“Service Dog” mistreatment at Kidani Villas

[Chelle's Belles]

I’d love to hear thoughts from experts here about an experience we had last night at Kidani Villas. Yesterday afternoon, we started to hear the barking of a small dog in the unit next to us. When we returned from dinner around 9p, the barking had turned into literal screaming from the dog, who was at the door of the unit. The dog was clearly in a great deal of distress— not typical “whining.” I thought it was a child screaming for a moment. I called the desk to report it. They said they would handle it. I then ran into several “neighbors” who also were concerned about the dog and had reported it to management. According to management the dog was registered as a “service animal” so there was nothing they could do. Myself and several other guests ended up sitting by the door for a couple of hours talking to the dog and giving it sips of water through the crack under the door. When I put my hand to the door, I could feel the poor baby trembling. It was heartbreaking. Not only did Disney refuse to do anything to assist an animal in obvious distress, but they were very condescending to those of us who were concerned. One person called 911 and after getting routed to the fire department, the airport and a sheriff’s unit that had no jurisdiction over Disney, we connected with an operator who said we were wasting their time and dispatched an officer to demand that those of us who were trying to soothe the dog leave the hallway. Has anybody experienced anything like this before? Is there any further action I can or should take?

 

[lanejudy]

I don't know if Kidani being DVC makes any difference, but WDW's own rules indicates that a service animal must remain under the control of the owner at all times. It's generally understood that a service dog should not be left alone in a resort room, because it can't be of any assistance to it's owner when they aren't together. Especially not for extended periods of time.

 

[peabody58]

A properly trained and certified Service Dog does not behave like this.

If I had to guess (and I could be wrong), the owners of this dog found a way to get a 'Service Dog" registration for their dog, who by it's actions seems to suffer from extreme separation anxiety. The dog has learned over time that by acting out it will get the attention it craves, such as what the hallway helpers were providing. This dog has probably been rejected from standard boarding facilities (and friends) due to it's anxiety, hence the "Service Dog" registration loop hole to bring the dog with them. Again I could be wrong, but my licensed Vet Assistant daughter shared that this is a classic case of separation anxiety. The dog will be fine, it's just learned behavior that is ultimately rewarded.

I would have slipped a firmly worded note under the door. But these guests have probably heard it all before and are immune to any facts or acceptance of their responsibility.

I would certainly follow up with DVC Guest Services to at least get your complaint/concerns on file. I am sure Disney would like to eventually find a way to deal with this to the mutual benefit of the guests and animals involved.

Aside from the stress this has caused on the DVC guests, I also wonder/concerned what this dog has done to the room.

Sorry you all had to deal with this. And again my suspicions could be totally wrong as there is always another side to the the story, and then there is the truth. Thank you for your compassionate concern for the dog.

 

[nw6675]

An acquaintance ordered service dog vests for her two little Morkies who are 100% not service dogs or even for emotional support. She gets them in everywhere

Sad that in today's world people are always trying to game the system.

 

[RoseGold]

I'm assuming you are a DVC member. I'd email member satisfaction and dig up the WDW service animal rules.

DVCMemberSatisfactionTeam@disneyvacationclub.com

I'd be very detailed with room numbers and times and all of that. You can dig up the floorplans and find the offending room number. DVC has a lot of power if they want to use it. They can nail them, for example, for carpet damage.

DVC is much more responsive if you ask for followup or you keep following up.

I would have kept calling the front desk and asking for security. Heck, I'd report it as a child in distress if it sounded like that. I would have been much, much more annoying to the front desk than you were. Heck, probably would have marched down there in person until I got a manager, which isn't something I say often, if ever.

This is why I will likely never stay in the trailers. I can't stand people mistreating animals, or animals making noise in general even when well-treated.

 

[jo-jo]

I would have thought Disney at least would have checked in the room. If the room had a service dog attached to it, perhaps the person "needing" the dog was in peril.

 

[jo-jo]

I would have slipped a firmly worded note under the door.

The dog probably would eat it.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

This is crazy, if the “service dog” is alone in the room it’s not truly needed as a service dog and Disney resort staff should’ve realized this. And as others have said, true service dogs are highly trained and would never act like this. Id go to the front desk today and explain what happened yesterday and maybe they can go talk to the guest to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Hopefully this was a one time thing, you guests shouldn’t have to be exposed to that and the poor dog certainly deserves better.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I would have thought Disney at least would have checked in the room. If the room had a service dog attached to it, perhaps the person "needing" the dog was in peril.

