SAILING WITH YOUR DOG

The material was prepared in cooperation with the vet. city adoption centre — a service that treats, adapts and helps find homes for animals that do not yet have owners. Experts from the centre provide professional commentary on the situations faced by those who adopt adult dogs.

I wasn’t going to get a dog: the landlord of the flat I was living in didn’t allow pets. Then, one day, while I was on Facebook, I saw a photo of a dog belonging to a friend of mine who regularly adopted strays. And something inside me twitched: I decided to call the landlady in the morning and try to make a deal. But in the morning she called me and said that she was no longer renting the flat and that I should look for a new one. So I went to meet Fiona without even looking for a new flat: she was a year old at the time and it was the second time we had adopted her. The dog was absolutely uncontrollable: age, lack of training and the peculiarities of the breed (Fiona is an Australian Heeler, they need to move a lot and constantly occupy their heads) promised me a nervous breakdown. But I had no doubts — I took her before I could change my mind. Now she is seven.

Fiona has been with me for six years. There have been many difficulties and some of them are still there. I now realise that everything I am unhappy about in her behaviour is entirely my own fault. For the first two years I mistakenly thought I could do it myself — I could train her, teach her and so on, and then I went to a specialist centre where we did several courses. Working with a handler gives you a lot — especially for the owner. I am still learning how to 'humanise' their reactions: all those 'shame on you', 'where are you going' and 'use your brain'. In a way, interacting with a dog is a regular exercise in personal growth. The hardest part was (and still is) learning how to praise and positively reinforce the result — it’s much more common to bring up "did you leave your head at home? So most of the time the problems are not with her, but with my reaction to her behaviour.

I try to spend as much time as possible with Fiona: at some point I found myself thinking that I would only go to the countryside if I could take my dog with me. I regularly took her to work with me, and for the last few months she has been with me every day at Strogino — searching for nutria, guarding the ground for food and herding the trainers.

Fiona travels with me most of the time: I even wanted to take her to a captain’s practice in Turkey. In relatively favourable conditions, a dog is always better off with its master: the plane, the train and the pleasure boat have all been safely tested. The first flight was prepared with the help of a vacuum cleaner: we had to get Fiona used to the noise of engines. On the train, Fiona’s main entertainment was "TV" - a huge moving window.

In the Crimea we went on a pleasure boat — I got seasick almost immediately, but she, I see, nothing: she lies down and does not blow her nose. When we got back from that trip, she was in a melancholy mood for a week, not even wanting to walk. And really — what can you do in the street when there are no hedgehogs, corn stalks or jellyfish?

We spent three days in Teriberka on the Barents Sea. Every night we woke up several times — we were watching the northern lights. We stayed in a caravan right on the beach, and this, as you know, is the place where all sorts of treasures are buried: potato peels, bones… Over two days, Fiona ate so much sand that by the third night I had to call a consilium on Facebook — the dog couldn’t eat, barely drank, shook and vomited food and sand. The nearest veterinary clinic was a hundred kilometres away in Murmansk. Midnight, total darkness and ice. Finally the northern lights appeared, and immediately afterwards the "sand castle" from Fiona’s performance appeared in front of the house — the gates were closed, it was safe to drive back.

Fiona loves cars. She wasn’t always like that, but with time she realised that a car is a thrill and an adventure. And like many dogs, she is also afraid of fireworks. One day during the New Year holidays we went for a walk just before dawn, when everyone had gone off. We were approaching the house when suddenly a bomb went off somewhere. The dog ran to the front door where a woman had parked her car and was getting out. Fiona jumped into the car so quickly that the owner slammed the door and walked into her driveway without noticing. When I called out to her, the woman just sped off. I had to catch up, explaining on the way that my dog was in her car.

Of course, Fiona is both a friend and a family member: sometimes I don’t even go anywhere if I can’t take Fiona with me (although she regularly goes somewhere without me).

I think she thinks she helps me every day. I guess that’s what every happy dog’s life is all about. She and I have travelled 900 kilometres across the Crimea, seen the Northern Lights and the Arctic Ocean, and even been to Butovo a couple of times. In the pipeline — Transatlantic, Kamchatka, Karelia… Let’s start with Karelia. Or we’ll go to Butovo again.

