Crew Safety - Size Matters

The crew looking sharp.

Our first task was to sort through the various options for dog harnesses and there are quite a few. Many of you sent us suggestions which was very helpful. I spoke with several manufacturers and we decided to test several options from Kurgo and RuffWear. I believe both are committed to providing optimum solutions and were open to hearing our honest feedback.

We tested 5 different harnesses including the original Kong harness that had failed for Dee Dee. Here is a brief rundown.

Dylan in his Kong harness.

The Kong Harness was our go-to harness for years and the one we wrote about in Dyna and Dylan's most popular blog entry ever, All That Dog Gear. Check it out for more info about the gear we use onboard for the crew. The main attraction for the Kong harness was the large "traffic loop" on the back which made grabbing it by hand or with a boat hook easy. We had a Kong harness for Dylan and one for Dee Dee.

Dylan in his Kurgo Pinnacle harness

I liked the Kurgo Pinnacle Harness as soon as I saw it because it had a large padded chest plate and back plate, and a traffic/safety loop like the Kong. With less webbing and more of the mesh material I felt it would be less likely to stretch. We had one for Dylan and one for Dee Dee.

Dee Dee in her Kurgo Tru-fit harness.

I wanted to try the Kurgo Tru-Fit Harness because it is also crash-tested as a car harness. Living on a boat makes one really appreciate any item that can do double duty. We never have the crew in a car without being strapped in for safety. The Tru-Fit has a very broad chest plate and a strap running down the back. It also has a traffic/safety loop. We had one for Dylan and one for Dee Dee.

The crew in their RuffWear Web Master harnesses.

The RuffWear Web Master Harness was interesting because it had two different safety loops on the back. This harness was designed for hiking to allow the owner to help the dog scramble over obstacles. I also found the 3rd strap interesting as I felt it might afford more security in a lifting situation. We had one for Dylan and one for Dee Dee.

Dee Dee in her RuffWear Front Range harness.

I originally tried the RuffWear Front Range Harness for Dee Dee to help train her to pull less on normal walks. But harnesses don't provide enough correction for a pulling dog and so I decided to try it as a boating harness instead. This is really more a failure of us than the harness - we have spoiled dogs. The Front Range comes in a lovely shade of pink, even if she is a Tom-boy.

We began acquiring harnesses and realized that the first issue was sizing. The fit had to be both comfortable and secure. As we learned from our rescue of Dee Dee, a harness that becomes too loose will not serve its purpose when you need it most. However, a harness that is not comfortable will mean an unhappy crew and is less likely to be used.

Both companies' websites had sizing charts that provided information about the dog's weight, girth/chest, and/or neck measurements. We dutifully took out the tape measure and made careful measurements. 

This is where things first began to get interesting. It became obvious that we were not going to find a "one-size fits all" sort of harness. Even though we had two dogs of the same breed who were closely related, we found significant differences.

Check out those 6-pack abs!

The first harness we received was the RuffWear Web Master which has 3 straps: one around the neck and two around the torso. I immediately ran into a problem fitting the backmost strap. Labs are very deep chested dogs. Looking at them from the side you can see how the chest is large but then the belly curves sharply upward.

The problem was fitting the back strap for all day use. I found that if I made it snug when Dylan and Dee Dee were standing up, it would dig into them when they sat. If I loosened it to be comfortable sitting, it hung loose when they stood up. I finally selected what I hoped was a good in-between fit.

Next we tried the RuffWear Front Range Harness on Dee Dee. The Front Range Harness is what they call their every day harness designed to be comfortable and used for walking. I selected the size based on the chart and this harness fit like a glove. The only thing I didn't like was the absence of a traffic/safety loop on the back but more on that later.

We turned to the two Kurgo harnesses. Dylan fell between sizes so we obtained a large and an x-large for the Tru-fit  and a large for the Pinnacle harness. For Dee Dee we received two large harnesses. The large harnesses fit Dylan perfectly. Dee Dee turned out to be more of a challenge (is anyone surprised?).

Why is Dee Dee always the problem...

All four harnesses adjusted easily and at first seemed to offer a good fit. However, Dee Dee's harnesses kept riding up on her back. After several attempts to readjust the harness, we determined that because of Dee Dee's small size, the girth strap was not hitting her on the chest. Instead it was coming across her belly and because of that sharp curve it would ride up to her chest creating a big pucker on her back. The length of the harness was just too long for her.