This, definitely. Didn't Disney make a huge deal not too long ago about reserving the right to perform room checks. If this doesn't qualify for one, I don't know what would.

 

[cdirazonian]

This, definitely. Didn't Disney make a huge deal not too long ago about reserving the right to perform room checks. If this doesn't qualify for one, I don't know what would.

Absolutely, you'd think they’d at least check to make sure no one was in there that needed help (besides the poor dog).

Heck, I'd report it as a child in distress if it sounded like that.

Yes, I would’ve called & said “that is sounds like a child“ also..
I don’t understand why they wouldn’t even send someone in to check it out

 

[kanerf]

That was not a service dog. A true service dog would not be barking and whining like that. It is just someone's dog that they are passing off as a service dog. The service dog issue is a mess. There are people that do need them and their dogs are properly trained. The fact that just about anyone can claim they have a service dog and there is no federal or state boards that certify them as such means that you will have issues like the one described here. A service dog should be at least state licensed and an official document should need to be provided to certify that to the resort.

 

[tjkraz]

This is tough. Agree with others that this does not sound like properly trained service animal. But the combination of customer-friendly Disney with somewhat restrictive ADA regulations limit exactly what they can say and do. If the guests obtained fraudulent service animal credentials--or at least good enough to pass Disney's inquiries--the staff's hands are largely tied. Hotel staff is not supposed to interact with service animals, which includes petting them, feeding them, etc. Even if your every instinct states that the animal was in distress and Disney should have stepped in and done something, that exposes Disney to significant liability. As soon as Disney opens that door, whatever happens is on them. That includes any future harm to the animal (anything happens to the dog while it's under their care) or staff members.

 

[CBMom01]

No one is supposed to interact with service animals but the handler.

And, while they should be trained not to bark, barking alone is not a sign of “distress”

 

[Chelle's Belles]

I would have thought Disney at least would have checked in the room. If the room had a service dog attached to it, perhaps the person "needing" the dog was in peril.

We asked this very question! What if the dog was trying to alert that the owner needed help. They said “we’ve spoken to the owner.” I’m guessing they were in a park? It was after 11 when we went to bed and they still were not back.

 

[Chelle's Belles]

No one is supposed to interact with service animals but the handler.

And, while they should be trained not to bark, barking alone is not a sign of “distress”

The barking didn’t really bother us. The screaming and feeling the animal trembling through the door were heart breaking.

 

[GoingSince1990]

The ADA is far too trusting, unfortunately. To get a handicap parking permit you need to fill out forms explaining your need for it and to get a doctor to sign it, so why can’t a similar requirement be imposed for service dogs?

 

[Chelle's Belles]

An acquaintance ordered service dog vests for her two little Morkies who are 100% not service dogs or even for emotional support. She gets them in everywhere

Sad that in today's world people are always trying to game the system.

If these people had done that simply bc they loved the dog so much they couldn’t bear to leave it at home, I actually would have been OK with that! But then they wouldn’t have left it penned up for 7 hours.

 

[PollyannaMom]

It was after 11 when we went to bed and they still were not back.

...feeling the animal trembling through the door were heart breaking.

The poor baby!

 

[Simba's Mom]

The ADA is far too trusting, unfortunately. To get a handicap parking permit you need to fill out forms explaining your need for it and to get a doctor to sign it, so why can’t a similar requirement be imposed for service dogs?

You bring up a good point! I have a handicapped parking permit so I know you're exactly right.
And I agree about following up with DVC and getting to know "service dog" rules. Don't service dogs need to be with the handler at all times?

 

[upritbass]

Everything about service dogs is spelled out in the ADA.
1) There is no such thing as a service dog registration or license (or service-dog-in-training)
2) Staff/security are allowed to ask two questions
-- Is this a service dog?
-- What task does it perform?
3) The service dog must be allowed to accompany the patient where practicable
4) However, if the service dog misbehaves or is a nuisance, it can be removed from the property

This sounds like a case of, "Leave me alone. I don't get paid enough to deal with this kind of stuff."