Bringing your pets on board can be an extremely enjoyable experience, but it comes with some unique challenges. We cruised for two and a half years with our seven-year-old pup, Ollie, and met many other furry companions while full-time cruising. In this post, we'll be sharing some important considerations before you decide to cruise with your pet, how to safely share time on the water, and finally, some tips and tricks for ensuring your companion stays as happy as possible.

Firstly, you must make the tough decision of whether cruising with your pet is a safe decision - for both you and your pet. Ask yourself the following questions:

• How long can they hold their bladder? Depending on your cruising plans, you may be 8 hours or more between ports.
• Can you reliably get them on and off the boat? Will you be primarily staying at marinas, or will you be taking your pet to shore from anchor, and what does that look like? We've had to disembark in many different situations, sometimes two or three feet up or down a seawall or dock. How will you handle those situations?
• Are they uncomfortable out on the water? There's a lot of noise for motor boats, and depending on your sailboat, you may have considerable heeling. Make sure to do some trial runs before tackling a bigger voyage.

Next up, let's think about some crucial gear to have a happy companion. We highly recommend a pet life jacket that has a handle. Not only is it a great piece of safety gear, but with the handle, it helps quite a bit moving your pet in and off the boat. Ollie is relatively light, so one fun use case was when we were anchored just off the Mississippi River, and we held her just off the water so she could doggy-paddle and effectively wash off her muddy feet! Another tool you might want to bring onboard is a gangway. Some of the most precarious moments will be the short periods getting on and off your vessel, so having a ramp to help your pet, especially if they're very large, could be a great option. Depending on how long you plan to be on the water with your pet, having a place to do their business on board, whether that's a grass mat, a litter box, or another system. Whatever system you choose, remember to give your pet plenty of training and grace; it took Ollie months to go to the bathroom on the boat, and even then, it was only occasionally. Finally, for cats, we recommend getting an AirTag or another pet-tracking device. We've heard more than one story of cats hopping off while at port, and one even left on another vessel! Having a tracking collar is a must in our opinion.

Lastly, let's discuss some actions and plans that can make cruising with your pet enjoyable! If you plan to anchor, you'll need to find locations with shore access for your pet. We recommend not only reviewing Waterway Guide listings, but also checking the satellite view of your maps for what the shore access looks like. If your pets don't like doing their business on board, like Ollie didn't, plan more time before and after cruising to launch your dinghy! This is something you'll be doing multiple times a day, so having your dinghy launching process down will make your cruising experience more enjoyable. While searching for spots to land your dinghy, please be sure to respect local laws and regulations. For example, some shores are protected for seabirds, which means they are not dog-friendly, so you'll have to find other places.

Ensuring you have a happy companion when cruising can really elevate your experience. The number of laughs and smiles Ollie gave us, whether she was on Dolphin Duty, notifying us of any dolphin sightings, or just sitting on the flybridge enjoying the wind through her fur, not only made us happy but also reminded us to slow down and enjoy the present moment. If your pet can safely join you while cruising, give it a trial run on some shorter trips. You might find that bringing your furry friend elevates your time on the water even more!