Dogs on the Marina

[Lord Farringdon]

We had a really good day out in the boat yesterday which included lunch in a secluded bay, large stingrays slipping under the boat and a pod of 10 dolphins which swam and played around the few boats in the bay for a couple of hours. It was a great 'up close' to nature day and we enjoyed every minute of it up until we docked back at the marina.

Our slip neighbour who shares the same finger with us on the righthand side had arrived back maybe 15 mins or so before us. He has two dogs of a similar kind to that which one of the CSR members has whose sig pic is a dog sitting at the helm. Not big dogs but not little ones either. They were tied to a cleat on the the main pier end of the finger. I always slip in bow first which has the disadvantage that the admiral can't get off until the swim platform comes up to the end of the finger but that never causes any problems normally. As I idled up to the finger all was fine until I selected reverse. Then the dogs started barking. I was momentarily distracted and nudged the finger enough to set the bow moving towards to our other neigbour in our double slip on the left. The admiral jumped off and tied off the stern cleat. Realising the bow was heading for our left side neighbour my wife rushed up the finger but had to get around two barking dogs. She nearly tripped over them before getting onto the main pier, grabbing the bow and tieing off the bow cleats. You will all know that this happened very quickly. Nothing ever happens slowly when you're docking! Time seems to speed up.

After all the commotion our finger neighbours who had been watching us approach decided to help my wife put the slip rope on then he began to engage her in conversation like their dogs had not caused the slightest problem. His wife then grabbed the still yapping dogs and took them up to the car. He then quickly grabbed the gear trolley (which was also on the finger and made my wifes exit from the swim platform an obstacle course), and promptly followed her.

My wife and I were a bit ticked off by our neigbours lack of situation awareness and not keeping a clear dock for us but what made it worse was that my wife rubbed her leg and realised she was bleeding. Two pin hole marks indicated she had been bitten in all the commotion as well. I went up to the carpark to find them but they had gone. I think they knew there dogs had crossed the line.

The relationship with our dock neighbour has been courteous and cordial. We've chatted a few times and they seem a like nice couple. But I am p****d off! They have probably broken several rules but I haven't worked out which ones yet. I want to give them both a piece of my mind the next time I see them but I don't want to be in a sitaution where we have to shuffle past each on the finger while staring daggers if you know what I mean.

So, what do I do now guys? I could possibly report them to the council and have the dogs put down but my wife doesn't want to do that. I know when I see them again I will have calmed down but right now I'm fuming.



Terry

 

[tbirdvet]

I would certainly talk to your neighbor and ask them to control their dogs in the future and be sure the dogs have had all their shots since your wife was bitten. We have a dog but never let him off the boat unless he is on a leash. The last thing you need is another distraction when docking your boat. If it continues i would report it to the marina.

 

[sdarc]

Definately talk to the neighbor and the marina. It is the owners responsiblity to control their pets. Not to mention being courtious (sp?) about public areas on the dock.

Our dog stays on the boat, not on the dock and is leashed when going anywhere around the marina. And he would have gotten his hide tanned if he ever nipped or showed teeth at somebody.

 

[jason78]

My suggestion is pretty much in line with the others. I would ask the guy to keep his dogs on his boat and away from your half of the slip. People like that really annoy me. They think everyone else should have to put up with their barking or biting dogs just so they can bring them down to the boat (or wherever) with them. Then, when they act up, the owners blow it off like what happened in your case. They will probably say their dogs "have never bitten anyone" too when you speak with them.

Personally I could care less if people bring well behaved (leashed) dogs with them if they choose to do so but to have to put up with that kind of crap you had to deal with is not acceptable. The boat is supposed to be some place to relax, not listen to barking and get bitten. For the record we have a family dog and I like her. She however, has never been nor will ever go to the boat. She is a little hyper and I really don't want to risk my interior being damaged or have to deal with the hair so she stays at home.

 

[wish2fish]

Not defending the slip neighbors but it sounds like they were closing things up and getting ready leave. I'm guessing they cleat their dogs like that every time they shut things down. It just happened to be bad timing that you got there at that time.

