Summer - Cooling Vest and Life Vest - worn together?
Submitted by SailorTheBulldog on January 11, 2014 - 11:49pmHello, we are new to the bulldog world with a 7 week old male puppy named Sailor. With a name like Sailor, you can imagine that we hope he likes the water and hope to be able to take him on the boat with us this summer, but only if we know for sure he is safe.
The life vest is a MUST, and I have also been reading about the cooling vest and cooling jacket, but I am wondering can you wear a life vest over the cooling vest? Will the cooling vest still work? Or will having two vest on be too much. We can always remove the cooling vest before he enters the water so he is only wearing the life vest. I am exploring all ways possible for him to be able to come with us.
We live in Georgia where the temps get pretty high in the summer.
Thank you!
Sailor the Bulldog
Look for me on YouTube and Instagram
Lifevests & Bulldogs & Water
Keep in mind bulldogs are not Labs and while many can swim they are not good swimmers....AND many just SINK. It is important to began teaching this puppy to swim at a young age if that is your intention. I would find someone with a dog pool to begin lessons. All of my bulldogs could swim but none of them just charged into the water on their own if it was deep enough to not touch ground. They just didn't love the water, but they loved the boat.
We rarely kept lifevests on the dogs when they were in the boat, but it depends on what kind of boat you have. If its a ski boat lifevest all the time. Unfortunately lifevests are hot and bulldogs and heat can be a deadly combination, so on those super warm days I'd be leaving your dog home, again depending on the boat you have and where you live.
PNW temp is mild so it was normally perfect boating weather for our bulldogs. All our boats had high sides and were close to 30' so the dogs couldn't get over the sides.
MacKenzie modeling LifeWear while salmon fishing in Telegraph Cove, BC, Canada.
Norbert Whale Watching in beautiful BC, Canada
Wonderful photos.
Thanks!
Agree with Deb
Bulldogs and heat = disaster.
On hot days, see if you can find a sitter and leave him at home in the cool. It's a bummer, I know (trust me, we have a cottage), but it's the only way to make sure he doesn' overheat.
And when our girl was on a boat, she always had her life vest on (she fell off a dock once and sunk like an anchor, scaring the crap out of everyone). We hardly had time to jump in and get her before she hit bottom - thankfully my dad was right there. So on cooler days, put the vest on him, you'll all rest easier (unless it's a yacht type boat and he's down below).
I don't mean to scare you (I swear :)) but we hear so many stories of bullies overhearting or drowning in the summer...
Keep him cool and keep him safe - oh and give him a smooch!
I agree with both of them.
They both said it all. Bulldogs and water really don't mix.
I wish you luck. Deb great pictures.
Karonelaine