Safety for our furry fishing companions.

[jbmaine]

Hi all,

 Seems dogs have been in our forums of late and I thought I'd add this as a safety reminder. Don't know if this gentleman was fishing per say but it seems certain having a life vest saved this dogs life.

Dog Missing After Boat Accident Found Alive With His Life Vest On (msn.com)

[Swamp Girl]

Thanks, JB. 

[GRiver]

I knew a couple, lived on a sail boat, made a few transatlantic trips. Really in sailing and all that goes with it.

They found a dog out in the Atlantic, no body anywhere. They haul the dog aboard and, it was so weak it couldn’t stand. They looked and also radioed and no response, they kept it. 
They had her 8-9 years when they told me the story.

[Woody B]

I put Dolly's (Yorkie) life jacket on her when the waters too cold for me to go in after her if she falls out.  She doesn't like to go when it's super hot though.   She's not going to fall out of my boat without me knowing it so she wouldn't be in the water for long.   

 

Last Summer, (or maybe Summer before last) I saw a lab swim up to the bank and was barely able to climb out.  It was really tired.  I figured it had fell out of a boat.  I went up to the bank and got it and was riding around looking for someone who looked like they were looking for a dog.  I saw a pontoon full of people going slow.  It was their dog.  It had fallen out without them even knowing it.  

[Pat Brown]

Summer I crank my AC and leave em home.  Tackle security 😂♥️

[Bankc]

I took a dog fishing once.  He threw up like crazy because he got seasick.  I'm never doing that again. 

[gim]

I take my dog in the boat sometimes.  She is a 12 year old yellow british lab.  She is very calm and laid back both at home and in the boat.  I have a life jacket for her, but I rarely use it anymore.  I used it when I first started taking her in my boat years ago in case she decided to go for a swim (not that I was worried about her not being able to swim, but just in case she would have to tread water for an extended period of time).

 

I only take the dog with when the conditions allow though.  I'm not hell bent on taking her each and every time.  She over heats quickly when the sun it out and temps are too warm.  She doesn't need to ride in the truck for hours either, so I only take her when I fish locally.

 

There are times when the dog is my favorite fishing partner.  She doesn't complain and she doesn't talk.  She would want to go with every single time if I allowed it but its not worth endangering her health, especially at the age of 12 now.  Better to keep them at home in the AC like @Pat Brown stated when the conditions are too warm.

 

 

[TnRiver46]

Mango mango loves her life jacket. The other dogs not so much 

[Woody B]

Dolly likes to lick fish.   She growls at Catfish.  I wonder if she knows they're "Cat" fish.   I don't need my forward facing sonar when she goes.  I just have her scan the water.   

 

[DinkDonkey30]

I have a senior black lab(10). She goes with me sometimes. I always keep a life jacket on her. She’s getting to the point where arthritis is taking over. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if she went over and couldn’t swim long enough for me to get her back in the boat. I highly recommend dog vests with handles on the back/top of them.

[Alex from GA]

I have a buddy that had a Jack Russell and if you know about them they're too dense to swim far, they slowly sink.  His dog always went on his offshore trips and would grab on to a tuna's tail when we caught one.  The fish would knock the crap out of the dog but he wouldn't let go.  He'd wait until we got back to shore before going potty and usually we were gone for over 12 hours.  Yes he wore a life jacket with a handle.

[Tucson]

I don't have a dog but I bet they would be great companions on the boat.

 

Tried to take my cat fishing once but it didn't work out too well.  Really struggled to get him in his life jacket and then he just wanted to jump out.  I had just left the lift so I took him back.  No sense making him go if he's not comfortable.  Maybe if he started going as a kitten it would be different.

[TnRiver46]