Cruising with dogs: equipment for smaller brothers

Most of these lists are limited to life jackets and trays. Intersail shares some ideas for equipment that will help your faithful pet feel more confident on the water. Although most of the equipment is designed for dogs, some of the items presented will be universal solutions. We talked about the general principles of life on board with animals in this article. We recommend you read it.

Swimming for everyone!

For us humans, shipyard manufacturers have provided swim platforms, drop-down transoms and much more. Unfortunately, there was less attention to animals. However, this is not a reason to deprive dogs of different sizes of the joy of exploring the sea or ocean.

There are a range of semi-rigid inflatable platforms for people and animals. These platforms have a rigid frame and are inflated using pumps. In addition, these can be used not only by animals, but also by people. For convenience, the platforms are equipped with special hard underwater steps that will help your animal get out of the water without difficulty.

There is a net stretched between the “floats” of the platform where the dog can sit and dry off. An excellent investment if your pet loves water treatments. The cost of such a platform can vary from $150 to $240.

Eye protection

Another not-so-obvious weak point of animals is their eyes. It is especially unpleasant when a family pet returns home with an eye infection after visiting a local pond. To prevent this, you should consider purchasing special dog glasses.

There are several companies that produce such protection for dogs. Among the most famous are RexSpecs. The company produces glasses in different sizes: XS, small, medium, large and XL. In order to find out the required size, you need to measure the circumference of the animal's head and compare it with the manufacturer's size chart. 

Such glasses will not only prevent infection from unwanted infections, but will also protect your eyes from mechanical damage. This is especially true for active dogs who like to explore the bushes.

Bowls and utensils

There is probably no universal recommendation here, but we will try to give general advice. The container from which the animal will consume food and water must be deep enough so that when it rolls or rolls, food and liquid do not fly out of it. You can choose the material of the bowl at your discretion, but it is better to choose durable and non-staining materials.

Separately, I would like to touch on the topic of bowl stability. As with other dishes in the galley, it is advisable to ensure that the bowl has good traction so that if there is heavy rocking, the contents of your pet's bowl will not end up on the floor and walls. To prevent this scenario, there are special adhesive tapes. Some bowls and utensils, such as those from Yeti, already have an anti-slip coating. 

Safety system

Did you think that everything would end with installing an alarm system on the boat? No matter how it is! You still need to ensure the safety of your pet. The system, called 1st Mate (“First Mate”), was created to quickly respond if a person was overboard. However, the developers also added a function for tracking the activity of a dog or any other pet.

Of course, animals swim much better than people, but due to their small size, it sometimes becomes difficult to detect them. In addition, the loss may not be immediately noticed - and this is the worst thing. The 1st Mate system helps you avoid losing your pet.

The essence of the system is simple: a special bracelet or keychain is attached to a person. If a person falls into the water, the key fob sends a MOB signal to the skipper's device and other crew members, notifying them of the person (or animal) on board. The skipper's key fob also has a function to turn off the engine if a crew member's key fob gets into the water. Some yachtsmen attach such keychains to the collars of dogs and cats.

New video on the Interparus channel!

Hello friends! Today for you is the fluffiest video release from Interparus - Sasha Goron managed to interview a young inexperienced cabin boy Yoshi (Shiba Inu) about how he generally likes the owners’ idea of taking him on a boat and sailing. ⛵ Since most of you are unlikely to own a dog, Sasha told in his own words all of Yoshi’s thoughts, and also gave a lot of useful information about the life of a dog on yachts. Enjoy watching!

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09.12.2023