A dog must have a passport, vaccinations (date — no more than one year and less than 21 days from the day of departure), a chip and a veterinary certificate, which is converted into a flight permit for the dog at the veterinary control point at the airport.

You should contact the airline beforehand to find out all the details: whether you can take your dog on the flight, what the regulations are, how many kilos you can take in the cabin, what the airline’s requirements are, how a dog ticket is issued, and so on. The most common limit is 8 kilos with a carrier, but it is possible — on small planes, for example to the Canary Islands — to take 6 kilos. Find out if there is any quarantine for animals in the country of destination. If the dog is large, it will be transported in a special area of the baggage compartment — it doesn’t sound very pleasant, but with some preparation (favourite house, familiar objects, toys, treats) you can consider this option.

If it’s a charter flight, check if you can fly with your dog. Many budget airlines — WizzAir, Ryanair and others — do not allow dogs on board. And of those that do, choose those with a good reputation for their treatment of animals: we’ve all heard of those that aren’t worth flying with.

A dog is a very intelligent creature and quite stable. It does not want to fall overboard and even less wants to jump into the water — these fears are almost unfounded. Nevertheless, I recommend that you buy a lifejacket and an anatomical harness so that you can pass the dog from hand to hand if necessary. You can also put a special net on board as a safety net, but dogs really are smarter than we think.

It’s a good idea to stock up on your dog’s usual food for the duration of the trip, as well as toilet nappies in case it’s a long crossing and you can’t walk your dog ashore.

Dogs can get seasick and there are two ways to deal with this: either put them in the cabin on a wave, or find a person who is also seasick — let them cuddle and support each other. If the waves are very high, the dog will not be happy and can make a complete mess of your cabin — it is better not to leave him alone and remove anything of value. My dog once chewed on his carrier and it was a very unpleasant surprise — what do I do?

If you are the captain, you should warn the crew that there is a dog on board: in case someone is allergic. If you’re a crew member and you want to take a dog with you, you should discuss it with the captain and the crew. During the safety briefing, I always ask everyone to keep an eye on the dog: it could fall overboard or eat something. You have to make sure the dog doesn’t overheat in the sun, drinks enough water and is supervised at all times.

It’s a good idea to have someone in the crew to walk the dog ashore while the captain is doing the paperwork on arrival in port: there is always a lot of paperwork, but the dog is not interested in it.

Very seldom is it forbidden to walk dogs ashore: once in Cabrera, in the reserve, we got into such a situation. We had to sneak ashore in a sapa with a paddle late at night and early in the morning: it’s a shame to leave your dog without a walk. It’s worth finding out about these nuances in advance.

The size of the dog is not the most important thing for sailing: the main thing is stability, good coordination, health and a stable psyche.

Sailing with a dog has an unplanned bonus: you’ll be incredibly popular in every marina, with a delegation of people wanting to make friends with your dog and have their photographs taken with him. It’s important to realise that dogs have boundaries and sometimes want to be left alone.

Sailing with a dog is better than without one. In fact, if you’re considering whether or not to take your dog with you, it’s obvious that you want to.

The vet. city adoption centre is a service where animals who temporarily don’t have a home can find one, and where people can find not just a pet, but a soul mate. There are currently 145 cats and 35 dogs at the centre.
The animals are brought to the adoption centre by people who want to help — they pay for the treatment and temporary care of the animal until it finds a home.
On arrival, they receive a full examination, any necessary treatment, worming, vaccination and neutering.

Helping cats and dogs meet their people is the main aim of the centre’s work. The project has recently launched its own pet dating service: a service to help you find the ideal partner who shares your principles and hobbies. After all, who says that this partner has to be human? On the site, you can take a compatibility test with a potential pet, fill in a questionnaire and then go on a date with a dog or cat to chat and understand if you are compatible

The pets at the Vet. city adoption centre are looking forward to meeting their future owners, sharing adventures and becoming best friends. Meet a dog named Sturman.

Don’t think that with a dog you can only go for walks and stay at home. Sturman will be happy to go with his new friend, whether it’s for sailing training or a road trip.