So we got another Pinnacle and another Tru-fit harness in medium for Dee Dee. This solved the length issue as the girth strap now fell nicely across her chest. Unfortunately, the girth strap was too tight on both harnesses. On the Pinnacle, the girth strap is sewn into the chest and back plates, so that eliminated that harness for Dee Dee.

Fortunately, they designed the Tru-fit so that the girth strap could be interchanged. Perfect. We took the medium harness and replaced the girth strap with the strap from the large harness and had a perfect fit for Dee Dee. Kurgo Customer Service told me that they will work with dog owners in these situations to help obtain a good fit.


The Lesson Learned
The lesson I learned is that a dog is more than just a weight or a girth. It would have been helpful to have more measurements such as the lengths of the back and belly pieces.

When you are looking for a harness, consider all of the dimensions of your dog as well. You want something that will fit snugly but comfortably and that will stay in place especially when you are lifting them. Make sure you can easily return what you purchase and if unsure consider getting two different sizes to try.

Two hardworking product testers.

Now we had several good fitting harnesses, it was time to have the crew put them to the test. We'll let you know what we found next time.

Crew Safety - Let's Get Started

Dylan and Dee Dee today

We are finally able to turn our attention back to the issue of safety for the aCappella crew. If you missed the adventures of our littlest crew member last winter, you can read about Dee Dee's jaunt with the dolphins at the links below:
http://www.takingpaws.com/2014/12/swims-with-dolphins.html
http://www.takingpaws.com/2014/12/swims-with-dolphins-lessons-learned.html

Since that time we have looked into numerous safety devices to help should we ever see a repeat performance. Honestly, will she ever stop keeping us on our toes? Would we want her to?

We have still not found the right solution for an alarm to alert us should one of the crew go overboard. Jeff is following the developments of an interesting new product under development and will report when more info is available. The existing hunting and pool alarms have all been evaluated and are all missing some features that are important on a boat, especially when it is moving.

In the meantime we have spent months testing different safety harnesses. Dylan and Dee Dee have worked hard swimming, running, chasing the bumper, and other tasks needed for this important study. As I've stated before, they are one hardworking crew. This will be the first of several installments detailing what we (they) found.

Dyna's favorite type of boat ride

Our first task was to figure out why the Kong harnesses that we have been using for years failed during Dee Dee's rescue. We had used these harnesses successfully to pull both Dyna and Dylan back into the dinghy following their various attempts at adventure. Of course, they had spent much briefer times in the water.

We felt it was important to understand what actually failed before we could move forward.  I spoke to several manufacturers who agreed that it was most likely due to the strap material stretching when it became wet. We tested this extensively and were quite surprised to discover that stretching was definitely not the problem. All of the harnesses we tested, except the PFD's, showed minor stretching but not enough to prevent successful use of the harness.

Dylan wearing the Kong with some brief swimming

It turns out that on the Kong, the safety buckle failed. When the harness becomes wet, it gives out and slides down the strap opening it up significantly. The picture above was taken of Dylan after only two bumper retrievals. The belly strap hangs down 2-3 inches. We were able to replicate consistently.  That discovery actually made us more comfortable using standard dog harnesses on the boat. Of course we'd still like to see harnesses made with the same waterproof webbing used on the canine PFD's to prevent any stretching at all.

Many of you wrote us with suggestions about harness options - too many for us to test. Although Dylan and Dee Dee said if more swimming and romping were required, they were willing to make the sacrifice of additional testing. We selected several harnesses from RuffWear and Kurgo both makers of quality products for dogs on the go - that certainly describes Dylan and Dee Dee. Then the crew went to work.

Heading out for some harness testing

Our major finding is that there is no such thing as the perfect harness. It's important to have quality options because you won't find a "one size fits all" solution. Each crew member is unique and the fit that might work for Dylan or Dee Dee may not work for your bundle of joy. In fact, as you'll see, what worked for Dylan didn't actually work for Dee Dee, but that's getting ahead of things.

Our goal is to educate cruising dog owners about the issues we encountered and the discoveries we made. Ultimately, what's most important is safety onboard and that includes our four-footed crew members.

