Service dog?

[cdhheidi]

Good Morning!

We will be taking a trip to WDW the end of November/December with my son's new service dog in training. The dog is young, we had him trained locally and we will be completing his training with us over the next several months. He does quite well when we take him out and about in stores, restaurants, etc, and over the next several months before our trip to the World we will be on the road doing extensive travel in and around various historical sights in our Nations capitol, Boston, NY, Virginia, etc, so he will have lots of practice before we get to Florida.

I tried to find online guidelines regarding service dogs at the various parks and where the pottying places are at the hotel (BWV) so I can plan ahead a little bit, but am having a little trouble finding links to those places. Guidance would be appreciated! Stirling is a delightful addition to our family, and even though he is only 17 months old and still has a bit of finish work to do, he is coming along nicely. My son is hooked up to several machines during the night (and day) and the dog is learning to alert to them and wake him up so that HE can fix them instead of mom and dad (13 yr olds need to become more independent!).

Thanks for any help you can share! This will be a great adventure I am sure.. LOL! I must be nuts to be on the road for close to 4 months with this crew... but we are homeschoolers, and love to travel. Thankful we have this opportunity!!!!

Heidi

 

[SueM in MN]

If you look in post #3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, you will find the information you are looking for. There are links to the WDW official information for guests with disabilities. That is near the top of post 3; if you scroll down a little farther, there is more information in the alphabetized conditions and concerns. I do not know if any place on line that lists the 'potty places' for the resorts. You will need to ask at the front desk when you check in.

Once you are at a park, you can get the special park maps for guests with disabilities. They are very similar to the regular maps, but include some extra things like listing attractions the dog can't go on and where the potty spots are. You can find those maps at rhe park entrance with the other maps.

 

[hastingsmom]

I am in the same situation! We leave on the 24th with my 2 ds and our seizure response dog for my older ds. This will be our first big trip with him. I called Disney and requested they send me the maps ahead of time. I expect them to arrive in the mail in a day or 2.

Have you heard anything about where SD's are allowed to go to the bathroom at the resorts?

 

[SueM in MN]

I am in the same situation! We leave on the 24th with my 2 ds and our seizure response dog for my older ds. This will be our first big trip with him. I called Disney and requested they send me the maps ahead of time. I expect them to arrive in the mail in a day or 2.

Have you heard anything about where SD's are allowed to go to the bathroom at the resorts?

You will have to ask at the resort because they don't have anything in writing or on the resort maps. My guess (I don't know for sure) is that they might change the spots periodically to rotate the damage on the landscaping.

If you receive the park maps for guests with disabilities, it will list the 'dog potty' spot locations, but they will not be marked on the maps.

 

[fredkap]

The ADA requires that a service animal is permitted inside a public accomodation. It does not require the public accomodation to provide a place for the animal to relieve itself. As a practical matter many airports are now providing a doggy grass area but I don't believe that Disney is required to do so. Nor am I aware of what Disney's policies are.

If your dog is merely waking your son while sleeping to warn him that a buzzer is going off, that may or may not be covered as a qualifying event. It is not reasonable to expect that your son would be sleeping while visiting Disney but it is reasonable that he might not hear the buzzer with all of the background noise while the dog would hear the noise. To be covered by the ADA the service animal needs to be ready to perforn a task that could be expected to be needed at the public accomodation.

The new ADA regs no longer consider psychological comfort as an item covered by the ADA regarding service animals. A service animal assisting with a neurological problem such as seizures is covered by the ADA.

A dog that has an accident can be banned forever by a facility. A dog that is in traing could be barred because it is not fully trained. As an example, a Southwest Airlines flight had to be cancelled after a "Service Animal" defecated in the cabin prior to takeoff. The plane had to be taken out of service and cleaned prior to it going back in service. I personally believe that the dog in question was not a service dog but was being disguised as one. Nevertheless, the rules state that a Service Animal that is not housebroken or that threatens other guests is not required to be admitted by a public accomodation. http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/titleIII_2010/reg3_2010.html

That said, I truly wish that you have a wonderful trip and all of the little problems are taken care of.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

I haven't been on here in forever, but stopped by today and had to respond to the above post since there are errors in it.

