Oliver is well on his way to becoming a bonafide “boat dog!”   Let’s face it, soon he’ll be cruising full-time with us on our 37ft. sailboat, s/v LAHO. To make Oliver’s newfound sailing lifestyle legit, we definitely needed to equip him with the right cruising gear.

^^looking pretty sharp in his new neon orange life jacket!^^

We’ve done a good bit of research and checked out lots of other awesome sailing bloggers with dogs aboard to see what kind of gear he’ll need for our (soon-to-be) cruising lifestyle. We don’t want to go overboard (no pun intended) and purchase way too many items, but we want to make certain we have the “doggie essentials” on board.

So far, we’ve purchased the following items (and I’m sure we may being adding to this little stash in the very near future):

• Outward Hound Life Jacket – a must-have for any doggie crew members.  Oliver’s a smaller dog, but has long legs, and is pretty lean. I debated back and forth on which size life jacket to order for him…even after measuring him and following the size/weight/measurement guidelines. We originally ordered a small, which ended up being WAY too tiny for Oliver. So, we returned the small and opted for a size medium, which fits perfectly. We haven’t had to officially test the jacket out yet, but Oliver seems to dig his new gear and definitely doesn’t mind wearing it.  And I’m kinda digging the orange color on his grey poodle face. 😉
• We also picked up a Surf to Summit Bungee Tether to use as needed on the boat, when sailing, or for any other reason. We think we will hook this on to his life jacket when under sail, or possibly just attach it to his good ole harness.
• I’m not sure how much we will use this Pelican Mini Flasher Light, but for $12, it seemed like a great addition to his stash of gear. We’re thinking it definitely might come in handy for a number of uses, but foresee attaching it to his collar at night when sailing or take advantage of the little light attached to Oliver when we’re headed to shore (perhaps for a potty break).  Who knows, this was kinda an impulse purchase.
• I also picked up one of these Silicone Pet Collapsible Travel Bowls and we’ve been using it ever since as Oliver’s primary water bowl on the boat.  It stays put when sailing, isn’t too large, and really hardly takes up any space at all when not in use.  I’m debating grabbing another to use for his food too!

Other Gear/Supplies:

• We also plan to have a back-up set of leashes, harnesses, collars, and tags.  I’m not quite sure how Oliver would manage to lose all of those, but I’d rather have an extra set on hand just in case.
• We already have all of the necessary grooming supplies stashed away… think doggie clippers/blades/etc., other grooming tools like brushes/combs, nail clippers, and more.  And Jereme’s mom has been kind enough to teach us how to properly groom Oliver.
• We will of course be provisioning for Oliver (food + treats + toys) when the time comes.
• Other than that, we are working with our vet and doing our own research to compile Oliver’s doggie first aid kit and medicine cabinet. Oliver is known to be a wee bit issue-prone (although knock on wood, he hasn’t had any of his regular skin/ear problems lately). We’ll be sure to post an update once we finish building his kit!
• Oh, and I almost forgot the infamous pee mat! That is high on our list to purchase or make, but we haven’t yet gotten to that one. Stay tuned! 🙂

Here are a few more photos of Oliver modeling his new fancy life jacket!

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