service dogs

[Favorite Auntie]

The cruise line will require documentation, I am sure that was in fact a service dog. There are all sorts of reasons that a person would have a service dog that you and I couldn't see.

 

[cruisinwithmaandpa]

Not everyone who has a 'service' dog has a visible disability, epileptics have 'service dogs' that warn of pending seizure.

Point well taken, thank you, again not trying to be mean or insensitive.

 

[TDC Nala]

If the dog is a service dog they are by law required to allow it onboard. Note that some ports (like Hawaii) may require shots and immunizations to be up to date and recorded. The dog on the Hawaii cruise was likely not permitted to disembark in the islands if there was a requirement for it to be quarantined; don't know if ADA trumps that state regulation because ADA is federal law.

I don't know the requirements regarding providing documentation that the dog is, in fact, a service dog. I understand that in some situations the business may be barred by law from even asking why the person needs the animal.

In some instances it is probably true that persons are able to bring along their pets by claiming they are service dogs, but that's really not determinable.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

Point well taken, thank you, again not trying to be mean or insensitive.

No worries, I didn't think you were trying to be mean or insensitive. I think most people are in agreement with the spirit of your post which meant to say that ADA law in regards to the use of service animals is not intended to be exploited so that people can bring family 'pets' on board with them.

I think some people have their animals trained to be 'therapy' dogs and although they are not protected under ADA law, it seems like many cruise lines don't see the distinction and allow them on board.

 

[cruisinwithmaandpa]

No worries, I didn't think you were trying to be mean or insensitive. I think most people are in agreement with the spirit of your post which meant to say that ADA law in regards to the use of service animals is not intended to be exploited so that people can bring family 'pets' on board with them.

I think some people have their animals trained to be 'therapy' dogs and although they are not protected under ADA law, it seems like many cruise lines don't see the distinction and allow them on board.

 

[Debbie H]

Yes...real ones and questionable ones. However, there has been at least one instance of a supposed service dog biting another guest; that dog has been permanently banned from the cruise line.

I have a service dog, trained and registered. He has saved my life on multiple occasions. He is a shih-tzu. Not what one would think to be a service dog. He is trained to alert me of my blood sugars. People don't respect service animals. My dog is small and very cute, clearly marked he is a service dog but yet people will come up and start petting him. They are working! People should ask if they can be petted. I've had adults have their children come up and pet him. I wonder what the circumstance was of the dog bite. I agree, some people abuse the system, but it's very hard to get them trained and certified plus expensive. Mine has papers and a photo ID. We have to go through all the countries the cruise goes to and get authorization and permission from those countries to have the animal come into port and the Captain has to show that info to the government officials. We are in the process of getting ours allowed to get to Grand Cayman. We do not plan to get off the ship, however, we still have to have it. It's a 3 month process and can get very expensive.

 

[Debbie H]

On our recent cruise there was a service dog. He was very friendly, he sat quietly next to the lady at dinner and was well behaved. However, my opinion only is that he was not assisting her on the cruise. Her husband was with her on the cruise, and it was mearly a way for them to bring the dog on the ship. The woman was not in a wheel chair, nor have a cane and did not have vision issues. I even asked her if he was in training to be a service dog, and she commented "No" he is my dog. Please don't bash me on this, I feel service dogs are very important, but not to be used as a means to bring them with you on vacation.

I agree. That may have been me at that table. He is not in training and yes, he is my dog. He lays quietly at my feet during dinner and is very cute. I pick him up at times and hold him. He will sniff me and lick me, just like a pet however, he is working. He monitors my diabetes. Does that mean I need to have a cane, a wheelchair, or vision issues? He can smell ketones that a human or my husband, a doctor, can't smell. Also, he has detected problems in the middle of the night, while we were sleeping and alerted us. I shutter to think what would happened if we didn't have him, husband was sleeping so he could not have assisted me. Anything else you want to ask about service dogs? As they say, don't judge a book by its cover. These dogs help with seizures and all sorts of illness. It is expensive to get one. Im talking $20,000 or more. we don't get them for fun and yes, they are still our pets and we love them like our children. With me it can mean a matter of life or death. I take life.

I don't think you are trying to be mean in your posts. It's a matter of not knowing and asking questions. Everyone thinks they need to be a big animal. Trust me, I wish he was just my pet and I didn't need him for his service.

 

[kdeans1010]

Hawaii has VERY strict laws regarding bringing dogs onto the island. They have to be quarantined before they are allowed on the islands, so this is probably why. Service dogs have to have antibodies tests, proof of rabies vaccine, be microchipped and a bunch of other stuff before they are allowed on the island.

I had recently checked about moving to Hawaii (my mentor is thinking about moving there and I thought... I'd island jump from WA to Hawaii) with my golden retriever. There didn't look to be a quarantine. They even said "we don't require a quarantine anymore." But the other end of that is they require a lot of paperwork.