The ADA requires that a service animal is permitted inside a public accomodation. It does not require the public accomodation to provide a place for the animal to relieve itself. As a practical matter many airports are now providing a doggy grass area but I don't believe that Disney is required to do so. Nor am I aware of what Disney's policies are.

Airports in the U.S. are required to provide relief areas for service dogs. This is under the Air Carrier Access Act.

Disney has special relief areas in their parks to prevent people from using their carefully landscaped areas, most of which are also behind fences anyway. Like the poster above you said, these places are listed on literature from Disney as well as guide books like "Open Mouse" from the PassPorter people.

The new ADA regs no longer consider psychological comfort as an item covered by the ADA regarding service animals. A service animal assisting with a neurological problem such as seizures is covered by the ADA.

Emotional support, comfort, etc. were never considered enough to make a dog a service animal, but this had to be specified in the new regulations because too many people were taking such dogs out and passing them off as service dogs.

The new regulations are not in effect yet. They will go into effect sometime early next year (2011).

A dog that has an accident can be banned forever by a facility.

That is not true from anything I have read/seen/heard. A dog can be kicked out for sure, but if the dog was sick or the dog was retrained after making the mistake, the dog is a service dog and the person can still have access with their service dog.

A dog that is in traing could be barred because it is not fully trained. As an example, a Southwest Airlines flight had to be cancelled after a "Service Animal" defecated in the cabin prior to takeoff. The plane had to be taken out of service and cleaned prior to it going back in service. I personally believe that the dog in question was not a service dog but was being disguised as one. Nevertheless, the rules state that a Service Animal that is not housebroken or that threatens other guests is not required to be admitted by a public accomodation. http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/titleIII_2010/reg3_2010.html

The State of Florida gives access to service dogs in training, so the above-mentioned dog would still be able to go to Disney if he doesn't complete his training in time (though it sounds like he will be finished before the trip).

Air travel is NOT covered under the ADA, so that has nothing to do with entering Disney World or the new ADA regulations. Air travel is under the ACAA. There are indeed people who try to pass off their pets as service dogs to avoid putting their dog in cargo or to avoid the pet fees, but the above case (without having read anything about it) could have been the team's first plane ride with a handler who was never told how to handle flying, never given food/water/potty tips for flying, etc. Regardless, potty training has nothing to do with the OP's post.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thank you, Ms Butterfly, you saved me having to type a lot of stuff on my little iPod screen since you made the same points I wanted to make.
I have 3 additional points:

1) there are links to the currently in force ADA Service Dog information in post #3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. To avoid confusion, I will not update that information until the sources of the information update their information. The ADA changes were mostly clarifications to things like which other animals besides dogs can be considered service animals ( there were requests for many other types of animals). There were never any ADA guidelines to provide 'potty places' , water food or any other facilities for device animals.

2) Emotional support animals were never covered under the ADA; there were requests to add them, which was not approved. Emotional support animals remain covered under the Air Carriers Act (sorry if I don't have the name just right, but can't leave the page I am on to get a link from my iPod there are good reasons for including them in air travel, one of them being an emotional flier could put others in danger.

3) There was alway provision in the ADA guidelines that a business could require a disabled person with a service animal to remove their dog if the dog was not in control and the owner did not take effective control of the animal. The thing to remember is that to the ADA, the dog has no rights. The person with a disability has rights as far as meeting needs related to a disability. A service animal is just another way to get the needs met - an accommodation like a wheelchair or other device

 

[dclfun]

I just wanted to add that my SD has spent many nights in a WDW resort as we are frequent guests. I always ask about the break location and am usually told just to take her to an area that would not be in a guest pathway. I usually go out to the parking lot and use a grassy median area as far out as we can get. BWV's has lots of grassy areas particularly between the resort and either Epcot or Hollywood Studios and also near the bus stop, so you should have no problem finding a suitable break area there. You will be asked to pick up after your dog so you might want to bring some of the potty bags or just some plastic bags. The park maps are easy to read and you will need to ask a CM to go backstage with you so allow some time for that. Be aware that due to theming, there is no grass backstage at MGM but there are some nice mulched areas- my SD was a little unnerved by the mulch at first but she managed! The break areas are spread throughout the park so one should be close by at all times.

