There is an old show business saying everybody knows: “Never work with animals or children”. However, many people may disagree with having pets aboard a luxury yacht. Family time on board is always joyful, and having a pet on board a luxury yacht makes the experience more satisfying. 

Having pets on board a luxury yacht can be an ideal opportunity for the crew. Animals help release endorphins and can be an excuse for some justified playtime. Moreover, who wouldn’t enjoy taking a furry traveller ashore for a walk? 

Furthermore, pets adapt well to life at sea, especially if you do a little previous planning, and common sense helps too. Also, there are some considerations to take when they are already on board. However, we know planning is not always easy to do, but no need to worry. Read this article to learn everything you need about taking care of pets on a luxury yacht.

Some previous preparations you can do

Some of these things will be your work, but some will be the pet owner’s responsibility. However, you can try to do some pre-check to know if they have everything ready for the trip.

• Paperwork, passports, visas, and vaccinations: Animals, as much as humans, have to have everything in check to travel. Make sure their owners have everything ready for their pets to travel. It is good to consider that, due to Brexit, people from the United Kingdom can have more issues doing their paperwork.
• Prepare your yacht for pet security: You can install some dog doors (there are temporary ones) and adapt design elements for their comfort and safety, such as staircases. Find possible shade spots for the animal, as they will need to protect too. Finding the ideal boat for sailing is essential.
• Make sure the crew is ready for pets on board. On the one hand, they should have some basic pet first-aid training, just enough until a vet arrives. On the other hand, they need to be mentally ready for the chaos an animal can bring. However, make sure they know it will be fun too.
• Get all the items the pet will need: first things first, a bed. Everyone needs an appropriate bed, animals too. Putting some grass patches to create a comfortable space for them to potty can be a good idea. Water bowls, nail clippers and brusher will probably be necessary too. Oh, having animal-friendly life jackets is crucial too. And don’t forget treats and toys. You will thank us later.
• Just like we do it for humans, prepare emergency plans in case the pet needs to go ashore or home from any place.
• Ask your guests about their pets: you should try to know everything about the animal before they arrive on board. 

Dogs are the most high-maintenance animals to take care of on a luxury yacht

Things to consider when already on board

Preparation is crucial, but there are more things to do when the pet is already on board the luxury yacht. Here are some things you should think of doing when the animal is already with you at sea:

• Firstly, give time to pets to adapt to the boat and the new environment. They need a while to get used to being at sea, so be patient.
• Try to keep routines for them. Keeping habits and some discipline will help them adjust to a new environment, especially regarding potty.
• Potty, oh, potty, this will be the main issue, no doubt. The crew will have to organize itself constantly to take pets on walks. It will be a challenge. However, there are some tips you can consider to make it more manageable.
• You can organize food and water intake so that potty time will come at a manageable time. Nonetheless, the land will not always be available to take pets on a walk. Puppy pads or fake grass patches can be your saving grace in emergencies.
• On another topic, entertainment will prove itself crucial. Animals tend to be quite destructive when bored, so keeping them amused will keep pets from chewing and damaging your luxury yacht. Toys and treats for playing with them will be one of your main pet-managing tools. Giving them swimming lessons is another option. They may love it!

Some extra tips

In addition to all the previous considerations, we have a few extra tips we think will be helpful.

• Animals enjoy swimming in the sea (especially dogs), but they swallow seawater. Due to seawater’s salt, they get diarrhoea, which can be a huge problem. Coconut water, white rice and bananas help stop it. This tip is also applicable to humans, just for you to know.
• Green apples seem to calm animals’ upset tummies. They can be practical when seasickness hits, as they can be treats too.

Sharing some final thoughts

All in all, we can say that having a pet on board a luxury yacht is an intense but beautiful experience. Pets can be a handful, but the moment an animal runs at you looking for pets is sure to make your heart melt. 

We also know that, like us, you love animal life on land, at sea and in the air. Because of that, we would like to ask you to join us in our effort to protect the environment. Every year, millions of animals die or find their home destroyed due to environmental issues. To protect the sea, we are committed to only working with sustainable brands in our store. Visit our website to find top-quality and sustainable products, ideal for your luxury yacht.