A dog's life aboard

Dogs have been part of canal life since the network was created. Here, a handful of dog-doting boaters talk about life on the cut with a mutt plus top safety tips and dog-friendly walk suggestions

According to a Canal & River Trust survey 77% of pets aboard residential boats are canines, and with countless images of dogs and boaters throughout the ages, it seems to have always been the case. Today, boat dogs seem almost ubiquitous on the cut, but why are dogs so popular, and what do you need to know before taking your beloved pooch aboard?

Here, we ask some boaters about their experiences of keeping dogs on their boats.

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Jane, Chris, Ayto and Alma - Nb Chough

Jane and Chris with their whippets Ayto and Alma.

Jane: When I first started boating I had a Staffy/Ridgeback cross called Pudgy, and it was Pudgy who brought Chris and me together. Pudgy would disappear and I’d find him on Chris’s boat, pestering him for biscuits. When we got married we got a Cairn terrier called Dewey and we haven’t been without a dog since.

Chris: Today we have Ayto and Alma who join us aboard when we are boating. Whippets are great boat dogs because they’re small and slim, and they don’t shed much hair. (Terry Darlington said as much in his best-selling book Narrow Dog to Carcassonne.) The only downside is that skinny whippets don’t have much cushioning, so small bumps can sometimes cause minor wounds that need attention, but that’s rare and doesn’t cause much trouble really.

They’re fast, of course, so when they make a run for it they really go. As a result we’re very careful about where we take them and always have them on a lead if there are other dogs or animals around. It might surprise someone who doesn’t know much about the breed but whippets are pretty lazy dogs. People expect racing dogs like whippets and greyhounds to need loads of exercise but, after walking an hour or so in the morning, they generally spend the rest of the day snoozing.

Jane: Apart from them getting under our feet a lot, there aren’t too many challenges to having a couple of whippets on a boat. They sometimes used to run away when they were younger and there was no way we could catch them. I’d head back to the boat, hoping they had found their way home. We’d be worried sick until they eventually showed up, acting like nothing had happened.

They’re happy to sit on the back deck and watch the world go by while we’re underway. They aren’t keen on doing locks though, partly because of the noise no doubt, but also because Chris is on the towpath doing the lock and not on the boat. Thankfully, being on the Ashby Canal where there are no locks is an advantage.

Chris: Boats and dogs just seem to go together. A dog that lives in a house will usually go for walks in the same area, whereas boat dogs often get to explore different places and have new adventures. Ours seem to love that experience.

When we were getting our last dog, Dewey, the lady from the RSPCA shelter turned up early and watched us exercising Pudgy in the field alongside the boat. She was quite taken by what a wonderful life a boat dog must have with all the open space around them, compared to dogs that live in built-up areas. And I’d agree.

We’re very rarely without the dogs. Even when we go out for dinner, we look for dog-friendly places. Thankfully, they sit so quietly that we often surprise people sitting nearby who were completely unaware we had a couple of whippets under the table. They do sometimes enjoy a slurp of my Guinness but they don’t much like cider for some reason.

Kev and Saffi - Nb Udderly Rudderly

Kev and Saffi.

I got Saffi in 2013, way before I got the boat. I’d been in the Navy for 22 years and was coming up to retirement. Getting a dog seemed like a good idea – something to keep me occupied.

I got Saffi as a puppy in September 2013 and she lived her first eight years with my wife and me in a house in Kent. When Beth died in 2021, I didn’t know what to do with myself, rattling around in a big three-bedroom house like a pea in a tin can. I knew I had to do something with the rest of my life, so I got the idea that Saffi and I could live on a boat.

My time in the Navy had left me with severe PTSD, and after my wife died I wasn’t doing too well to be frank. It was Saffi who made life worth living and she got me through some very dark times. Some days the only reason I had to get out of bed in the morning was because Saffi needed me. But, to be honest, I needed Saffi just as much.

When I was planning to move aboard I was a bit worried that having such a big dog might not be practical on a boat. I couldn’t have been more wrong. She’s not the kind of dog that’s bouncing around being in the way and she spends much of her time curled up dozing. Even on our first cruise out, she lay on the back deck just sniffing the air, taking it all in. It’s as if she understands what’s expected of her.

Saffi is a pretty good guard dog too and she’ll growl and bark if she hears something outside that sets her off. But she’s an absolute pussycat when you meet her properly. She often makes friends with strangers on the towpath, many of whom become my friends too. She’s a great icebreaker. Having Saffi with me aboard has brought some wonderfully positive things into my life.

Jo and Kiah - Nb Mixed Moss

Jo and Kiah.

Kiah is a Native American word that means ‘little wise one’ and it suits her well. My late husband and I had been continuous-cruisers for several years, but when we got a permanent mooring with a patch of garden alongside, we thought it was the ideal time to get a dog.

She came to us as a seven-week-old puppy and we chose a border collie because they’re faithful, intelligent and quick learners. That was ten years ago and she’s been a delight since the first day we got her. Okay, so she brings in lots of mud from the towpath when the weather is bad but so do I to some extent. Oh, and she barks at swans.