The criteria we used for the aCappella crew was:
- Comfort during long-term wear including overnight passages
- Performance when wet
- Ease of reaching the harness with a boathook
- Ease of lifting the dog from the water back onto the boat

It is important to point out that the safest option for your canine crew is a canine life vest. We carry life vests onboard for both Dylan and Dee Dee. Their vests are stored along with ours and the rule is that if we don ours, they don theirs. It is a decision we are comfortable with as Labs are terrific swimmers. However, you may decide differently for your canine crew based on their abilities and comfort levels.

Dee Dee in her PFD, happy and enjoying life

We actually found that Dee Dee tolerated the life vest very well in moderate temperatures. Dylan, not so much...

Dylan always freezes in his PFD and acts like he did something bad

In the next blog entry we'll look at what we discovered when attempting to find the right fit among a variety of harnesses from different manufacturers.

Gentle Giant

I love animals, all animals. I can't look into the eyes of one without knowing they have as much of a soul as I do. It's one reason why we are Vegan - don't worry no soapbox here.

Sometimes you meet a soul that just grabs your heart and squeezes it. This weekend the crew met Ky.

When we pulled into Yankee Point Marina off the Corrotomon River in Virginia we were met by owners Karen and Ken, several other boaters, and Ky. We learned that Ky was a rescue who had been terribly mistreated by his first owner, lived in less than ideal circumstances with his second, and then won the jackpot with Karen and Ken.

Ky is 16 or 18 months old (I don't quite remember). He weighs 170 pounds and is still growing. The vet told them to expect him to finish somewhere around 200. His paws are so big that visiting boaters have asked if there were bears in the area because they just spotted the tracks.

It only took one look into those beautiful eyes and I was smitten. He is sweet and funny and very affectionate. And don't you dare tell him he's not a lap dog.

Dylan and Dee Dee enjoyed an afternoon romp. Unfortunately, I forgot the phone for pictures. Dee Dee could run right under his belly to grab the stick. They all had a wonderful time and Dylan and Dee Dee were even able to coax Ky into the river. He didn't exactly take a swim but with those legs he could wade far out.

The morning we left Ky came out to the dock to say goodbye. The crew sniffed and woofed and obviously wanted to play. Ky helped us get ready and then finally headed back to his job helping his mom and dad run the marina.

He was so handsome as he loped down the dock. Goodbye, Ky. We all look forward to seeing you again.

Crew Again!

This week Dylan and Dee Dee officially became crew again. We threw off the lines on Tuesday with the crew in their official places on the flybridge. Immediately, we had a bridge to have lifted and a lock to go through. It's fortunate the captain had the crew there to help.

It wasn't long before the crew heard the first dolphin snorts and pandemonium broke out. Of course, since Dee Dee's, um, episode last winter, they are no longer allowed to investigate alone. So Daddy took them out.

Unfortunately, there were no actual sightings but that didn't mean the crew didn't remain hopeful.

We tested the new anchor chain by spending two nights in the New Point Comfort anchorage. The crew got to test out their new bow nightlight, a solar powered lawn light purchased last week from the hardware store. The last one died after 2 years. Daddy even decided to spring for the $4.97 version rather than the cheaper $2.97 one. Nothing is too good for the crew.

At Fishing Bay Marina in Deltaville, Virginia they enjoyed two days romping in the big field behind the pool and even got to meet a couple of boatyard dogs. By now the crew certainly had their sea legs back.

Tomorrow we're off for other anchorages and new marinas. Dylan and Dee Dee will be be fulfilling their duties as aCappella crew while keeping ever vigilant for those dolphin snorts.

Getting Ready

Dylan and Dee Dee wanted to apologize for not doing a better job of keeping up their blog. It's not like they've just been lying around sleeping. Well, OK, maybe just a little... But mostly they've been helping Mom and Dad get ready to head out.

Of course, it all looks very glamorous on the blog - romping on the beach, going on dinghy rides, meeting new people. But there's another side of cruising with projects and chores and provisioning. It's hard work.

The big project last week was replacing the anchor chain, all 300 feet. The new chain had to be laid out on the dock and marked. The old chain had to be removed and then the new chain drawn into the chain locker.

It took three days and at the end the crew was so exhausted from watching they had to take a another nap.

As if that wasn't enough there was a huge reprovisioning which meant Mom and Dad had to make repeated trips off the boat only to return with load upon load of bags. When will they learn that it's just so much easier to order from Chewy.com? They bring it right to the boat!

There's been cleaning inside and out. Daddy's been spending more time in the engine room. And don't even ask about the new refrigerator we had to install. It's all very exhausting. But in a couple of days we will throw off the lines and officially begin the next stage of our cruising life.