Keep an eye on the dog bite. Any growing redness should be taken seriously as signs of infection.

 

[Pyrojodge]

Oh man Terry what a bad ending to an otherwise perfect day. Hope your wife recovers soon. I would take pictures of the bite. And then talk to the neighbor and the marina. I am amazed at people that bring unbehaved dogs to the boat. Sad to say we have several couples that have them around my marina. One comes to mind that I used to be very friendly with. Were very nice people then the dog's entered the picture. 4 to 5 depending on the weekend. It is miserable when they stay at the marina. The dogs bark constantly and the owner does not follow protocol on where to take them for their business. Its like most things where a few bad apples ruin the group!

Again best wishes for your wife!

 

[fwebster]

Our dogs go with us nearly every time we take the boat out so I've got some experience with this. My dogs are the last thing that leave the boat because I don't want to trip over them as we are unloading, so it is an easy thing to manage......i.e. getting dogs off without bothering your neighbors or encroaching on someone elses shared space.

My advice it to not confront your slip neighbor yourself. Explain the circumstances and what occurred to your marina manager or dockmaster then ask them to handle it with your neighbor. That is his job and you have to live next to the guy so I'd rather have the guy in the next slip upset at the management than at you.

 

[wetpaint]

Not the dogs fault.....All about the owners!!!

 

[skibum]

I would approach it as 2 separate subjects.

#1 - The dog bite. You need to ask for proof of up to date rabies shots, and ask them to take the dogs to the vet and have them checked for any diseases that might harm your wife. If she needed medical attention, hand him the bill and ask him to pay. These are pretty standard things in a dog bite situation.

#2 - Leaving obstacles on the finger / dock. This is ok if one or both of you is out, and the obstacles are cleared by the time the other returns. In this case, they were on the boat and most likely saw you approaching to dock. The correct thing to do would have been to move both the dogs and the trolley out of your way until you were tied off. I would help them to understand the method that you and your wife use to dock, including her difficulties in getting on and off the boat. I would wait until things were a little more cordial between you before discussing unless you do not care about how the relationship between you turns out.

 

[Woody]

I would call the guy and tell him about the bite. That is not a situation were it was ok for the dog to bite anyone. I have a rule with my dogs, if they draw blood they're down. He should be told. I expect some flack for this, let 'er rip.

 

[Gofirstclass]

I'm going to give a bit different response on how the dog owners reacted to the situation. I'm guessing they might have been very embarrassed by their dogs and were getting out of there in a hurry so there wasn't a confrontation. They obviously know they and their dogs were in the wrong, and may or may not have witnessed the bite.

I'd cool down a bit, then give them a friendly call and ask them for their help in making sure this doesn't happen again. I'd also tell them about the dog bite and ask them for copies of the rabies certificates.

Depending on how they react to your call could determine the next step. If they are pi$$ed that you called them and tell you to go to hell about the certificates, then by all means call the local cops and report the bite. The dogs will need to be quarantined if the owners haven't gotten the dogs vaccinated and the cops will take care of that.

I'd bet the owners will be apologetic and embarrassed and the two of you can work out a solution that prevents future similar incidents.

 

[skolbe]

Dogs react differently to different situations. We have 2 dogs and 1 is a young puppy. We went to a different marina this weekend and when we were backing in our boat into a transient slip our friends where there and the puppy started barking like crazy. That being said not everyone knows how to contain/train their dogs. They need to know that their dog broke skin and that the dogs see someone getting off the boat as a threat and I would hate for your wife to get injured stepping over dogs. We keep our dogs contained on our boat. But we get some transients and the dogs sometimes bark at new people. But we have them contained. Good luck with the situation. These are touchy subjects.

 

[BritLady]

I'm going to give a bit different response on how the dog owners reacted to the situation. I'm guessing they might have been very embarrassed by their dogs and were getting out of there in a hurry so there wasn't a confrontation. They obviously know they and their dogs were in the wrong, and may or may not have witnessed the bite.

I'd cool down a bit, then give them a friendly call and ask them for their help in making sure this doesn't happen again. I'd also tell them about the dog bite and ask them for copies of the rabies certificates.