As for a dog defecating or urinating in public, while SD's are trained never to do either, a dog *could* be ill. While my dog has never had an accident, dogs get diarrhea just like humans and I can't imagine Disney or anywhere else permanently banning a dog for an accident. If it happened repeatedly, then perhaps. At any rate, OP, I wouldn't worry at all about this during your trip. I do bring some Immodium along with us just in case ( along with a doggy first aid kit). I hope Stirling enjoys his first trip to Disney! Be sure and get a "my first trip" button for him to wear on his vest.---Kathy

 

[BlondeJungleBookFan]

I'm a huge dog lover

If I would see you, what is the proper thing to do regarding speaking to your dog, or wanting to pet him/her?

I never would want to do something to interfere with his service.

 

[lunapnp]

I'm a huge dog lover

If I would see you, what is the proper thing to do regarding speaking to your dog, or wanting to pet him/her?

I never would want to do something to interfere with his service.

Technically speaking, the dog is "working" and you should not pet or play with the dog. However, with my DD's service dog, we do, AT TIMES, allow people to pet him when we are in public. The best thing to do is ASK first before making ANY contact with the dog. Also, please don't be offended if you're told no. After all, the dogs are working! In all honesty, I am much more likely to allow someone to pet our dog if that person ASKS first before even making eye contact with the dog. It's so frustrating to have people just run up to the dog, start making eye contact and talking with the dog, hand stretched out to pet and then ASK if they can.

 

[Stag]

In addition to what's been said, baby-talking is also bad! I can't tell you how many people go "Hi, puppy! Aren't you the cutest thing? Ohhhh, what a cute puppyyyy." I had a woman do that and, well, I ended up banging into a shelf and knocking over a display because my dog wasn't paying attention enough to take me around it.

 

[Talking Hands]

Also don't assume that if a person gives the dog a pat you can. Sometimes people have a companion with them who is well known to the service dog and has been given prior permission to do this in a situation where the dog is on duty but not actually actively working. I have this permission from my friend for her guide dog as I often one to one interpret for her and she likes to lay on my feet between the two of us. I do not pet her when she is actively guiding though. Just when she is waiting.

 

[Nicole&Becker]

Hey there,

I have not read all the responses yet, but wanted to tell you that we will also be at Disney World the end of November beginning of December with my service dog. We will be there Nov 29th - Dec 7th. Maybe we will see each other while there. My service dog is program trained and also still young. He is turning two next month but still has a bit of maturing to do. His trainers have asked that we not take him on any rides even though he is allowed because we are still a new team and working out some kinks. They don't want him to get spooked for whatever reason and for it to hurt our bonding. So we won't risk it.

As for potty areas at the hotel there are usually no specifically designated spots at hotels, but the dog must remain on leash at all times. In the parks there are designated places to potty the dog but they seem to change them every couple months to keep any one area from getting brown or anything. So you can get a special map for them when you arrive. Keep in mind that cast members almost never know where these are on hand and you will likely have to wait up to 30 minutes for them to sort out where to take you even if you have a map. So give yourself plenty of time to do this and potty the pup outside right before entering the park to give yourself more time before it is needed again. Make sure your service dog is ok pottying on a variety of surfaces because you never know what you are going to get. It could be gravel, wood chips, grass, or dry ground. So make sure your dog is exposed to many different types of surfaces at home before going to the parks. This will cut down on stress for the dog.

That time of year is supposed to be fairly mild but we plan on bringing a cooler jacket and a cooling bandanna for my dog since he is a chocolate lab. Usually restaurants will give you a cup of water if you ask for your service dog. But drinking fountains are also chilled so you can fill a collapsable bowl that way.

Be sure to check your dogs feet nightly for any blisters or scrapes. It would be a good idea to bring some Vet Wrap, gauze, and paw cream or antibiotic cream that is ok for dogs with you in case of a paw or other kind of injury. You can ask your vet where to get these things and what they recommend.