This crew is most definitely all in!

No Turning Back

It's been a whirlwind week as the crew helps do the final clearing out and cleaning up of the house. There's been no time for nostalgia and barely time to sleep but they wanted to share a some pictures of their recent activities.

It took Dylan and Dee Dee 3 days to travel from Maine to Virgina. At first it looked a little touch and go as Daddy crammed everything we just couldn't live without into the rental car. The crew wasn't sure there was going to be room for them but he left just enough space in the backseat for two little heinies.

Luckily, Dee Dee made the cut - the vote was 2 to 1...

There was a stop at the Defender Industries headquarters in Connecticut where Mom and Dad had a meeting while Dylan and Dee Dee got to hang out in the store. They met tons of people, were even "recognized" by a few, and got to enjoy the stash of treats behind the counter. They've been working on brushing up their resumes so they can apply for a job there as soon as that spot opens up for Chief Treat Tester, Face Licker, and Nap Taker. They're pretty sure they're a shoo-in.

Today we're back onboard and settling back in. The kids were happy to find their favorite spots still in good order.

Where'd It All Go!

Last week was a doozy. People started arriving on Tuesday putting up tents and tables. They were carrying things out of huge trucks and setting them up on the driveway, patio, backyard, garage, wherever there was a bit of space.

Thursday they started hauling stuff out of the house - including Dylan and Dee Dee's prized dog beds (see previous post). There were 8 or 10 folks here for four days. It kept the crew very busy keeping an eye on everything.

Then Friday night there was a "Preview" where tons of folks were wandering around looking and touching.

Maybe Dylan and Dee Dee knew something was up on Saturday when they woke Mom and Dad at 6 am. The auction started at 11 am with another preview starting 9, so of course, people were knocking on the door before 8.

It didn't take long for the place to be overrun so we made our own run for it. Off to Dexter, Maine to visit with our beloved JoDee, owner of Birchwood Kennels, the place that produces the most beautiful and sweet Labradors in the world.

 
Friends assured us that the auction proceeded just fine without our participation.

This was a special day not only because we got to see JoDee but JoDee lives on a lake and has lots of Dylan and Dee Dee kin. Dee Dee even got to play with her papa, Sarge, the second most handsome Labrador in the world (right, Dylan?).

The crew reminded us that for them, this was technically a work day as they were testing out their Kurgo car harnesses in the water. Such a hard working crew...sigh.

We had a wonderful day and really didn't want it to end. Dee Dee even caught a chicken - sorry no pictures of that - we were all too busy intervening. But finally we had to head back to Castine.

We pulled down Main Street to hordes of cars still parked around the house. The crew decided it was best to visit the town dock until the event was over. No sooner had we parked than the winds began to howl, the sky opened up, and pea-size hail began to pound the roof. We watched boats heeling over in the harbor until it became so thick we couldn't see anymore. We heard later the winds clocked at 60 knots. There were lots of trees and massive limbs down around town with power lines down in places.

We wondered about those tents at our auction but all was well when we finally arrived back at the house.

We have a few more days of "camping out" in our empty house before we head back to the boat. This summer has been quite the adventure for all of us. But we hope our best adventures are still to come.

Now It's Gone Too Far

Mom and Dad have put us through some pretty crazy things. Years ago Dyna was so disgusted she had to speak out (What I Do For Love). And Dyna knew pretty much everything. I miss her...

These past few weeks have been very trying for Dee Dee and me. Boxes stacked everywhere, people coming and going, signs being put up out front. But we haven't complained. As long as they remember breakfast and dinner and keep our routine, we're pretty happy.

But today they finally went too far.

As long as I can remember there have been two very comfy dog beds in Daddy's study. I've spent many hours sleeping in one of them, first with Dyna, now with Dee Dee. Mom is always trying to keep our hair off of them by putting on covers. How silly is that? Trying to keep dog hair off dog beds? We humor her - she does feed us after all.

Every so often Mom goes on this tear, pushes us off our beds and gets out the vacuum and brush and tries to clean off whatever hair gets onto the beds but it's pretty silly. We put more on within minutes.

Today was different. Not only did she shoo us off the beds but she locked us up in the kitchen. Then she got out the vacuum and brush and this sticky stuff on a roll. She went to town - vacuuming and brushing and pushing that sticky stuff all over our beds. We thought she'd gone crazy.

