Dogs On Boats

[Moonchild]

Hi all,hoping to move on to my first boat very soon.. at present have one very sensitive rescue dog and considering a second as a companion.I wondered what the issues were in leaving dogs on boats whilst working/studying etc..particularly in the heatwave!!?

Obviously boats get pretty hot whilst closed so any tips appreciated?

Cheers!

[mark99]

Can you clarify, are you contending leaving a dog locked in a boat whilst you are away?

 

I recently moored in this heat under a tree covered area for 4 days and even with all 4 side hatches open, the two houdinis hatches fully open, the front and rear doors open plus all portholes open I was overheating just wearing shorts and doing little.

 

Mark

[Grace and Favour]

Hi all,hoping to move on to my first boat very soon.. at present have one very sensitive rescue dog and considering a second as a companion.I wondered what the issues were in leaving dogs on boats whilst working/studying etc..particularly in the heatwave!!?

Obviously boats get pretty hot whilst closed so any tips appreciated?

Cheers!

May I seriously suggest you speak to the RSPCA and they will dispense their honest advice

 

Although whether or not it will be what you want to hear, I have no idea

[Guest]

Hi all,hoping to move on to my first boat very soon.. at present have one very sensitive rescue dog and considering a second as a companion.I wondered what the issues were in leaving dogs on boats whilst working/studying etc..particularly in the heatwave!!?

Obviously boats get pretty hot whilst closed so any tips appreciated?

Cheers!

Would you leave a dog in a car in the current heatwave???

 

You don't sound sensible enough to look after one rescue dog let alone two...

[Starcoaster]

To be fair the OP doesn't have a boat yet, and so may not be aware of how cripplingly hot they can get. So to be clear, it is not the same as a house, it is more like a car.

 

The inside of a boat in summer (depending on the boat, some are cripplingly hot and some not so awful, but still very hot) is equivalent to the inside of a car. Hot cars kill faster than boats, which are larger, as they run out of fresh air faster, meaning that the dog's panting is unable to cool them down. But as with any hot enclosed metal box, there is no safe way to leave an animal unattended and unable to get out of the heat for any length of time in the hot weather.

Fans= no.

Open windows= no.

Bowl of water= no.

Cooling coats with icepacks in them= no. The ice melts, the dog is then even hotter unless you are there to keep replenishing it, due to wearing an extra layer.

These things are not safety defaults or talismans, they are what dogs should have anyway, along with supervision at any time of risk (hot weather) as heatstroke is fast and fatal.

 

I am promoting a special offer for both boaters and drivers at the moment: Totally free reward! Broken window or forced door for any owner who leaves a dog unattended and overheating inside.

 

Sorry if this appears overly harsh, but when you've had to deal with the consequences more than once, heard the "but what if I..?" and "But I was only gone an hour, I thought it would be ok!" 's, I have learnt that plain speaking is the only way to get the point across.

 

Think of the boat like a car, not a house. Plan accordingly.

Edited July 24, 2013 by Starcoaster

[Tuscan]

Your sensitive rescue dog will already be very nervous of his new boat home without then being left as well. I would not leave my dogs in the boat in this weather locked in a boat with no windows open. Talk to the rescue people you got him from.

[mark99]

Greenie for SC.

[mrsmelly]

Hi

 

you have recieved a few knee jerk reaction replies to your post here is one from a liveaboard dog owner of many years standing.

We leave our present dog and others in the past when we are working much the same as millions of people who are unfortunate enough to live in houses do every day when they go to work.

We NEVER lock our boat when the dog is onboard as how could anyone get her out in the event of a fire onboard for instance? We do not store the crown jewels on our boat.

At present We leave all windows, side doors, front and rear doors and sky lights open all of the time, we also leave a fan on as we are plugged in. The boat is far cooler than a car and the dog has sense to lay in an area without windows.

In short if you leave water and allow the dog onto front and rear decks and do not lock it in there will be no problem.

 

Tim

[Starcoaster]

I agree, if you are prepared to leave the boat open so that the dog can get outside if it needs to (and provide a shaded area outside) the situation may be viable, although dogs in general require more attention in hot weather and someone to check on them.

But closing up the boat as the OP mentioned in the first post would be a HUGE error in judgement. Windows and hatches open are not enough, the dog must be able to get out, and even then you have to be careful that the 'out' has shade and breeze.

[alan_fincher]

Need to leave it a supply of poop bags too, so it can clean up after itself if it has had a wander around outside!

[mrsmelly]

I agree, if you are prepared to leave the boat open so that the dog can get outside if it needs to (and provide a shaded area outside) the situation may be viable, although dogs in general require more attention in hot weather and someone to check on them.

