to be something major that happens after a minor incident occurs and we have already made the adjustment making the major issue minor.
Its all a huge learning experience.

[Knapweed]

I don't have a dog on board but would it be possible to have him wear a harness. A bigger version of the one you can sometimes see on poodles and pekes. If there was a ring on his back at his COG, I think it would be pretty straightforward to winch him out. Not so necessary in a marina, perhaps, but pretty useful whilst underway.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Two things to bear in mind:-

1) If something had gone wrong with the lifesling you could well be dead by now.

2) If you had got dead - and the dog had survived (that scenario happens often enough) - by now it would be very happily wagging it's tail at whoever was now feeding it.

[markpierce]

Unfortunately, no ladders on the docks at my marina.

My boat has a ladder at the stern, but would need to be lowered (do before jumping in the water or have a third person do it). In a marina, a nearby boat may be the means for getting out.

[gunkylump]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Two things to bear in mind:-

1) If something had gone wrong with the lifesling you could well be dead by now.

2) If you had got dead - and the dog had survived (that scenario happens often enough) - by now it would be very happily wagging it's tail at whoever was now feeding it.

LOL David! #2 is spot on!

gunk

[decktapper]

Originally Posted by Knapweed

I don't have a dog on board but would it be possible to have him wear a harness. A bigger version of the one you can sometimes see on poodles and pekes. If there was a ring on his back at his COG, I think it would be pretty straightforward to winch him out. Not so necessary in a marina, perhaps, but pretty useful whilst underway.

My Siberian Husky wore a harness while around water, and a leash on the harness, as he got old, I pulled him out of the water multiple times with it. While he was old, he pulled me around on snow skis. It was a cheap investment, and well worth keeping on the dog when on the boat or around water.

[Rubyvee]

Our labradoodle has a life jacket with a handle on the back. The rule is that if he's on deck, he's either wearing is life jacket or on a short leash to something sturdy so he can't reach the lifelines to go under or through them. Both would be my preference. Haven't had to haul him out of the water yet, but he's young. We always planned that we could haul him up by the handle --- although he's getting bigger now, so we may need to winch him up. WE also invested in a very sturdy swim ladder.