“Service Dog” mistreatment at Kidani Villas

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

a 'Service Dog" registration for their dog,

I know someone has just answered this but there is no registration and thus no loophole. There's no vest requirement either although I know visually people assume it lends more credence (though it does not actually do so). A slight aside but I would hope your daughter would know this to be able to provide you with more information. Not that it matters to you personally as you're not the one with the service dog but for the purposes of talking to others about your assumptions.

In the case of service animal debates in real life the best thing we can do is to try and be as accurate as possible because it gives those who have service animals in the ethical way a bad name when we the public make assumptions. It can also get people in legal trouble should they deny access to someone with a service animal based on assumptions. For example if you as a employee of a retail store demanded a service animal registration to allow a service animal to stay on premises you would be violating the ADA as this does not exist nor is a requirement. In fact the ADA expressly tells you that any entity providing a service animal registration is not a recognized proof by the DOJ, in the eyes of law it simply doesn't exist.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Had the owner been with the dog in the room I would have thought it was trying to alert someone (as service animals depending on the disability are trained to do) but this really doesn't seem the case and it does sound like the dog was in high distress for a completely different reason.

I do wish Disney had not taken a less than empathetic point of view. I agree with another poster it may be that the employees collectively threw up their hands and didn't want to field any more complaints on it, although I feel checking on the room and if no answer at the door attempting to contact the person who the reservation was under could have been done. If nothing else than a barking dog is a noise complaint made by multiple people. I'm a bit perplexed on that one as we know people can and do get into trouble with Disney for their behaviors. That this was a dog shouldn't have changed background attempts to rectify the complaints.

 

[Sammie]

Never call, go to the front desk and ask to speak to the on duty manager, you are never going to get help calling. It goes to the Call Center and all they are going to do is get you off the phone. I agree about letting DVC know.
I would have been waiting for them when they returned to the room and I would be at the first desk, saying if you are not going to do anything, then move me.

Sadly a few who work a situation ruin it for everyone.

 

[Sammie]

Had the owner been with the dog in the room I would have thought it was trying to alert someone (as service animals depending on the disability are trained to do) but this really doesn't seem the case and it does sound like the dog was in high distress for a completely different reason.

I do wish Disney had not taken a less than empathetic point of view. I agree with another poster it may be that the employees collectively threw up their hands and didn't want to field any more complaints on it, although I feel checking on the room and if no answer at the door attempting to contact the person who the reservation was under could have been done. If nothing else than a barking dog is a noise complaint made by multiple people. I'm a bit perplexed on that one as we know people can and do get into trouble with Disney for their behaviors. That this was a dog shouldn't have changed background attempts to rectify the complaints.

Probably due to the fact the dog was loose in the room they were afraid it would get out if they opened the door.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Probably due to the fact the dog was loose in the room they were afraid it would get out if they opened the door.

That's a valid point honestly.

 

[Sammie]

That's a valid point honestly.

The poor thing probably needed to go potty and was holding it when it was at the door and getting more frantic.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The poor thing probably needed to go potty and was holding it when it was at the door and getting more frantic.

I was thinking something along those lines (knowing how even crate trained dogs have limits) when the OP mentioned what lengths they and others went to just to try and soothe the dog, poor thing

 

[DL1WDW2]

My in-laws accidentally locked their cat in their bedroom & left for weekend… when they returned , the cat had destroyed the mattress in shreds and ruined the area rug… this trip they had to ask Uber driver to turn around just to double-check They were halfway to the airport and Uber driver was very confused,

 

[wetraveldisney]

Sounds like separation anxiety. Clearly shouldn't have been there to begin with from what it sounds like. Feel like this has to be fairly common in pet-friendly hotels with dogs being in a location they aren't familiar with.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I suppose one lesson here is that when you alert housekeeping or the desk, do not suggest the dog is alone.

Do your biggest, most breathless thing and say "the service dog in Room XXX is going nuts and I think it is trying to alert us about its handler needing help!!!"

You are assuming it is legit in that call, and with the room door closed you cannot possibly know no one is home, after all.

 

[Skip Coffee for Rope Drop]

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?

 

[Skip Coffee for Rope Drop]

I know someone has just answered this but there is no registration and thus no loophole. There's no vest requirement either although I know visually people assume it lends more credence (though it does not actually do so). A slight aside but I would hope your daughter would know this to be able to provide you with more information. Not that it matters to you personally as you're not the one with the service dog but for the purposes of talking to others about your assumptions.

