I just want to share a moment in hopes some will learn. I am a professional mariner/yachtsman and I hunt my dogs. I never ever ever keep a lead on my dogs and I've even advised people on here the dangers of doing so in a marine environment. Tonight I took Duggan out for a boat ride in a small skiff to further socialize him to the boat and water. We stopped for a training session and all was well. He actually heeled and asked for more fetches so I was beside myself with pride. We motored back to town and clipped him on a lead when we stopped at the marina for some snacks. We didn't unclip the lead that was tethered to the anchor line. 30 meters of line. Duggan was sleeping after a good training session and I was so proud that the boat didn't unnerve him. Out of the blue he stuck his nose up and at jumped out of a boat doing 23 nautical miles an hour. Scared but okay cause I know how tough he is......until I saw the anchor line pay out of the bow. I hammered reverse and cut the bow towards him ( it turns the motors away) if the prop picked up the line he'd be dead. Second worse scenario is that I saw the anchor line go taught. His weight in the water acutely pulled the bow 30 degrees over after I turned hard and slammed on the brakes. Scariest moment ever. I could have skipped a disk. Dragged him under and drowned him or chopped his face in the prop.... I am a quick thinking experience professional boater so all was well. He is fine. He shook the whole way home and is now sleeping. Hope there is no sign of injury tomorrow. I equate the jolt to him neck similar as running 40 meters and coming to the end of the lead where the cat is sitting. I'm telling this story as a warning to you all. IT CAN HAPPEN. I had know idea he would jump. He was sleeping calmly in front of the boat and then BAM. The anchor line took out my wife and child but no one was hurt. Phew !! She was upset cause I asked if the dog was okay vendor I asked if they were. Lol. I saw they were before I asked.
Really glad that everyone is ok. What a horrible experience. He may be quite wary about jumping into water after this, especially if he can't see the bottom.
Jeez, I can't quite imagine what happened in my head but it sounds scary and I'm so glad that you're such a quick thinker and knew what to do. Poor Duggan, I hope he's ok and that no damage has been done to his neck.
Phew! My heart is beating ten times faster just reading your story. As you say you are an experienced mariner and dog owner, yet freaky situations can still happen. Luckily thanks to your skill, knowledge and quick thinking the outcome wasn't as bad as the unthinkable. I hope Duggan is OK, he'll need lots of time and care to ensure he is comfortable around boats and water and you can all enjoy your adventures again.
Oh what a fright for you all. Lucky so you are an experienced boatman Johnny. I know you'll take extra care next time.
Bloody hell, that sounds like a nightmare experience. So glad all ended ok. I know accidents can happen, even to the most experienced person.
My heart has moved part way up into my chest, heading for my mouth, just reading this. Bet you shook for a while after. SO GLAD this turned out all right.
Glad you are all OK and hopefully no long term damage to the little one. Just out of curiosity, could you have used a quick release knot to tie him up, rather than the actual clip? We do this on our Rescue boats, which means if anything ever happens we can release the rope within a couple of seconds before the lines comes to an end. Also don't know the conditions, but can you easily kill the engine and the propeller comes to a stop immediately?
Best to tie the dog to a solid and immoveable object with a lead length that cannot possibly reach anywhere near the edge of the boat/car/whatever. But a quick release knot is also a must. Golden rules of tying up animals, every single time. It's easy to let yourself get slack about it 'just this once' so this incident is a very good reminder/wake up call.
We never tie up the dogs in the canoe or sailboat. I want them to be able to swim free of anything. One time, when we dumped our Thistle with Tilly on-board she came up under the sail and had to get out from under it. (I think we partially righted the boat to lift the sail, but I don't recall for sure. Tilly has bailed out of canoes, either because she wanted to go ashore, or to get in a different canoe.
I agree in a motor home or motorized vehicle. In a boat I never secure my pets to anything... that was the point of the post. Boat wake pounding us from rude passerbys, baby hungry and not happy with the sun, mommy cranky and daddy( me) in a hurry to end all the frustration and chaos so we forgot to unclip the lead after we shoved off for the last leg home. He is fine as are we, but I wanted to remind people of the dangers of boating with an animal. Even a short loose lead can get caught in the propeller if they lean over the side for a split second. Thanks for all the concearn and comments. Let your guard down for a second and you never know what will happen.
