Best pet for international cruising

[Idaho]

Get a cricket and a cage for it. The Chinese have kept pet crickets for millennia. Plus, they are lucky.

[Fore and Aft]

Nuru05 here in Australia it's no pet's in national parks so that rules a pet out for us unless we just want to visit towns or leave the pet with neighbours.
Depending how mental you are you could have a stuffed pet that has its own character. We found this toy dingo Scrapper buried on the beach on Fraser island. The wife gave him a voice and the adventures he gets up to. I even made a video of him fetching a stick using some fishing line. He's looking a bit sheepish this morning as I found him on the couch surrounded by half eaten chips. The kids just love that sort of stuff.
Cheers

[JPA Cate]

I don't know the regulations in Australia for them, but parrots are entertaining pets. Friends had no problem taking theirs ashore in Mexico, but all nations have their own restrictions. And you'd have to be checking them for each new country.

Perhaps a pseudo-pet would work: she could adopt a species, perhaps among the delphinidae. The so-called "Common Dolphin" is often sighted on Pacific passages, also spinner dolphins, and Atlantic spotted dolphins.

A downside to having a pet aboard is the conflict between your desire to do the right thing if it gets swept overboard in bad weather, and the desire to keep the boat and its people safe. This situation did occur for friends of ours, and it was a real heartbreak for the woman to leave their dog to drown. Our stewardship over our pets is often something we take very close to heart.

It is the quarantine people that folks with pets deal with, in addition to Customs. There are significant fees for keeping cats and dogs in quarantine, and it may endure up to 6 months. About 15 yrs. ago, it was $5,000 in Oz. In general, I think cats are easier on boats than dogs, but dogs are more openly adoring. Unless your 7 year old is particularly responsible, and you plan to avoid places like HI, NZ, OZ, and New Caledonia, it would be better for her to wait -- perhaps till she is out on her own.
Having pets to care for means not doing some things she'd like to do, also, plus, you and your good lady wife ultimately have to be responsible, too.

Imho, the kindest thing in the long run is to say no for now.



Ann

[s/v Jedi]

So for those who want a dog anyway (absolutely best security option to have), know that there is a special breed for this: Skipperke.

It’s no joke, Google it. They originated in Belgium and are great dogs to have on board

[AbacoSun]

I won't comment on whether or not having a pet aboard is a good idea -- that's up to you to decide.

But as far as bringing pets across borders, I can tell you that for the past 10 years, I've travelled between the U.S., the Bahamas and Canada with our dog, and it's been incredibly easy. You don't say where you're planning to travel, but here's what you need to know for US, Canada and Bahamas...

Bringing dog into U.S., we've only ever had to demonstrate the dog's age (I think he has to be 12 weeks or something like that...) and that he's had his rabies shot. I just bring along his list of vaccines and tell them his age -- never had an issue.

Bringing dog into Canada, pretty much same thing as for the U.S. Never had an issue.

Bringing dog into the Bahamas -- you need to get a pet import permit, which is pretty simple (here's a blog post I did about how to do it: https://abacosun.com/2022/01/31/brin...o-the-bahamas/. A Bahamian pet import permit is good for a year, so you can get it well in advance.

The most challenging thing about bringing a dog into the Bahamas by sea is that it needs to be examined by a vet within 48 hours of import -- although for boaters, I believe they're flexible with that time frame. And many of our cruising friends just ask their vet to leave the proof of examination document blank, so they can date it according to when they arrive in the Bahamas.

Hope that's helpful. Happy to provide more info if needed.


Amanda

[Wotname]

Lots of good advice upthread!

Let me add... if saying NO at this time is hard, just think how hard it is going to be when (not if) something bad happens to the pet or it ends up in mandated quarantine for weeks or months to say nothing of the costs.

What about a small goldfish in a gimballed tank .

[Fore and Aft]

Wotname I think a couple posted on here who got dismasted in the Bahamas and ended up losing the cat in the same incident. Sad story and probably added extra grief to an already stressful situation. I wonder what happened to them?
Cheers

[Mariefred]

Unless you want a pet, then don't give in. You'll be the one looking after it and clearing up the mess.

I gave in after years of resistance and got the kids a cat. Luckily low maintenance because the kids have grown up and gone, and the bloody cat is still clinging on to life. Thank God it was my ex- that they they hassled to get a dog.

[Manateeman]

Adopt a manatee at Save The Manatee .org They will send you photos and stuff and you can explain the environmental impacts of dogs and cats and all the negative results on our planet that you get from having a pet..from pet food production to waste disposal. It’s a business no one wants to talk about.
You can do a biology class on pet disease transmission to humans too.
Rather than just saying NO, give her all the facts about the consequences of having pets vs the enjoyment. Let her decide.
Mark

[Rumrace]

I had a Burmese cat for 20 years. I use to ask her if she wanted to go to the boat. Nada. Before we had a cottage and she was all in. She literally supervised car loading and climbed in to a cushy spot. She took over the V birth but was definitely not a boater. At the cottage she’d have nothing to do with the boats either.
We had a serious big boat a 40 SeaRay Sedan but house like or not she just sat in corners handing out “ you’re a disgusting human” looks.
So very intelligent cats might tolerate your boat and disappear next port.
Big dogs nails tear up fibreglass and they won’t wear speery’s.
Now a lizard will eat bugs and hang out with her like best pals.

[houseofcharm]

A dolphin or 2nd best would be a cat.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Besides all the customs problems outline above.

I've met quite a few cruisers with young children. Your daughter will quickly make friends with other kids and the pet thing will disappear into the wild blue yonder.

Absolutely true we find in the Caribbean. Kids learn to recognize the other kid boats as you pull into an anchorage. Often, they have their own mini rallies and travel together. Often, they set up their own VHF kid channel. They will get way too involved to want to manage pets. You can add pet duty to your child management and home schooling.

I suggest a stuffed toy.

Most pets we see on board are with older couples and single handers.

Pet protocol at any entry is highly variable. You may have to revaccinate or other hoops. The requirements are typically far worse for a pet than any COVID rules. They seem to think fluffy caries plague. Meanwhile, stray cats, dogs, goats, sheep, mongoose, iguana, chickens roam freely.

[ItDepends]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

. They seem to think fluffy caries plague. Meanwhile, stray cats, dogs, goats, sheep, mongoose, iguana, chickens roam freely.

Actually this makes perfect sense on an island. Having a case of canine rabies on on island with a large population of feral and semi-feral dogs would be a disaster.

I know to almost everybody in the first world "rabies" is just a vaccine your pet gets. But if there is any virus that can be classified as downright evil, rabies is it.

It usually tends to stay (more or less) confined to one population, raccoons, bats, fox. Having it break into a large, dense population of dogs mixed in with people would make Steven King's book "Cujo" seem like a bedtime story for kids.

[seacap]

I would recommend a miniature poodle. Check out Jackthesailingdog on Instagram. We have had him onboard for 9 years cruising the Caribbean. Poodles don’t shed and because they are one of the smartest dogs they are easily trained. Jack also loves the water and gets 95% of his exercise that way. Because he is well trained he does not bark unnecessarily. You can also train poodles or most dogs to go on the foredeck. Then just hose it off.

Clearing customs is not a hassle. There is usually a question if you have a dog (pet). We always answer yes. But we are NOT IMPOrTING him. That is the key. So he stays on the boat.

Dogs are a GREAT early warning system for any boat.

Enjoy!

[TorronnaPwr]

Goldfish