So I ran over my dog yesterday

[jercrane]

My boy Bruno is a 70 lb rescue mix with some Rotti and a bunch of other things in him. He is dumb as a box of rocks but he’s a sweetheart and loves riding in the boat. This is his favorite spot to ride.

 

 

Right now a bunch of you are cringing just looking at that pic. I know. Here’s the thing though. I’ve had dogs in boats for my entire life. 40+ years of mutts riding the bow like this and not once had an issue. Sigh (shakes head)

 

Well me and my boy went out for a spin early evening yesterday to check the conditions at the course site. On the way out it was a zoo on the lake. (Public lakes ... grrr). Boat chop was out of control.

 

He’s usually pretty good at riding out a few rollers and I’m careful not to slow too quickly but we hit this weird double crossing wake and the poor guy went right over the front. At 30 mph!

 

I slam the boat into neutral and every horrible thought imaginable goes through my head. I turn around expecting the worse and out he pops dead center in the wake, ears back, eyes bugging out in that “what the eff just happened way”, paddling his brains out back to the boat.

 

I haul his ass back on the platform and he’s got his tail between his legs, fully body shakes. I inspect his whole body. Not a mark on him. He starts licking my face as if he’s apologizing for doing something wrong.

 

After shaking and soaking the entire boat he crawls under the dash and curls up in a ball and won’t come out until we are back at the dock. Let me tell you there is not much space in a SN 200 cockpit with a 70 lb dog at your feet.

 

I guess I’ll be putting the air dam in from now on when Bruno is in the boat.

 

Ps here he is pretending to be a lapdog while I write this.

 

 

[BraceMaker]

And he's... Ok???

[jercrane]

Sorry my first post lost the second half of my content. The part with the punchline of course. I fixed it.

 

Heh yeah he’s just fine. Chasing squirrels and dragon flies in the back yard as always.

[skihacker]

I just had a mini heart attack.........not cool man, "the dog is fine but" should have been waaaaay early!!!!

[dbski]

That's one of the worst OTF's I've ever heard of! Glad your boy is OK!

[Drago]

You had me @,"...out he pops dead..."

[jercrane]

@Drago oh dear that was a poor choice of wording wasn’t it. Man that was not intentional.

[teammalibu]

If you wouldn't let your kid ride there why would you let your dog??

[jercrane]

@teammalibu not gonna argue with you on that one

 

Lesson learned... the easy way ... I guess

[T-fromTO]

My dog fell out of the boat a few weeks ago when I was skiing. I didn’t notice at all and the driver only noticed when he saw her climbing out of the water onto the bank. He was thinking “Hey, didn’t she used to be in the boat!” She is a tiny 7 pound lap dog.

[wawaskr]

Stevie Wonder saw that coming! Tell me he doest ride in the box of your Silveraaaado too?

[Than_Bogan]

Great. Now my irrational phobia of open bows has became a rational phobia of open bows. Glad nobody was harmed!!

[DaveinPa]

Regardless of what we all have done, good ending and glad your dog is 100%!!! Dave

[jerrym]

Early in my ski career I was pulling my buddy with his trihull with a Johnson outboard and his big furry dog at the bow. The skiers falls, the boat slows quickly, and I pull up to the skier who asks " why is Frosty swimming in the water?" Everyone was fine but that dog went right under the boat and popped out the back with that same look on his face. I'm pretty sure i had the same look on my face too!

 

There are no cushions in the front our 200OB.

[oldjeep]

Glad he is ok. My beagle jumped off the bow in a no wake zone after a fish a couple years ago. Lucked out and she didnt wind up under the boat. Hasnt been allowed up there since.

[bigskieridaho]

1. Don’t put your dog in the boat. 2. Don’t put your dog in the boat. 3. Glad he is ok, but don’t put your dog in the boat.

[bishop8950]

Glad he is ok! That must have been a tough few seconds. I have seen a few cases where items pass under the belly of the boat unharmed. Not sure if it’s luck or if objects are channeled to the sides. Not that I will ever count on this phenomena!

 

I don’t let my 75lb labs the boat mostly because of the mess and potential damage, but also because of unplanned exits.

 

Open bows have always concerned me, especially in agile yet rough riding 19’ ski boats.

[VONMAN]

So what have we learned from this kids!..........

[thager]

Open Bow Wow Bad Bad JUJU!!!!

[B_S]

I hear a blues song in the making. Glad your pup is OK!

[Jimbo]

Glad your pup is OK! I gave up on my dogs in the boat after my latest pup decided he would jump over the gunnel and scared himself to the point he wouldn't get out of the cockpit. Definitely no room for a 75 lb doberman and my feet in the same space under the dash.

[dbski]

That's why pontoon boats were invented!

[Chef23]

Glad your dog is ok. I let my kids sit up front when they were small but the boat wouldn’t move unless they were sitting in their seat. I am not sure you can get a dog to follow directions the same way.

[ISP6ball]

Hit this guy below the water surface last weekend while skiing.

Be thankful..........it could've been much worse!

 

[Jetsetr]

Snapper? Ya did us a favor...those dudes have some attitude issues...

[adkh2oskier]

Glad the pup is ok, now let us know nest time you take him out in the boat if he gets right back up on his perch or not.

[thager]

Need some nonslip up there!

[jercrane]

@adkh2oskier He won't even go near the Nautique anymore. He trots out to the dock with me and then goes and stands next to the Whaler. The second I step into the Nautique he turns around and trots right back up to the house with his ears back and head down. :D

 

Poor fella might be scarred for life. Oh well its probably for the best. A true Live and Learn story.

[skihacker]

One of our neighbors dumped a border collie off the back of his bubble back a bunch of years back, she'll ride anything around the pond...including a jet ski but she won't go near the nautique anymore.

[skihacker]

Maybe Bruno is a tiny bit smarter than you thought?

[adkh2oskier]

@jercrane . Thought that might happen. had a neighbors dog fall through thin ice a few years back, he wouldn't go out on the ice after that, even with owners on X-Country skiis calling him.

[jercrane]

Yeah he's afraid of the dishwasher as well. When he was about 6 months old he was licking some dishes and his collar got caught on the rack. He freaked out and ripped the door off the dishwasher trying to run away. That was over 2 years ago. He still won't go in the kitchen when the dishwasher door is open. My wife opens the dishwasher now when she is cooking and doesn't want him begging. :)

Big dogs are fun.

 

 

[DaveD]

So the lesson to be learned here is that dogs are smarter than us because they learn from their mistakes?

 

 

[liquid d]

I run from that dishwasher too.

[EFW]

@T-fromTO

that'll teach those "ticks"to go for a ride!

[bishop8950]

Very interesting post trauma behavior. Especially how He distinguishes between the Nautique and the Whaler.

[thager]

They're smart! Had to drop my pup in the lake after a muddy run in the cornfield. Has not gone near the lake since. If I head down the steps he heads the other direction!

[jercrane]

@bishop8950 yeah for sure. He actually spends a good amount of time sleeping in the whaler on sunny days so I think he just associates that with nice things. Its like a hammock that occasionally takes him for rides.

 

 

[Than_Bogan]

Whalers rule! My parents have that exact boat.

[jercrane]

Finally got him back in the boat tonight. He sat next to me the whole ride. Insisted on touching me the whole time. Note the air dam ... not sure I needed though. He wasn’t leaving my side.