I would recommend bringing along a clean up kit for your dog as well for just in case. I was recently on a trip to Denver for a service dog convention. One of the very well trained dogs attending got a very upset stomach from the different tap water there and had an accident in the hotel room. The hotel was not willing to help her clean up or anything. She had to take a cab to a store to get some products to clean up the mess. So now she advises anyone traveling with a service dog to bring enzyme cleaner, thick paper towels, disinfectant cleaner wipes, air freshener spray, and ask your vet about doggy imodium. If your dog throws up or something, it can be a real nightmare to try to get help to clean up. All of those things listed can be found in small containers but can really be a life saver. I usually keep several large ziplocks and other such things with me in my backpack when traveling because you just never know. Even the most well trained dogs can have a bad day.

Just so you know, since I just found this out...You can have packages shipped TO your hotel before your arrive so you don't have to pack so much with you. I am planning on shipping my dogs food out because it is so heavy. He is almost 90lbs and eats at least 3 cups of food a day. Sometimes more if we are doing more. That is a lot of food to be lugging around an airport. If the package will likely arrive 1-2 days before you arrive just let the hotel know you are sending a package and for them to hold it for you.

I hope this helps and I hope you all have a wonderful vacation. We are staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort and looking forward to it. Good luck!

 

[dclfun]

At least at WDW they do not change the break areas, so your maps will be accurate. As we are in the parks frequently I know where every break area is and which one is the nicest or easiest to get to. At Magic Kingdom it's the area in Toontown, at Hollywood Studios it's the area behind Star Tours, at AK it's back by the Safari attraction, and at Epcot it's back behind HISTA.---Kathy

 

[bbyee]

My son is hooked up to several machines during the night (and day) and the dog is learning to alert to them and wake him up so that HE can fix them instead of mom and dad (13 yr olds need to become more independent!).

As a lifelong physically disabled person, I wholeheartedly support you recognizing your son's need for independence!

 

[Kerrydawn]

I called disney and was told that the "In Training" dog was not allowed on disney property or to stay in the hotel room with us. They stated that because he is in training that they aren't allowed to be in the parks or on hotel property and would have to be kenneled. Anyone else have this problem?

 

[Nicole&Becker]

This is not true and you will need to bring Florida state laws with you. Florida state law allows access for in training dogs. Why do you think so many service dog programs take trips there? Same with Disneyland. Since CA gives access to in training dogs, they have to allow it.

You are not required to call in advance. You only need to know what the state laws are. You talked with a very uninformed person. It is true that you don't have ADA access, but FL state law does give pretty much the same access.

Hope that helps, and don't worry. You are still allowed to come with an in training dog but you will likely need additional documentation and copies of the state laws to show them. It takes a little more leg work, but is worth it. I have travelled to WDW with an in training dog so I know first hand it can be done. I would suggest the dog be close to graduation though as you want to be sure the dog is ready.

Hugs!

 

[LilyWDW]

This is not true and you will need to bring Florida state laws with you. Florida state law allows access for in training dogs. Why do you think so many service dog programs take trips there? Same with Disneyland. Since CA gives access to in training dogs, they have to allow it.

You are not required to call in advance. You only need to know what the state laws are. You talked with a very uninformed person. It is true that you don't have ADA access, but FL state law does give pretty much the same access.

Hope that helps, and don't worry. You are still allowed to come with an in training dog but you will likely need additional documentation and copies of the state laws to show them. It takes a little more leg work, but is worth it. I have travelled to WDW with an in training dog so I know first hand it can be done. I would suggest the dog be close to graduation though as you want to be sure the dog is ready.

Hugs!

I think the issue would be that when one "calls disney" they are getting a call center. Depending on which number was called, these centers may not even be in the state of Florida, much less on Disney property. Even when you call the "front desk" from your room, you are routed to a call center that answers calls as if they were the front desk. I would not expect one of these employees to know the answer to such a specific question. My guess is the CM misunderstood what the question was about, heard "dog", and told the guest about the kennels.

Service dogs in training as allowed in facilities. However, if you are unable to keep the dog calm, you can be asked to leave. Your animal must be controlled at all times.

 

[SueM in MN]

I think the issue would be that when one "calls disney" they are getting a call center. Depending on which number was called, these centers may not even be in the state of Florida, much less on Disney property. Even when you call the "front desk" from your room, you are routed to a call center that answers calls as if they were the front desk. I would not expect one of these employees to know the answer to such a specific question. My guess is the CM misunderstood what the question was about, heard "dog", and told the guest about the kennels.