But closing up the boat as the OP mentioned in the first post would be a HUGE error in judgement. Windows and hatches open are not enough, the dog must be able to get out, and even then you have to be careful that the 'out' has shade and breeze.

Hi Starry

 

yes I wasnt slighting your post at all as usual it was sensible and to the point and I know you know far more about animals than I do. I was stating that if thought out sensibly a dog can be left on the boat at any time but why oh flippin why do so many people seem to think their boat has to have eight million locks on it all the time? we do not after all live in Jo burgh do we.

 

Tim

Need to leave it a supply of poop bags too, so it can clean up after itself if it has had a wander around outside!

Our dog cannot wander about outside on its own. i paid several hundred pounds as a responsible dog owner to have a steel fence fitted on the rear of our boat and we also have both front and rear some of the lattice wood jobbies from wilkos so the dog cannot get off and wander, but can get out of the boat and shelter at the rear. Simples.

 

Tim

[Pykebird]

I leave my guys in the boat whilst I am at work, summer and winter. But I do leave the windows, hatches and Houdini's open as discussed in other threads,and due to the insulation it is often cooler inside the boat than out.

If that makes me a bad owner, then so be it.

But if you have met me and mine I think you would disagree, most of the time they are asleep and I often have to wake them up for a walk.

I totally agree that to leave a dog in the car in the hot weather would be madness, but in an ideal world I would not have to leave mine to go to work either!

[Guest]

We are currently on an extended cruise in the present heatwave. By coincidence we have a rescue dog aboard, as well as a huge Labradoodle. If they were locked in the cabin during this weather, I would be surprised to find them alive on return. On a couple of nights even with all doors, windows and hatches open, we have had to run a large fan to keep ourselves and the dogs comfortable. We have let them have a swim in the day to cool down, though this carries risks on some canals. I would strongly advise against leaving unsupervised animals aboard a sealed boat in hot weather; it is just not a suitable environment.

Supervised dogs on boats are a different matter, and they mostly love it. We take up to five different family dogs on ours; better company than humans, though less useful at locks.

Hi

 

you have recieved a few knee jerk reaction replies to your post here is one from a liveaboard dog owner of many years standing.

We leave our present dog and others in the past when we are working much the same as millions of people who are unfortunate enough to live in houses do every day when they go to work.

We NEVER lock our boat when the dog is onboard as how could anyone get her out in the event of a fire onboard for instance? We do not store the crown jewels on our boat.

At present We leave all windows, side doors, front and rear doors and sky lights open all of the time, we also leave a fan on as we are plugged in. The boat is far cooler than a car and the dog has sense to lay in an area without windows.

In short if you leave water and allow the dog onto front and rear decks and do not lock it in there will be no problem.

 

Tim

I would be happy to leave my dogs aboard under those conditions, though ideally would prefer to have at least some of the boat in shade. I agree that dogs will by instinct find the coolest place, and ours sleep on the cool floor. The much maligned pram hoods are great when dogs are aboard(one of the main reasons we have one), and we have ours up a lot in this weather to give the dogs some shade. Same with the cratch cover which has no windows in our case.

Edited July 24, 2013 by Guest

[i love my narrowboat]

The people who owned our boat before us had a Jack Russell dog and used to lock him in the engine room with the top hatch open and shaded.

However we have 6 very small dogs on board and we are in the fortunate position that we can arrange work around our dogs. That is not to say they are never left on their own, we at the most would leave them for a couple of hours.

If we do leave them we leave the porthole windows open, the side hatch and front and back doors open with gates at both ends, and in this weather a fan on.

If we left them any longer then we are again fortunate that we have a dog sitter who is only a phone call away and at £5 an hour is happy to sit our furries :-)

I feel there is a difference in between a boat and a car as in our boat has 420 square feet of room and our car has approx. 35 square feet of room, portholes all open, side hatches and front and back doors gives a good flow of air.

A car on the other hand is a small sealed volume which would quickly heats up, same as I would not leave any animal in a caravan either. there is just not enough air flow in them.

I have seen dogs left in cars and can not believe people still do it, even though it is widely advertised on many sites about the dangers of leaving an animal in a car.

I think it is no different to someone living in a small flat who goes to work all day and leaves their animals indoors.

This weather has been exceptional to the norm and feel it will not last and hopefully by the time the OP gets their boat the good old English weather will be back to normal :-)

You have to be sensible and I feel by just asking the OP is showing their concern over this matter.

There are hundreds of live aboards who go to work and leave their animals on their own, so let he who is without sin cast the first stone etc etc.

I applaud the OP for asking and hope they take the 'positive feedback' with the intention it was given :-)

[tree]

I leave my guys in the boat whilst I am at work, summer and winter. But I do leave the windows, hatches and Houdini's open as discussed in other threads,and due to the insulation it is often cooler inside the boat than out.

