What do you do with your dog?

[Best_Vacation_EVER!]

Until recently we had 2 dogs... one who does fine with other dogs and another who was very senior. The younger dog was happy in the local kennel (actually he loves that he gets to play with other dogs, plus we purchase extra walks, etc.... so he went for about 5 walks per day --- more than his usual 2 or 3) and one who had reached the age (16 1/2 where she just wanted/needed to be at home.) We would send the younger dog to a country kennel (he needs more activity and the kennel had play times set up so he was able to play with the other dogs) and kept the older dog at home with the dog sitter.

If you're dog isn't predictable around other dogs you may be best with a one-on-one pet sitter/house sitter at her own house.

 

[cgattis]

Our son is autistic. We travel in an RV because of this. We started in a popup an then got a trailer. He loves having his familiar "home on wheels" no matter where we travel. Another bonus is we can bring our dog where ever we go. Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground is beautiful, laid back and a great antidote for a busy day at the park. And the people who stay there are for the most part friendly & laid back too. Just something to consider

So do you mean he just stays in your camper? Is there any kind of specific pet play area, or does he just stay on leash when he's outside? We had considered staying at the cabins, but that was before we had the dog, so I haven't looked into it.

Best Friends can be hard but you can prebook. They do require a temperment test but from my understanding if your dog fails they just can't go to open play time and will have private play time as well.
] They do the test there, or you have it done ahead of time and sent to them? Any idea how far ahead you have to book? Prob on their website I guess.

 

[wilkeliza]

@cgattis they do the test there. I'm not sure if you can have it done at another best friends location before hand or not. They won't accept any other temperment test than their own for liabilty reasons.

I think prebooking really depends on the season and if you just need day care or over night.

Edit to add: looked it up daycamp vs day care is different. They will board a dog from 1 hour before park opening to 1 hour after park close but not take them to the dog park for social play. For that option there is no temperment test. Only play and stay has the temperment test and is not their normal WDW guest package.

 

[Eastern]

Ask your vet if any of the techs do pet sitting.

 

[happymommy]

I would board the dog. No, it isn't cheap. My sister pays about $50 a day for her dog. This is an expense that one incurs when one adopts a dog.

 

[dacraig09]

There is a relatively new website called rover. It is kinda like care.com but for dogs. It connects pet owners with pet sitters so that you don't have to leave your dog in a kennel if you don't have family or friends that can watch them. I like it because it gives the pets a sense of home rather than being locked in a cage while we are away. They have sitters that can come to your home or you can drop your pet off with a sitter.

 

[Happy_Haunt999]

We only go to WDW for a week at a time and we board our large dog at a canine resort. He gets his own glass enclosed canine condo there and they take him out and let him roam and play during the day. It's wonderful there and very clean (we were able to tour the entire facility before boarding our dog last year). The people that run it are acclaimed dog trainers and very nice, and we trust them with our dog, and you can tell by how crazy fast my dogs tail was wagging at pick up that he loved it too. We pay $17/day to board him.

 

[ggdvc]

My vet also does boarding. At any given time, I have 2-3 dogs, and they absolutely LOVE their 'vacation' time there. When I take them for a normal vet visit, they always want to go down the hall to the boarding area.

If/when you get a dog, ask your vet who they would recommend - that's how I found out my vet also does boarding. But if yours doesn't, they should have some good suggestions for you.

 

[fbarker]

I will have her identified as a Service Dog and then she can go everywhere with you. That seems to be happening more and more now. I say this tongue in cheek I would never do it

 

[savvy?71]

We have cats and a German Shepherd. A pet sitter visits the cats twice a day and cleans their litter, puts out fresh food and water, and spends some time with the cats. I love this option for cats because cats (in general) get more stressed leaving their homes than dogs do. Our GSD goes to her trainer's farm. She is just a super needy, high energy dog who needs more than a sitter. We are extremely fortunate to have found her (and have her at all within 20 min of us). She deals specifically with German Shepherds, always has a handful on a large farm, they all do behavior training, agility training, herd the sheep, and just run the property. They are free for the most part (but have crates to retreat to or separate rooms if needed), and really love living in a pack (they all are used to each other). So it's a great situation for us, especially for our GSD who is more anxious than others about separation anxiety.

 

[MrsDuck]

We have a 4 year old, 60lb hound mix. He's our baby and our whole world. Normally, he stays with my parents when we travel. If my parents are coming with us, we board him either locally or at Disney's Best Friends Pet Care. We only live 2.5 hours away so we all drive up together and we visit him usually at least every other day while we are there.

We've never been gone more than long weekend though.

 

[Napria]

How often do you have to go back and let them out to use the bathroom?

When traveling with an autist, it's important to build in breaks. That works well for both the dog and my son.

So do you mean he just stays in your camper? Is there any kind of specific pet play area, or does he just stay on leash when he's outside? We had considered staying at the cabins, but that was before we had the dog, so I haven't looked into it.

