... I don't think you'll find a family who are more dog lovers than ours. We have always had two Goldens and a cat for over 20 years. While leaving the animals at home when we go cruising is hands-down the hardest part of taking our trips, we would never think of taking the dogs on the boat, a "smallish" Tartan 40 sailboat, it's just not fair to them. They are much happier at home with the dog sitter than on a sailboat. On a trawler, that is a different issue, that's like your living room. Cats, hamsters, rabbits for the kids and even quite small dogs are fine ... but please, if you have a small sailboat, leave the larger dogs at home ... Cheers, John