If that makes me a bad owner, then so be it.

But if you have met me and mine I think you would disagree, most of the time they are asleep and I often have to wake them up for a walk.

I totally agree that to leave a dog in the car in the hot weather would be madness, but in an ideal world I would not have to leave mine to go to work either!

now whose a 'dimbat' ..you omitted that you also visit your boat in your work breaks to take the 'wolves' for a walk and toiletting. After spending enough time on your boat with them, I know how cool it is inside, which has been a blessing in this hot weather, and them and moi would rather be inside the boat than outside, plus they have such a lot of room to wander about and find a comfy spot .IMO its all about protecting your pets and making plans for them. I only have a daft cockatiel, adn living in a caravan the temp can get uncomfortable if windows are closed ectera.. and his cage is just his bedroom as hes used to flying around when he wants to. What is also important is that he is used to being left on his own ( as did all the dogs that have lived with me over the years, and all i did was ask a good friend here at my moorings if she would keep and eye on him and just open the windows ectera and close them at night and check his food/water, she is used to barmy birds flying around and i just left her my key and information about him.( Infact he got fussed by all the moorers near me and was spoilt lol.) I have often looked after her dog for her during the day and overnight so there are suitable solutions ..you just have to work out the right ones to suit yoru pets and you and your family

[SamKingfisher]

I see both sides of this, but in the recent weather I've been working on the new kitchen, with the dog free to go wherever. She has invariably chosen the boat over the outdoors (there is shade). To some extent the fact that she sleeps below the waterline helps her keep cooler.

 

Obviously the car would have killed her in short order, it nearly did me!

 

Cars don't have shed loads of insulation.

 

I'm not sure I'd have left her unattended but if I had have done she'd have been fine.

[Bee]

I think some types may cope better with heat, we have a sort of border collie that is not good with heat, with all doors and windows open, in a moving boat lying on the wheelhouse floor and covered with wet towels she was worryingly hot.

[Guest]

I think some types may cope better with heat, we have a sort of border collie that is not good with heat, with all doors and windows open, in a moving boat lying on the wheelhouse floor and covered with wet towels she was worryingly hot.

 

In France a couple of weeks ago the outside temp was up to around 32 degrees and we kept our long haired JRT cool with plenty of water to drink and with the occasional gentle dousing in clean water with a jug.

 

He wouldn't stay still even in the heat - still wanting to play for much of the day otherwise I think we would have tried the towel trick. It seemed to keep him cool as it reduced his panting considerably.

[Moonchild]

Thanks for all the reasoned responses,yes I was asking as I know risks in car,obviously lots of boatowners have dogs and work..so aware there must be solutions!!Re pram covers thought they actually made boat hotter.. maybe not..

[Retro69]

I don't think it is right to have pets on board un attended in this heat the boat next to me reach 102 degrees with everything open! Is it fair to put any living creature through that stress and don't forget they are wearing fur coats. And if they survive when you come back to the boat they cant tell you what they have been through.

[Guest]

I don't think it is right to have pets on board un attended in this heat the boat next to me reach 102 degrees with everything open! Is it fair to put any living creature through that stress and don't forget they are wearing fur coats. And if they survive when you come back to the boat they cant tell you what they have been through.

Yup...

[i love my narrowboat]

I think some types may cope better with heat, we have a sort of border collie that is not good with heat, with all doors and windows open, in a moving boat lying on the wheelhouse floor and covered with wet towels she was worryingly hot.

5 of our dogs are non moulting and have a very short haircut, the groomer came yesterday and suggested we leave them a couple of more weeks for a haircut due to how short their fur still is, however we asked him to again cut their fur very short, they are far more comfortable with it that way, unlike us humans they can not take off an extra layer when the temperature rises :-)

[Ange]

When we go shopping we have the choice of taking Millie with us and then leaving her in the car while we shop or leaving her on the boat. We choose the latter option, closing all the curtains and opening all the windows.

 

Our boat never gets that hot anyway - one of the advantages of bus windows I suppose

[comfortably numb]

We're fortunate in that we rarely have to leave our dog in either the boat or the car. But on the rare occasions we do, such as a visit to our local supermarket, we always let her have a swim just beforehand which then keeps her cool for the duration of the shopping. Thankfully she loves the water and will spend hours swimming or splashing about which is great for her in this hot weather.

[IainW]

we have a short-haried lurcher and we've left her on board during the warmer days (but we are in Scotland) with windows and side hatches open. But when we are out all day we have someone come in to take her out about lunchtime and this person has said the boat hasn't been too warm. Mooring in shade would seem to be a good option and someone checking, but i'm not sure if these options will be available to you.