 

[Plaid Princess]

I wonder how what they do to glean the cabin afterwards for future guests with dog allergies? I hope they do something different to help that. Interesting about the kiddie pool! Guess you'd need a veranda can for all that.

It probably follows the same standards as a hotel, the room is cleaned much deeper after a guest with a service animal departs (carpets, furniture, and curtains etc steam cleaned).

 

[kcashner]

I have a service dog, trained and registered. He has saved my life on multiple occasions. He is a shih-tzu. Not what one would think to be a service dog. He is trained to alert me of my blood sugars. People don't respect service animals. My dog is small and very cute, clearly marked he is a service dog but yet people will come up and start petting him. They are working! People should ask if they can be petted. I've had adults have their children come up and pet him. I wonder what the circumstance was of the dog bite. I agree, some people abuse the system, but it's very hard to get them trained and certified plus expensive. Mine has papers and a photo ID. We have to go through all the countries the cruise goes to and get authorization and permission from those countries to have the animal come into port and the Captain has to show that info to the government officials. We are in the process of getting ours allowed to get to Grand Cayman. We do not plan to get off the ship, however, we still have to have it. It's a 3 month process and can get very expensive.

No disrespect intended. This dog was a problem--yapping and snapping at guests until it finally bit one. It behaved quite differently from any service dog we'd ever seen. We have been involved in training puppies prior to being sent to a school for seeing eye dogs, and have also done "dog sitting" during the American Federation of the Blind conference. We have friends who opt to not take their dogs to the banquet, preferring to give them a "night off" bu they would never think of leaving their very valuable animals alone in a hotel room.

My experience is that a service dog on duty is well behaved; we were somewhat surprised the first time we saw our friends' dogs without their harnesses--they turned in to very playful creatures...but they'd never act that way while "on duty."

We've seen dogs of many sizes and varieties on DCL--again, with this one exception well behaved. This one just left me scratching my head.

 

[ravensilverlight]

I'm just chiming in on some other service animal points - if you'll excuse the pun, I have no dog in the fight, but working in the medical field I have seen MANY types of service animals you might not expect.

There are service dogs, and that's what most people think of when they hear "service animal". Yet, there are cats as well, even monkeys and miniature horses. HOWEVER, the current definition from the Civil Rights Division identifies only dogs and miniature horses as service animals under ADA. The animal must be performing an actual task for the person, and not just be a "comfort animal" (as in, helping the person feel calmer, for example.) Not saying they're not as important...just specifying the legal definition (as of 2010).

Those tasks can be very diverse. Service animals can guide the blind, sure, and others have mentioned alerting the people to seizures or fluctuations in blood sugar. They can also do simple tasks, like turn lights on or off, retrieve dropped items, alert a hearing-impaired person to noises, or even dial 911 if the person is unconscious (yes, it's possible - usually through a speed dial button).

I have a friend whose young son's dog is trained to do several things for him, in fact. She sleeps in his room and monitors his sleep disorders (she wakes him if she can or wakes his parents if she can't), is tethered to him outside the house so that he doesn't go somewhere dangerous, she is trained to pull him away from situations where he is becoming agitated (like crowds) and calm him, she is trained to search for him if he becomes lost, and probably a few other specific situations I can't remember right now. Before they got her, the family was unable to do something as simple as go grocery shopping. Now, they are planning their first ever Disney vacation.

Disabilities aren't always visible, and service animals aren't always obvious. But yes, they do have a very important place in people's lives. Kudos to DCL (and Disney in general) for being so good at recognizing that.

 

[scrapbookmomma74]

I wonder, too, how well those rooms are cleaned after an animal. We are on the other end, I have a daughter who is HIGHLY allergic to animals, especially cats and dogs. If we were in a room where an animal had been on the previous cruise, she could have severe reactions.
I hope that DCL does a thorough cleaning of the "animal" rooms and also reserves just a few that they typically put animals into.
I can respect the need for the animal, just worry about us getting that room later. I've seen 2 dogs on DCL in the 7 cruises I've done.

 

[bahacca]

I wanted to thank those who have shared their stories of their service animals. I considered myself fairly educated on this subject, but I had no idea they could detect seizures and blood sugars! Gotta love the awesomeness of animals!

For those who are concerned about allergies, I'd be more afraid of having a cabin after a normal guest with animals, frankly. I know we have 2 dogs who shed like crazy. We have animal hair on ALL of our clothing, I'm sure, so when we unpack, it is going to get in the cabin.

 

[llyolf]

Very interesting thread. My DD with Autism that is 11 is on the waitlist for a Service Dog. I just can't imagine a service horse making it onto a cruise... Can you imagine the size of the kiddie pool for gumdrop?

