The dogs of SBO, 2019 edition

Aug 2, 2005
1,155
Pearson 33-2 & Typhoon 18 Seneca Lake
" And you Florida guys, if you have a resident cockroach with a name we definitely need to see it!"

Cruel, so cruel. It's all fun and games until someone gets infested! By the way......where do you keep the sugar? By the other way.....no animals ever on board for us. I have enough trouble keeping the crew and myself under control!
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
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Our first dog, Bear, dressed and ready to sail on our hobie 18.
He loved to sail. He went with my wife and me everywhere, usually no leash. Walks, cross-country car rides, he would wait outside while I interviewed for jobs. Once, we visited my father on his new Freedom 44. We were in Norfolk, I think. He would curl up on the screen that covered the hatch over the V-berth until he fell through. The next day, we all got off Windwalker to go for a walk in town. Bear got off with us. We turned to head down the dock when he stopped. He looked back, looked at us, then took off back to the boat. He had never not wanted to go with us before. He just wanted to stay on the boat.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Those are great pictures!

I love dogs. Love them the way grandparents love kids. I wanna love them up, spoil them... and then they go home. Its probably why I've never liked them on board, I actually kinda hate it. And this comes from much experience of having probably the world best trained dog on a 35 foot boat. Sometimes I heard people refer to them as crew... that's silly. They at best function like 2 year-olds; The don't talk, listen to a maybe a few commands, and you have to tend to their food, water, and waste needs on a constant basis. For my mind way too many compromises and inconveniences are made to have them on board for anything more then a daysail on flat water. Companionship? That why I love Jodi.
 
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TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
I think I may own the best sailing dog in the world. He's completely at home on the water and agile on the decks; an all in sailor under 20 pounds.
Light air_.jpg

He jumps in the dinghy from the dock or the decks. Where I go he goes.
Tommy Perry Creek (1 of 1).jpg

Every morning he waits for me to brew coffee. At home or on the boat he sits in my lap in the cockpit or in my chair at home, quietly, as I enjoy a cup or two. Every morning.
Tommy sunrise.jpg

I wouldn't say he's the best dog in the world in fact he can be annoying. We learn (or should) that nobody loves your children, or your dogs, like you do. He'll never circle at Westminster but he's a world class sailor.
Tommy at Lukes.  (1 of 1).jpg
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
We had always had cats when I was a kid. Cats make pretty good sailors, but not always eager ones.
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here's Littlebit, my reluctant first mate. Always ready to leap for that cleat when sailing up to the transom of our mothership, but never there to catch the painter.
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This was Sinbad, a cat of a neighbor's boat. He had a reputation. Once, people were finding cat poop on their boats and Sinbad was the obvious culprit, quiet little Littlebit, was the one caught doing the naughty deed. My parents were very embarrassed. :redface:

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,044
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Summer 018.jpg

Well, this isn't 2019 edition, so we miss our girl. She warmed our hearts every single day, without fail. We don't spend enough time at home for another right now. I have to agree that it wasn't often convenient to take her with us, but if the word "boat" was spoken in her presence, she camped out and blocked the door leading to the garage until she was let out to go.
 

Kermit

.
Jul 31, 2010
5,657
AquaCat 12.5 17342 Wateree Lake, SC
I think I may own the best sailing dog in the world. He's completely at home on the water and agile on the decks; an all in sailor under 20 pounds.
View attachment 161763
He jumps in the dinghy from the dock or the decks. Where I go he goes.
View attachment 161764
Every morning he waits for me to brew coffee. At home or on the boat he sits in my lap in the cockpit or in my chair at home, quietly, as I enjoy a cup or two. Every morning.
View attachment 161765
I wouldn't say he's the best dog in the world in fact he can be annoying. We learn (or should) that nobody loves your children, or your dogs, like you do. He'll never circle at Westminster but he's a world class sailor.
View attachment 161766
Tom, your posts are the best. And your photography always has that certain little, as they say in America, “I don’t know what.” Since there truly is no REALLY LIKE button, I give you this...
:beer:
 
Jun 14, 2010
2,081
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
Well, this isn't 2019 edition, so we miss our girl. She warmed our hearts every single day, without fail. We don't spend enough time at home for another right now. I have to agree that it wasn't often convenient to take her with us, but if the word "boat" was spoken in her presence, she camped out and blocked the door leading to the garage until she was let out to go.
Sorry for your loss. I echo your feelings. We lost Nike last February, and last summer was our first in many years without him aboard.
In this picture he was relaxing in our boat following a hard day of running at the beach in Block Island.
No we didn't miss bringing him ashore in the rain for that last walk at 0-dark-hundred. But we did miss the unconditional love and companionship... and he was lots of fun too!
(PS - He succumbed to kidney failure at age 15, but we were able to extend his time by about 18 months while he had good quality of life, without any treatment other than special diet. If anyone has an interest in this diet PM me.)
Nike happy in boat.JPG