SAILING SCHIPPERKES ABOARD SPECIAL PETS SECTION  SAILING SCHIPPERKES ABOARD SPECIAL PETS SECTION  If you love pets ... why deprive yourself of their company while cruising? Cruising around the world with pets aboard is easily feasible ! We cruise since 1992, visiting most Caribbean islands, North & South Pacific (except NZ & OZ) and now cruising SE Asia ... we had VERY FEW difficulties or limitations due to our dogs! But before speaking about any negative aspects, let’s think about the advantages of cruising with dogs! Think of them as the best alarm system and the best deterrent against petty thievery! That is if you keep them outside and not sleeping inside! In any anchorage where we might be visited during the day, the dogs are on deck and bark when anyone or anything is approaching us ... a canoe, a swimmer, a floating debris, another yacht dragging, ... At night, they always sleep outside (we have a permanent doghouse for them). Not surprisingly, we heard of boats being boarded and burglarized in the same anchorages where we had no problems. In places with poor reputation, we make sure our dogs are seen and heard right away! Whenever we take our dogs ashore, they act as great ice-breakers with the natives (like cruising kids do too!). Local people are always curious about these uncommon dogs and local kids are ecstatic when we get our Schipperkes to perform any tricks and obedience games. Let’s not forget their great company at anchor, on passage (they can keep you awake on night watch - especially the dog watch!), they are fun to come with you on hikes, ... The best is to get a puppy when you move aboard as it will be much easier to train him for the life aboard a sailing vessel than train an older animal that has habits well ingrained. Each dog we had joined us when he was about 3 month old (other than the puppies born aboard!). The first thing is to carpet train them so they lift their leg where you want them to. We place 2 pieces of green astroturf (24”x14”) by the 2 short sides on our back deck. These can easily be washed with a bucket of sea water or let in the sea attached with a string. we also use a small tray in a box in the cockpit for the puppies we don’t trust yet to roam freely on deck, that we empty overboard and wash easily. If you train your dog to a carpet rather than a specific area, you can move the carpet to another area if needed, or to a new boat, or even ashore. We have a special carpet we put in our cockpit when the seas are too rough for our dogs to go on the back deck. (check the videos for details). To feed your pets won’t be any more difficult than on land. Between high quality dry dog food, fresh fish and meat and some table leftovers, you won’t have any problems feeding them. Make sure to have water dishes available as they will drink more water in warm wx. Heath wise, your pets will benefit, like you, from the great cruising lifestyle. You will be able to find veterinarians in most places to get any medical treatment. Make sure you get a micro-chip implanted in your dog or cat as many countries will need animal identification. Alternatively an ID  tattoo is often accepted. If you plan to visit a new country, it might be good to have a recent international health certificate when you arrive in that country. The biggest question and fear future cruisers have about traveling with pets has to do with quarantine regulations and restrictions around the world. When you look at the official websites of most countries quarantine services, it sounds so regulated, complicated and expensive ... they do a good job at scaring you as often officialdom does! In reality, in most countries, things are generally much easier ... In our experience, we have encountered the following attitudes regarding our pets: 1> no restrictions at all, no enforced regulations, our dogs could freely go ashore 2> after a gvt vet’s visit aboard to examine the dogs and their paperwork, the dogs were free to go ashore 3> our dogs could not go ashore and had to be confined aboard for the duration of our visit 4> animals could only go ashore after a mandatory quarantine was made at an official facility ashore In the Caribbean, all the countries visited were in categories 1,2 or 3 In the South Pacific, only New Zealand, New Caledonia and Australia impose a quarantine. We decided to not sail to NZ or Australia as quarantine regulations are strict, expensive and a pain ... but many cruiser friends did go there and complied with all the rules ... so it is an option. The quarantine in New Caledonia is only 5 days long and cost about US$150 ..  if you stay less than 2 months, you can choose to keep your pet aboard without shore privileges ... a much more sensible attitude (as often the case in French territories)! A word to all dogs ... from Zoetje, our first Schipperke ! Welcome to you, fellow cruising dogs! If you are already cruising, you know what fun it is! All those beaches, forests, cities to explore … All those new smells  and dogs with funny accents! If you are not cruising yet … Tell your family that  … You will take care of the 'dog watch' … You will bark if someone falls overboard ... You will prevent intruders to sneak on board … You will call them when you catch a fish trolling … You will guide them on long hikes ... You will be gracious when confined on board ... You will be quickly potty trained on Astroturf carpet on board! You too will  enjoy the cruising life :) GETTING YOUR OWN SCHIPPERKE PUPPY ... Schipperkes are a Belgian breed mostly found in USA & Europe but rare in SE Asia. Average Height: 25-41 cm & Weight: 5-10 kg. Black color Alert, clever, loyal, great watch dog, and fun personality. Good with children. Great boat dogs & swimmers. Get your new puppy from someone who loves the breed (not a puppy mill!) ... someone who spends time to raise the puppies well until you get them ... You want a healthy and socially developped puppy .. happy to have new adventures with you! We have Schipperke dogs since 1992, love the breed and sometimes have puppies for sale to good homes! Parents are pure-bred, from different blood lines, US pedigree. Puppies are in good health and have nice personalities. They will be potty trained as well as basic commands and social with kids and other dogs. Also water trained to swim and go with you on any adventure! We keep training the puppies daily until they find a new home! If you are cruising near us and you would welcome a Schipperke puppy, contact us to find if, by luck, we have any puppies available then. You might get lucky to get a well-trained puppy for less than the usual cost of a puppy with no training!  Contact us now to find out where to get a puppy in SE Asia