Service dogs in training as allowed in facilities. However, if you are unable to keep the dog calm, you can be asked to leave. Your animal must be controlled at all times.

I agree that this is likely.

Not sure that this link will work, but it is a link to the Florida state laws pertaining to service dogs.
http://www.servicedogcentral.org/content/node/9

I copied the part that is specifically about service animals (my bold):

413.08 Rights of an individual with a disability; use of a service animal; discrimination in public employment or housing accommodations; penalties.--
(1) As used in this section and s. 413.081, the term:

(a) "Housing accommodation" means any real property or portion thereof which is used or occupied, or intended, arranged, or designed to be used or occupied, as the home, residence, or sleeping place of one or more persons, but does not include any single-family residence, the occupants of which rent, lease, or furnish for compensation not more than one room therein.

(b) "Individual with a disability" means a person who is deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or otherwise physically disabled. As used in this paragraph, the term:

1. "Hard of hearing" means an individual who has suffered a permanent hearing impairment that is severe enough to necessitate the use of amplification devices to discriminate speech sounds in verbal communication.

2. "Physically disabled" means any person who has a physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

(c) "Public accommodation" means a common carrier, airplane, motor vehicle, railroad train, motor bus, streetcar, boat, or other public conveyance or mode of transportation; hotel; lodging place; place of public accommodation, amusement, or resort; and other places to which the general public is invited, subject only to the conditions and limitations established by law and applicable alike to all persons.

(d) "Service animal" means an animal that is trained to perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The tasks may include, but are not limited to, guiding a person who is visually impaired or blind, alerting a person who is deaf or hard of hearing, pulling a wheelchair, assisting with mobility or balance, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, retrieving objects, or performing other special tasks. A service animal is not a pet.

(2) An individual with a disability is entitled to full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, and privileges in all public accommodations. This section does not require any person, firm, business, or corporation, or any agent thereof, to modify or provide any vehicle, premises, facility, or service to a higher degree of accommodation than is required for a person not so disabled.

(3) An individual with a disability has the right to be accompanied by a service animal in all areas of a public accommodation that the public or customers are normally permitted to occupy.

(a) Documentation that the service animal is trained is not a precondition for providing service to an individual accompanied by a service animal. A public accommodation may ask if an animal is a service animal or what tasks the animal has been trained to perform in order to determine the difference between a service animal and a pet.

(b) A public accommodation may not impose a deposit or surcharge on an individual with a disability as a precondition to permitting a service animal to accompany the individual with a disability, even if a deposit is routinely required for pets.

(c) An individual with a disability is liable for damage caused by a service animal if it is the regular policy and practice of the public accommodation to charge nondisabled persons for damages caused by their pets.

(d) The care or supervision of a service animal is the responsibility of the individual owner. A public accommodation is not required to provide care or food or a special location for the service animal or assistance with removing animal excrement.

(e) A public accommodation may exclude or remove any animal from the premises, including a service animal, if the animal's behavior poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others. Allergies and fear of animals are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to an individual with a service animal. If a service animal is excluded or removed for being a direct threat to others, the public accommodation must provide the individual with a disability the option of continuing access to the public accommodation without having the service animal on the premises.

(4) Any person, firm, or corporation, or the agent of any person, firm, or corporation, who denies or interferes with admittance to, or enjoyment of, a public accommodation or otherwise interferes with the rights of an individual with a disability or the trainer of a service animal while engaged in the training of such an animal pursuant to subsection (8), commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083..........................


(8) Any trainer of a service animal, while engaged in the training of such an animal, has the same rights and privileges with respect to access to public facilities and the same liability for damage as is provided for those persons described in subsection (3) accompanied by service animals.

 

[Kerrydawn]

I want to thank you all soooo much for this information. We will see if Bojangles is ready enough at the time but I will be arming myself with this information and brining it with us if he is. I just joined this disboard site and can't believe how great it is. My daughter is training him for her to use as she is both hearing and sight impaired. This is fantastic to know. Bless you all.