Seriously, I appreciate this thread and just a great low key discussion about this. I figure the SD will come with her to Disney World, but probably we'll leave it @ home if we do a cruise... the assistance it provides her is important, but not "physically life saving" like that of a seizure dog or diabetes dog.

I actually read just recently of the opposite of the dog biting a man... I read about a man that was harassed and assaulted a cruiser that had a service dog. The assualter was promptly disembarked at the next port to return home on his own just in time to possibly receive a summons for assault from the Port Canaveral police. (not sure if it was DCL).

Thanks,
Paul

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

HOWEVER, the current definition from the Civil Rights Division identifies only dogs and miniature horses as service animals under ADA. The animal must be performing an actual task for the person, and not just be a "comfort animal" (as in, helping the person feel calmer, for example.)

I own a miniature horse. I think he's incredible and extremely smart but I could never imagine him as a service animal. Now don't get me wrong, he is extremely well trained as he is a decorated show horse (not by us) and stood at stud his entire life. He won't go near his food dish when you are in his stall, he will stand for grooming, the vet, bathing, etc. etc. But he runs like crazy, poops and pees all over. He loves to roll constantly!! I will keep my little man in his stall and his field.

I've seen comfort miniature horses but never a service one. Would definitely like to see one in action though. I'm sure it's extremely fascinating to watch.

 

[cmclaura]

I have a service dog, trained and registered. He has saved my life on multiple occasions. He is a shih-tzu. Not what one would think to be a service dog. He is trained to alert me of my blood sugars. People don't respect service animals. My dog is small and very cute, clearly marked he is a service dog but yet people will come up and start petting him. They are working! People should ask if they can be petted. I've had adults have their children come up and pet him. I wonder what the circumstance was of the dog bite. I agree, some people abuse the system, but it's very hard to get them trained and certified plus expensive. Mine has papers and a photo ID. We have to go through all the countries the cruise goes to and get authorization and permission from those countries to have the animal come into port and the Captain has to show that info to the government officials. We are in the process of getting ours allowed to get to Grand Cayman. We do not plan to get off the ship, however, we still have to have it. It's a 3 month process and can get very expensive.

Thank you so much for posting this!

We were recently on the Dream and saw someone with a darling small white dog on Castaway Cay. Yes, there were many comments about how that couldn't be a service animal and how the woman looked fine, etc.

I have a friend who needs a service dog and is sick and tired of being asked how long she's been blind (she's not), and being told that she can't bring her dog into so many places -- including doctor's offices! -- that she can practically quote the ADA regulations at people. It's a shame that a lack of knowledge of these things causes people to stick their feet into their mouths.

As, apart from this, I do not have a lot of experience with this issue, I am so pleased that you posted, as it's a good way of educating the uninformed. My own guess was that the dog we saw was there as a seizure predictor, so it's good to learn that they can help with blood sugar levels. Every little bit of information helps us to not act in an ignorant way.

 

[BrennaM]

I think it is so disrespectful that parents don't teach their children about service dogs and proper manners around them. My kids learned at a very young age that if they ever see a dog with a service jacket on that they could look but not touch.

They were so good following the rules when they were taught them and the reasons why they should be followed. After they would always go near so they could look at the dog but they would never attempt to pet them. They would get rewarded every so often when the person would let them know they could pet the dog, but they would always look to me to make sure it was ok. Of course I would thank the person for letting them.

 

[cmclaura]

I think it's less a case of disrespect than one of simply not knowing.

There are plenty of services animals who do NOT wear vests, which makes it harder to figure out. And most people don't want to be rude and ask questions. Most, sadly, not all. The questions my friend gets makes you wonder if there are any people left in the world who aren't rude.

We have had service animals visit school when my daughter was younger and we always tried to ensure she not touch any animals she doesn't know without permission. But guess what -- I volunteer in animal rescue and there are still an overwhelming number of kids who run at the animals, parents in tow, who don't ask.

 

[valee]

That's a good point about how people with allergies can be affected even if an animal wasn't in the room.
I suspect that most service animal receive excellent care, including grooming (I know I'd be fastidious about the care of a $20,000 service dog), which is beyond the average level of grooming, so service animals probably have fewer allergans (dander) to leave behind than your average household pet. I think most people have acquaintances who always have some hair on their clothes, even if the pet is nowhere around.

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

There are plenty of services animals who do NOT wear vests, which makes it harder to figure out. And most people don't want to be rude and ask questions. Most, sadly, not all.

If all service dogs wore a vest, I think there'd be a lot less misunderstanding about their purpose. I think most people realize that a dog wearing the vest is a "working dog" and performing a task. It would educate the public that smaller dogs can be service dogs, too. Otherwise, to most people it DOES look just like a pet.

Unfortunately, I do know a family who have claimed their little dog was a service animal (it is NOT) just so it could accompany them into restaurants, stores, etc. I guess they could buy a vest as well, but they probably couldn't be bothered. Boo for jerky people!