Depending on how they react to your call could determine the next step. If they are pi$$ed that you called them and tell you to go to hell about the certificates, then by all means call the local cops and report the bite. The dogs will need to be quarantined if the owners haven't gotten the dogs vaccinated and the cops will take care of that.

I'd bet the owners will be apologetic and embarrassed and the two of you can work out a solution that prevents future similar incidents.

I tend to agree as above and hope you can work it out amicably as being in the next door slip could be very awkward if not. Your wife certainly needs to know about the rabies certificate and they need to keep their dogs under better control! Do hope she recovers okay, especially from the bite and you get a good resolution to all this

 

[AKBASSKING]

I would go with Firstclass's suggestion and try to work it out first, then if you aren't satified, talk to the marina manager.

Or you could the next time you come to the dock with the pooches tied up, grab your 44 mag, but that would be a last resort.....:grin:

 

[JCSAM]

My wife was bit last week from the neighbors dog. We talked to the dog warden. His advice was to to go to the doctors and get antibotics for the bite. And that is because you don't what they have been eating or licking. The warden also checked to make sure all the shots are up to date.

 

[Jack380AC]

Just my opinion, but asking the owner for the vacine records is for sure. I would also politely notify the marina as a bite is a bite no matter the circumstances and they may wish to ask the owners to "be more careful." Its likely just an unfortunate circumstance but a polite mention of how this was not very good boating experience can hopefully make them more diligent.

 

[dpvandy01]

Shot records and a level headed approach to the conversation. My dog is on my boat EVERY time I am. I love having her with me,,,, other dogs at the club well that's a different matter entirely!!!! They are just not welcomed!

 

[Jimmy Buoy]

If I ever unknowingly offend my dock neighbor (and I have) as painful as it would be, I would hope that he would confront me before going to the dock master with any complaints. Clarify that you would like to keep this between the two of you to resolve the issue and that you hope not to have to bring anyone else into it needlessly. Also, ask to speak in private so that he's not inclined to put on a "show" of defiance to nearby observers.

If this is not well received, let him know he has left you no choice but to bring the issue to those in authority (in this case, the police and dock master).

You've shown great restraint by not starting an argument at the time!

 

[islandhopper00]

Lord F, I agree with most everyones responces, and I commend you for acting in a very civilized manner. That said, I do see some misjudgment of situational awareness on your part also. You are the captain of your vessel, and you placed yourself and your wife in a predicament by entering your slip, while the dogs were on the finger.

It would have been prudent to wait untill the dock was clear, and/or communicate to your slip neighbors your intention to enter your slip. You could have spoke to your slip neighbors and asked them to secure their dogs for your approach. It's all about communication, sounds like your slip neighbors were trying to tie up and depart also (wern't paying attention). They made a bad judgement decision by tieing up thier dogs to your finger, but you made a bad judgment decision by entering you slip while there was a danger present.

Don't blame the dogs for acting like dogs. They were probably as scared as your wife was. I would advise you to ask your slip neighbors for the dogs shot records, and make them aware their dog bit your wife.

 

[fwebster]

If I ever unknowingly offend my dock neighbor (and I have) as painful as it would be, I would hope that he would confront me before going to the dock master with any complaints. Clarify that you would like to keep this between the two of you to resolve the issue and that you hope not to have to bring anyone else into it needlessly. Also, ask to speak in private so that he's not inclined to put on a "show" of defiance to nearby observers.

If this is not well received, let him know he has left you no choice but to bring the issue to those in authority (in this case, the police and dock master).

You've shown great restraint by not starting an argument at the time!

I might agree with this approach if the OP had a relationship with the dog owner. He obviously did not or this whole issue would have been avoided with "Hey Bill, how about moving the dogs while we tie up!". So involving someone in marina management who would provide some insulation from becoming the "Complainer down the dock" since the manager would have to apply some tact in his approach and you would remain anonymous. This approach gives you the best chance of decent future relationship with your neighbor.

However, the second time something like this happens, all bets are off, screw political correctness, and tell Fido's daddy how its going to be in the future.