Dogs and breaching Marine beasties

[Sea Dreaming]

This is not a truly "serious" post. But last night (yes, it wasa dark and stormy night)
I was thinkin about how doggies, looking over the edge of a boat to enjoy the water view, might look like dinner to sharks and orca. Having seen both consume live prey, this is horrifying.
So how safe are our pets from marine beasties breaching for lunch?

[chris mac]

Years ago, while diving at a marina on Vancouver Island, I was told of a poodle being taken by an octopus. Apparently the dog was swimming when it happened.
When we went down we did find a fairly large octopus in its cave.
I haven't heard of any pets being taken off deck though.

[Sea Dreaming]

Yay! A response! Think about though...a doggie with floppy ears that lays close to the scull could look very seal like when seen from below.
As for the poodle.....An octopus seems like it would not want such difficult prey, but a squid might! I'm just going to tell myself the story isn't true. I'm only prepared to worry about sharks and orcas for now...

[44'cruisingcat]

In some areas crocodiles are a far bigger worry.

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

In some areas crocodiles are a far bigger worry.

No doubt! Thankfully we are croc-less in my part of the world. Though strangely we do have an alligator farm in the San Luis valley. I even got to sit on a big live one! (they don't care if they aren't hungry)

[Calif.Ted]

No worries, I've heard Orcas won't come near a sailboat.

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

In some areas crocodiles are a far bigger worry.

Years ago in the Kimberlies I heard a story about a yachty who was wearing a straw hat whilst fishing from a dingy. He bent over to reach for a new bait out of a bucket just as the croc made a lunge for the hat. The croc got the hat and he had a deep claw gouge from his back. The locals blamed it upon the tour operators who hang chickens over the side of their tour vessels to entice the crocs to lunge up out of the water for the tourists.

Might have been a true story and does a light coloured poodle look like a chicken to a croc?

I have posted the image on here before the last time in relation to pissing over the side.

[Seaslug Caravan]

Does a Pelican grabbing a yapping Chihuahua count as a canine "V" marine beastie story.

No harm to either animal , but is was funny to watch.

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by Seaslug Caravan

Does a Pelican grabbing a yapping Chihuahua count as a canine "V" marine beastie story.

No harm to either animal , but is was funny to watch.

Yeah, canine morsel and aquatic bird story gets half way there without much thread drift.

[Sea Dreaming]

Dogs, orca, alligators, crocodiles, pelicans....it's all good. We don't have pelicans in Colorado but I did see one at the Melbourne zoo many years ago. It was as tall as the toddler that wanted to grab it's bill.
I can imagine a small dog might look like a snack to a pelican. Poor puppy!

Hmm...come to think of it, sea lions on deck might be even more terrifying than orca. How many sea lions would it take to sink a boat?

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

This is not a truly "serious" post. But last night (yes, it wasa dark and stormy night)
I was thinkin about how doggies, looking over the edge of a boat to enjoy the water view, might look like dinner to sharks and orca. Having seen both consume live prey, this is horrifying.
So how safe are our pets from marine beasties breaching for lunch?

Now you've got ME worried about looking over the rail! Thanks a LOT! Actually I have never heard of beasties breaching for anything on a boat. The only times I have seen dog meet beastie it was sea lions and the two species looked upon each other with eager curiosity more than intent to consume.

"Hmm...come to think of it, sea lions on deck might be even more terrifying than orca. How many sea lions would it take to sink a boat? "
Most likely more than could fit on the deck. I had one take up residence on my deck one time, what a mess. Apparently he was sick and needed a place to hang out for a couple weeks.

But mentioning pelicans reminded me of a time when a pelican came swimming right up to my boat fearlessly. Odd, I thought as I looked over the rail. And there in his pouch I could see the reason for its boldness, he had a big fish hook stuck in his pouch under his bill. Without really thinking I just reached over and grabbed it by the bill and pulled him aboard, he did not complain. After pulling the hook out I threw him back and he just swam off without so much as a glance back! The beasties are not ravenous and aggressive predators, they are ungrateful opportunists!