Hi Woodbrook- We've only made it a few thousand miles to Mexico, so far. We left Washington State with our faithful 4-legged family member, Buddy aboard. He was a great cruising dog, loves swimming (like all labs??) and frolicing on the beaches. He was great in getting us off the boat to walk and run on beaches.
Buddy was well equipped for cruising. We found that 'Ruffwear' makes the best lifejacket we've seen, as well as a harness for rides ashore and for his 'tether' offshore. We made sure he had his 'International Health Certificate', his own first-aid and drug kit, including 'happy pills' to take the edge off when it got a bit rough and he was getting really nervous (used rarely).
That said, we sadly adopted him out to another family before we head across the Pacific. We spent a lot of time contemplating what was fair to him. I'm sure he would cope with the extended passages. But what happens when we arrive at islands where he is prohibited from going ashore?? Not fair to him to remain on board in sight of land and beaches. I'm sure that some will 'smuggle' their pets ashore. The quarantines are for reason. We didn't want to bring diseases to the shores of our hosts, and especially didn't want Buddy to contract a sickness in which he had no immunity.
Then there's the selfish side. We want to travel inland and see sights. Not so easy with a dog... even though we might be able to board him for those trips.
We evaluated just about every option, from dealing with the quarantines to avoiding locations where dogs can't come ashore. In all, we felt it was best for him to remain with a family in the US. In our case, a family waited a year to adopt him. It's been said that 'in two-weeks, dogs move on', meaning that they'll adjust easily and more quickly than us to a new home and family.
Should you decide to take your dog, check out the harness and lifejacket at
www.ruffwear.com If 'going' on the deck is a problem, there is a book titled "you can teach your dog to eliminate on command", available from Amazon. We got him ID tags that indicated that he lived on a boat, with the boat name. I'm sure ure you've already checked Noonsite with regards to pets at your intended destinations.
And for shameless self-promotion, Buddy's sailing page is here:
Buddy's Page
Best of luck...
Steve