Taking safety seriously...

alt · 12 July 2009, 23:59

Good to see that these Portrush Divers take safety seriously by ensuring everyone on-board is wearing a PFD!

Taken at Portrush, N. Ireland during our Round Ireland trip

willfinch36 · 21 July 2009, 22:28

I think its more to do with if the dog falls in they can just hook him out, some people think its funny dogs wearing lifejackets, but if you are in a yacht you cant just reach down a pick a dog out of the water, but if he had a lifejacket witha handle on, then you can just hook it up!!

The Beard · 27 July 2009, 13:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by willfinch36

I think its more to do with if the dog falls in they can just hook him out, some people think its funny dogs wearing lifejackets, but if you are in a yacht you cant just reach down a pick a dog out of the water, but if he had a lifejacket witha handle on, then you can just hook it up!!

There are some other pics on here with a couple in a RIB with a Border Collie wearing some kind of vest with a handle on the back. Is this kind of thing just to help get Fido out of the water, or does it have some form of floatation in it?

In other words does it inflate in the water?

We have a dog and when I finally get a RIB (might need a crane to get in it by then) we'd like to take ours along.

chewy · 27 July 2009, 14:13

It doesn't inflate, its more of a buoyancy aid for hounds.

wavelength · 27 July 2009, 17:14

yes a buoyancy aid. The handle worked well to retrieve our dog after it was stretched between the jetty (front legs) and the bow of a hardboat (back legs) as the boat slowly drifted away from the edge. Amazing the number of rpm's a dog's back legs can reach when seeking grip on a newly polished bit of grp before finally propelling said animal into the oggin

Nos4r2 · 27 July 2009, 17:21

I was onboard a yacht about 25 years ago when the dog (sans lifejacket) went in and it was very very difficult to recover her-specially as we were coming alongside a pontoon in Dartmouth at the time.
The handle would have been a godsend.

Bigmuz7 · 27 July 2009, 17:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Beard

There are some other pics on here with a couple in a RIB with a Border Collie wearing some kind of vest with a handle on the back.

I think you are referring to BruceB whos mutt likes a bit of sea air

As to the vest, they are damned handy

, and that handle on the top is good for moving the hound on and off the boat, I have one for my cocker spaniel, and the only thing you need to watch is that they dont get left in it if its really sunny, as they can heat up quick

BruceB · 27 July 2009, 19:35

Yep, most probably my mutt in his lifejacket. It is his second crewsaver and they have built in bouyancy.
They work really well, apart from the time the missus put it on upside down. We would just have seen four legs sticking straight up in the water if I hadn't have noticed and turned it round!

Ours comes out regularly to all sorts of places as long as it isn't too rough as it seems to like it. see

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZSTMi3Ddf4

PeterM · 27 July 2009, 19:49

Apart from being a lovely looking day , how on earth in the first 10 secs did you get crews feet in that position ! how did you get them out again !

oh and attached smaller dog lifejacket - it really does allow you to pick him up with one hand !

Steve_B · 27 July 2009, 21:07

Even though we have a "water" dog - poodle, we also put a jacket on for the times one needs to retreave it after trying to chase seagulls(!) or give it a hand on and off.

AMF Boats · 27 July 2009, 23:11

I had a goat called "goatamower" that used to keep the paddock tidy across from our boat shop .

I used her for a short period as a model in my advertising and in the interest of boat safety she wore a vest.

No goats were injured in the making of this advert.

Lets go boating · 02 September 2009, 00:16

Ready and eager!

Cookee · 07 September 2009, 09:04

We've got a less baulky jacket for her now ............

JSP · 07 September 2009, 09:08

Beautiful dog Cookee.
Question for you lot, how did you get your dog to be comfortable with being in boats. By boarder collie wont have any of it.

Cookee · 07 September 2009, 09:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSP

Beautiful dog Cookee.
Question for you lot, how did you get your dog to be comfortable with being in boats. By boarder collie wont have any of it.

It's time, Honey wasn't keen to start with, but now she realises she isn't going to die she's fine! Maybe some dogs just don't like boats just like people, but ours just wants to be with us all of the time.

Bigmuz7 · 07 September 2009, 13:37

Some dogs have other priorities .. labs know who feeds 'em ! and thats their primary objective

My little spaniel just hates me being more than 10 feet away from her, an endearing quality, but a PITA as well

That said she loves the water, and dives under the surface to pick things up if they sink

.. she'll go down at least a foot or so which is something you dont see too often, well I havent anyway!

Stoo · 29 September 2009, 23:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cookee

Maybe some dogs just don't like boats...

I've had 6 dogs in the time I've owned my boats... All of them loved the boats. In part, I think it's because we generally make time to let them tear around on some deserted island, and swim until they can't move anymore. It's a pretty fine life really... especially come Monday morning when they roll over for a nap while we're dragging our butts off to work!

The older guy below (the copper/white Husky) has some arthritis in his rear end so when it's rough, he's figured out that if he sits on my foot, it provides a bit of a cushion!

I feel guilty about their not wearing PFDs now. These two are great swimmers, but getting launched at 40 knots wouldn't be good...

jyasaki · 30 September 2009, 19:40

As I recall, most dogs need to be paddling (dog-paddling) to keep their heads above water. An exhausted dog will quickly slip underwater and drown.

The pooch-PFD adds buoyancy, so even if they are wiped out and can no longer actively swim, they'll stay high enough in the water to breathe.

The handle on the back is an added bonus.

It's not too often that my dog goes out on the boat with me (I usually dive, and don't really trust her alone on board), but on those rare occasions, she wears a PFD. She may go out more often (even when I'm diving) if I ever find someone willing to play topside support.

jky