"katysails" wrote in message ...
Our dog, a standard poodle named Chopper, has been sailing with us since
puppyhood. He has an exceptionally strong bladder and incentive to hold
on what he's got (which comes from decent training). We dinghy him
in...sometimes we drive the boat up to the docks, I leap off with the
dog, mr. sails takes a turn around the mooring field, and voila! we're
back and on board....Choppie jumps from the back of the transom into the
dinghy and jumps off the dock into the dinghy on command. Some people
don't want to do all the dinghying stuff, so they either teach the dog
to go down the scuppers or put astro-turf on the bow, which to me, is
very gross and disgusting. Little dogs can be trained to use litter
boxes just like cats...at least then it's contained somewhere and not
out in the open and offensive.


Hello Katy,

Here in Maui I've meet a couple from Holland that have a dog called a
Schipperky, thats German for little Captain. He's a small all black
dog that is awesome on a boat, No tail, they love to swim, the do not
smell like a wet dog when they are wet. He's been 3/4 the way around
the earth via sail and has never lived ashore. They put a small 2'X 2'
piece of canvas on the deck near the stern that the dog uses every
time. They just toss it overboard and rinse it and put it back on
deck. You can not row up to their boat without that dog barking. The
dog also barks every time the bilge pump cuts on. He told me the dogs
where raised in Antwerp to guard barges on the canals in Europe. They
are also used to De-rat the barges and boats. Hes excellent at eating
crabs, he catches his own and does a great job killing and eating
them. He's the coolest dog I've ever seen and the perfect size for a
boat, and he sure aint no sissy poodle. Everwhere Jergen goes on or
off that boat his dog is by his side. I'm getting a puppy ASAP.

Capt. American