Next thing we know her and Dad are carrying the beds out of the study and putting them into that other room. You know the one. It has this fancy furniture where they close the doors and then yell at us if we get in there. Then they shut the door - with our beds inside!

Now where are we suppose to have our naps? There's only a few places we can settle in - the window seat in the kitchen, the dog bed on the kitchen floor, the rug in the mud room, the two leather sofas in the entertainment room, Oh, and the two leather chairs, as well. On Dad's exercise mat when he's jump roping, the rug in Mom's dressing room in the morning, under the dining room table. But that's it. Oh, Dee Dee just reminded me that she likes to nap on the big bed upstairs, especially now that it's on the floor. But that is absolutely it. Except for one or two places on the boat and the backseat of the car but I'm not sure those count.

And now they take away our dog beds from the study!

If I only had fingers I'd call the ASPCA! As it is we may have to mutiny!

Wait a minute. Do I hear Mom rustling in the dog food bag? No, she's getting out some treats. Maybe we'll forgive her after all. But just this once...

Gee, we sure did like sleeping on those dog beds.

Dylan

Box It Up!

We're coming down to the last couple weeks here in Castine. The auction is on Saturday after which we will really be roughing it. By Sunday the Jeep and Subaru will be sold and we'll have to depend on the kindness of friends to pick up our rental car from Bangor.

This past weekend we picked up a U-Haul U-Box to fill with those items we just can't part with. It looked so small! The crew found it all very interesting and wanted to help.

It took 2 days to fill the 5 by 8 by 7 foot space. It was a complex jigsaw puzzle that resulted is dismay one moment as we were sure it could never fit and relief the next as we thought there was room to spare, followed by dismay and so on.

Until finally all was complete. We dropped the box off Monday morning and it goes on a truck headed south on Wednesday.

It looks like we're really doing this!

So Much Excitement

It has been an exciting week for the aCappella crew. The French sailing ship L'Hermione spent a couple of days in Castine with the largest crowd we have ever seen in town. Even the kids made it down for some of the festivities.

Dylan and Dee Dee continued their trips out to Indian Bar for swims in their test harnesses. All for the sake of science, you know, and the water safety of boating dogs everywhere.

Swimming and fetching and even getting to play with a gaggle of small children - they are a gaggle aren't they???

 

 

 It's grueling work but they are up for the sacrifice.

 

Of course, all that hard work leads to a treat and a well deserved nap. But don't worry a full report is coming at the end of the summer.

Then Mom and Dad did something really crazy. Dylan and Dee Dee have been enjoying their king-size bed here on land. It's nice to stretch out especially given what bed-hogs their mom and dad can be.

So imagine their surprise when Mom and Dad put the bed on the floor! The crew thinks it may have something to do with all those "Auction" signs out front. At first it was weird but then Dylan and Dee Dee found it was kind of exciting.

There have certainly been lots of changes going on around here lately. But don't worry, the crew is keeping a close eye on things.

Everything Must Go!

It's finally becoming real, this crazy thing we're doing. The house is under contract. In a couple of weeks we have tents and chairs and tables arriving to setup for an auction.

August 1st the whole crew will vacate for the day while crowds (we hope) descend on our backyard for "The Auction of the Century."  Other boaters have advised that it is best not to be there when people paw through our valuables/junk. Good advice.

So we are making plans for a road trip. The kids don't know yet. But they certainly know something is up. People coming and going. Boxes strewn throughout the house. Mom and Dad sorting and packing in the evening when they should be cuddling.

Dylan thinks Dee Dee should be in the auction. We're taking it under consideration.

July 4th

July 4th is a very special day here in Castine. If you ever have a chance to be here do not miss it.  It's one of those slices of Americana that are hard to find anymore. Dylan has done numerous July 4th's in Castine, this was Dee Dee's second. It starts with the parade, followed by hot dogs and watermelon and games. There's a concert on the Common by the town band in the evening. And the grand finale of a very impressive fireworks display at night. It's a good day for the crew.

After 20+ July 4th's here in Castine, it was a bittersweet day. We know we will be back for another - after all we are keeping one of our moorings. But we also know it will be different as a visitor rather than a resident. But there will be more July 4th's in new places as we look to new adventures.

Oh, and as for summer, it did arrive July 4th and has decided to linger awhile. After all, we still have adventures to enjoy right here.