Ahoy pet travelers! With summer in full swing and Labor Day around the corner, what better way to enjoy this hot weather than with a boat trip? Whether you?re cruising on a ship, yacht, or kayak don?t forget your dog would love to join you if it?s permitted. So grab your pet, your water gear and follow these tips for some pet friendly summer boating fun!
Things to consider pre-voyage:
There are a few things to consider before hitting the water with your pet. If you?re pet has never been around water or a boat, try introducing it to them slowly. Give your pet a chance to discover the boat while it is docked or on the trailer. Before untying, start up the engine and see how your pet reacts. Give them treats to support good behavior. Once your dog or cat is seaworthy, start off on small trips and work your way to longer boat rides.
Make sure your pet?s identification includes your updated information, your local marina?s address and phone number, as well as dock slip number if available.
Things to consider while boating:
Have a pet flotation device on hand. Let your pet try it on around the house before hitting the water. Remember in case of an emergency this could save your pets life.
Pets can get sunburned! Especially the ears, paws and nose are very susceptible to sunburns. Most children sunscreens will be safe for dogs but we recommend contacting your vet for a list of options.
Bring plenty of water and provide shade on the boat. Remember that dogs do not sweat. Signs of overheating include heavy panting and drooling. Creating shade on the boat will help reduce the chances of your pet overheating. If your dog plans on getting in the water, provide drinking water prior. Salt or brackish water isn’t good for your pet and could possibly make them sick.
Things to consider when it?s time to go ashore:
Check ahead before arriving on shore. Remember some marinas, wildlife areas and parks do not allow pets.
Leash your pet prior to docking. Although your dog might be the most lovable harmless pooch in the world, not everybody is a pet lover. Also, dogs can get antsy during the docking process. This will help curb some of the excitement.
Always keep a copy of vaccination and health records on hand. Some destinations (especially if you?re traveling internationally) will require proof of immunizations.
Traveling by boat with your pet is a great way to spend quality time outdoors and enjoy the beautiful weather. With a little preparation (and some sunscreen!) you?ll be ready to hit the water with your furry first mate.
Marynka – we wish we had information for you; however, we do not know of any option to relocate a dog from Australia to Chile (or other location) by water. If other pet owners have info, please post!
Susan
Hi, we live in Perth, Western Australia, and will be relocating to Chile in early 2020. We have a bulldog, being a snub nosed breed, airlines are reluctant to take the risk of flying them internationally.
Just wondering if there’s any suggestions for ways of possibly taking him there by water instead?
Any information, suggestions or real life experience is appreciated
RJ – we are not aware of a commercial vessel that is “pet friendly” other than the QM2 which sails between NYC and the UK. Driving would be possible; however there are a lot of countries to pass through and they all have their own pet import regulations. You can find information about a private charter here and a table with estimates of prices: https://www.pettravel.com/private-jet-charter-pets.cfm. It is not inexpensive to charter a private jet; however it is quite an experience. As for flying commercially, millions of dogs do that each year. In our opinion, the best thing you can do for your pets is to get them high-quality crates like those found here:https://www.pettravelstore.com/pet-crates/ and get your dogs acclimated to their crates. If you think you will have a problem with acclimation, there is a great article here: https://blog.pettravel.com/index.php/what-you-must-do-before-traveling-with-a-pet/. All the time and effort you take doing that will pay off.
Hello,
My family and I (including 3 large dogs) are considering a move from the US to Chile. I am very scared to fly them via a commercial airline. Previously, I have refused to do so, even driving miles out of the way to avoid it. Is it possible to travel from the US to South America by sea? If not, what are my other options? How do I find a charter flight and how much do they cost?
Thanks,
RJ
We do not have any record of your comments, RJ.
I don’t know why but my comments are not posting 🙁
Hi JoJo – do you have a question about transporting a pet?
hi
Lucie – because Australia is an island, you only options for transporting your dogs are by air and by sea. Because your dogs are too big to fly in the cabin, they must fly in the cargo hold if they are flying on a commercial airline. Another option would be a private charter; however, that would be pretty expensive. We wish we had options by sea, but we do not. You may be able to find a private boat that would get your dogs to the mainland. We do not have offices in Australia; but you can inquire to a local transporter by searching for one at IPATA.org.
Phil
Hi,
We are considerrimg to relocate from Brisbane, Australia to Czech Republic, Europe.
We have a one and a half year old daughter and two large dogs. I can not imagine sending them on a flight in a cage without seeing us and not knowing what is happening I worry it would be too hard on them flying over 30 hrs with stopovers.
Is there any ship that would take us all together over to Europe, I realize it would take a month or longer but being together is the main point for us right now.
Thank you so much for any adviceor direction.
Lucie
Jose – due to regulations set by commercial airines, all live animals must enter the UK as air cargo. That means you must contact their cargo department (not the reservations number). If your dog is a small dog, then you can take Le Shuttle from Calais and have a friend, relative or service pick you up in Calais as you must ride Le Shuttle in a car. DFDS has a ferry out of Rotterdam that will accept foot traffic. You may want to check that out.
Susan
Need to take my dog to UK, from USA. No European airline company seem to do it, I was thinking to take The Ferry, but I need to drive. I don’t drive in the UK. Any Idea?
Hello Liliane – you mention that your dogs have a passport. Was this passport issued in the EU? If yes, then the second question is, did your dogs receive their current rabies vaccination while in the United States? If yes, then they will need an EU Health Certificates for the first country you intend to visit in order to reflect their current rabies vaccination. The certificates must be issued by USDA-accredited veteriarians and endorsed by the USDA. If they did not receive their current rabies vaccination in the United States or other country and their last rabies vaccination was administered in the EU, then you should be good to go if the only counties that you are entering are EU countries and your dogs will not be disembarking in other countries that may be high-rabies countries before arriving to the EU. If your dogs do not have EU Pet Passports, then they will need EU health certifcates issued by USDA-accredited veterinarians and endorsed by the USDA. You can find requirements to enter all EU countries here: https://www.pettravel.com/passportnew.cfm.
Susan
Hello,
We will be sailing from the USA to all over Europe with our 2 dogs. Please if someone knows what are the require documents that we will need in order to cross the Atlantic ocean. They already have their own passport.
Thank you for your kind help!
Brit – we regret that we know of no commercial vessel that will transport pets that sails between Australia or NZ and the United States.
Jason
Hello All
Do you know of any options to travel by boat with your dog from Australia or NZ to the US?
Thank you!
Cheers
Brit
Marianne – hard to respond to your post not knowing where the Bulldog is traveling to France from. There are breed restrictions for this breed on many airlines. Lufthansa will carry it. Air France will as well, but only as air cargo. Know that AF will require pets to be claimed and rechecked in the layover airport, so non-stop is best for AF (Air France).
Susan
My son (military) is moving to France in June. He has an American bulldog, 8 years old, 70 lbs and want to take him. What is the best way to transport him?
SA – assuming that your Frenchie is not small enough to fly in the cabin, you may want to contact Lufthansa as they will fly French Bulldogs in the cargo hold. However, they share your route with Air Canada who does not carry them. See if you can get your pet to anywhere in Canada on Lufthansa, then clear customs and take WestJet to Montreal.
Susan
Hello and thank you for this article. I would like to go from morocco to montreal canada and i have a french buldog. Do you know of any way to transport him on this route. Thank you