Yes, as long as you have a completely hard-sided camper (no tent ends like pop ups have) it's fine. If you crate trained your dog, it's not that much more different than home. There are dog walking areas, but I'm not sure about an off leash area. I've seen people who have dog pens set up outside their camper. Dogs are not allowed in the cabins.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

We used to board. PetSmart has a boarding system (PetHotel) that is nation wide - so there may be one close to you. They would let our 2 dogs board in the same room, and we usually got a "suite" which included a TV. They also would take them for 3 walks a day, give them treats / kongs / pet them, etc. They even would train them new commands (we paid separately for that).

My latest puppies get separation anxiety and get really sick (my vet originally blamed PetSmart, but after a ton of tests said it wasn't them after all). So instead we now let them stay at home and have a sitter that comes to our house twice a day. They feed and play with both dogs and the cat for $20 / visit. We set up a webcam (which we told them about) so we can look in on the dogs and even talk to them every now and then. That way they hear our voices as well and it always perks them up. That seemed to address the separation anxiety. It does run us $40 / day of our vacation budget though.

Even on DCL now with the 50 free Mb's, we are able to connect once or twice a day from the ship to check in on them at no cost.

 

[mds88]

I will have her identified as a Service Dog and then she can go everywhere with you. That seems to be happening more and more now. I say this tongue in cheek I would never do it

THIS. We saw sooo many dogs in the parks. Half of them in a stroller. How is that a service dog? Too many people taking advantage of the system.

 

[mshanson3121]

THIS. We saw sooo many dogs in the parks. Half of them in a stroller. How is that a service dog? Too many people taking advantage of the system.

There are a number of different types of service dogs, and some can be small lap style dogs, depending on what they're trained for, and very easily could be in a stroller. But, they're supposed to be wearing their vest. But I'm sure there are people trying to take advantage. My understanding is that they are allowed to ask for documentation/papers, but it doesn't seem like it's required, either? IMO, it should be.

 

[catne]

We board our dog at our vet's ...they have big "pet resort" as they call it with the animal hospital. Gives us great peace of mind to know that they know our dog well there--and have all his medical records--and authorization to take care of any problems that come up. And he loves the people who work in the pet resort side (and they love him--usually argue about who gets to take him back, lol.) Before we lived here, we had pet sitters as well as boarding at kennels, with mixed results. Pet sitters were great--especially when they were house sitting too. One kennel was good, the other...not so much. We have used Best Friends Pet Care at Disney World (it's located over by Port Orleans resort) It is a good facility...dog was OK there. But expensive...and everything is al a carte so even getting any one on one time is extra charge (and they seriously recommend you get one on one time for your pet as he gets "lonely"...their words! You do have to book well in advance there. And plan extra time when you drop pet off and pick them up...no matter how many people appear to be working behind the counter, it takes FOREVER to get anyone to help (5 people behind the counter and only one will be helping people check in, no matter how many are waiting in line.) So I guess I'd say use Best Friends only if you are prepared to spend fairly big $$ to get care. For 3 weeks--I would definitely look for pet sitters back at home.

 

[Baklava]

There are a number of different types of service dogs, and some can be small lap style dogs, depending on what they're trained for, and very easily could be in a stroller. But, they're supposed to be wearing their vest. But I'm sure there are people trying to take advantage. My understanding is that they are allowed to ask for documentation/papers, but it doesn't seem like it's required, either? IMO, it should be.

No. They cannot ask for "papers" and the dog does not have to be in a vest or marked.

They can ask if it is a service dog and what functions it performs. Not all service dogs have "papers." Some are trained by their partners and there's no requirement to spend five figures on having someone else do it for you.

 

[mshanson3121]

No. They cannot ask for "papers" and the dog does not have to be in a vest or marked.

They can ask if it is a service dog and what functions it performs. Not all service dogs have "papers." Some are trained by their partners and there's no requirement to spend five figures on having someone else do it for you.

Didn't know any of that. I thought they had to be licensed/certified in order to qualify as a legal service dog. Well that sure leaves it wide open, doesn't it? What the heck is there to stop anyone from lying and saying their dog is a service dog, anywhere?

 

[wilkeliza]

Didn't know any of that. I thought they had to be licensed/certified in order to qualify as a legal service dog. Well that sure leaves it wide open, doesn't it? What the heck is there to stop anyone from lying and saying their dog is a service dog, anywhere?

Right now their conscious and the fact in Florida it is now against the law and a punishable offense to lie about a service dog.

Also dogs that are ill trained and not under the control of their handler at all times can be asked to be removed. Of course you can not remove the person but you can tell them their dog is not allowed for xyz reasons, peeing in a non-designated area, growling, lunging, unkept are all examples.

Based on the way the ADA reads I'm actually shocked that nobody has fought against dogs in strollers. For a diabetic alert dog they are usually smaller dogs kept on the lap or in a carrier similar to a Ergo baby carrier. Then they physically alert their owner with a lick or pawing motion. Most other service dogs are handled with leashes or guide harnesses.

 

[mshanson3121]

In a perfect world, people would not lie about it. But I guess we know that's not going to happen. And it's a shame, because in the end somehow, it will only end up hurting the people that truly need them. I don't see what's so wrong about asking people to show "proof" that their dog is a service dog. Even if it isn't formally trained, a note from a doctor etc...