In the case of service animal debates in real life the best thing we can do is to try and be as accurate as possible because it gives those who have service animals in the ethical way a bad name when we the public make assumptions. It can also get people in legal trouble should they deny access to someone with a service animal based on assumptions. For example if you as a employee of a retail store demanded a service animal registration to allow a service animal to stay on premises you would be violating the ADA as this does not exist nor is a requirement. In fact the ADA expressly tells you that any entity providing a service animal registration is not a recognized proof by the DOJ, in the eyes of law it simply doesn't exist.

Unless you have a highly qualified trained service dog, you should not be staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, for the sake of the service animal and the nearby guests and the animals on property, that is their HOME!!!!!. There are smells from animals that many service dogs have never smelled before and it may override their training. (Giraffes, wildebeests zebras, impalas, etc.). I highly recommend that if anyone goes to AK with a service dog, to first contact your service dog trainer/animal service professional that trained your hero. Barking is caused by either holding back poop/urine, confusion, anxiety, boredom, loneliness, hunger, thirst and/or pain. BringFido.com is a popular website listing restaurants and hotels that are pet/service dog friendly and they recommend not to stay at Disney Animal Kingdom with a pet or service dog. I can't get over that someone was stupid enough to leave a service animal alone at AK in a room. Perhaps it was someone stretching the rules just bring a pet claiming it was a service dog. The service animal is supposed to be with the person at all times, therefore the front desk should have been notified unless the guest was with the barking dog and then they both should have been removed to another Disney pet friendly location.

 

[take36]

911 has no jurisdiction at Disneyworld? On a side note then, who do we call if we having an emergency at WDW?

 

[Ursula J]

I would have worried that the dog was alerting and someone was unconscious inside. I can't believe wdw wouldn't care about that. Well, I can believe that, but it sucks.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Unless you have a highly qualified trained service dog, you should not be staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, for the sake of the service animal and the nearby guests and the animals on property, that is their HOME!!!!!. There are smells from animals that many service dogs have never smelled before and it may override their training. (Giraffes, wildebeests zebras, impalas, etc.). I highly recommend that if anyone goes to AK with a service dog, to first contact your service dog trainer/animal service professional that trained your hero. Barking is caused by either holding back poop/urine, confusion, anxiety, boredom, loneliness, hunger, thirst and/or pain. BringFido.com is a popular website listing restaurants and hotels that are pet/service dog friendly and they recommend not to stay at Disney Animal Kingdom with a pet or service dog. I can't get over that someone was stupid enough to leave a service animal alone at AK in a room. Perhaps it was someone stretching the rules just bring a pet claiming it was a service dog. The service animal is supposed to be with the person at all times, therefore the front desk should have been notified unless the guest was with the barking dog and then they both should have been removed to another Disney pet friendly location.

I'm not here to discuss what someone should and shouldn't do with respects to their service dog. I cannot make that determination nor could one legally discriminate against someone with a service animal unless it falls under ADA rules.

FWIW service animals go to zoos all the time, the presence of other animals itself does not prohibit a person from having access to a place. You probably have a zoo near you, you may want to check out the rules. For mine (which yes has the animals you listed) states you just need to stop by Guest Relations for further instructions about service animals. Barking inside a room is unlikely to even disturb animals on AK's property. I'm not sure where you're going with a presumed overriding of training as you have no idea what any particular presumed service dog is trained for.

FWIW you do not need to professionally train your service animal per ADA rules and people can and do train their own.

FWIW what you suggest about a pet friendly location violates ADA laws. You cannot relegate a person with a service animal to a specified room or area.

Your opinion may be that AKL is not the most appropriate location for a service animal but legally you cannot deny a person access nor a room if they have a service animal.

I was under the impression that most people here on this thread have the going assumption this dog was likely not a service animal and thus comments were more along the lines of this. But I did personally think Disney should have done better in the event this was a service animal there could have been real issues should the owner have been inside.

In any case respectfully your comments show another example of issues with people's assumptions regarding service animals.

 

[J-Dog]

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.

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.

I know someone has just answered this but there is no registration and thus no loophole. There's no vest requirement either although I know visually people assume it lends more credence (though it does not actually do so). A slight aside but I would hope your daughter would know this to be able to provide you with more information. Not that it matters to you personally as you're not the one with the service dog but for the purposes of talking to others about your assumptions.

In the case of service animal debates in real life the best thing we can do is to try and be as accurate as possible because it gives those who have service animals in the ethical way a bad name when we the public make assumptions. It can also get people in legal trouble should they deny access to someone with a service animal based on assumptions. For example if you as a employee of a retail store demanded a service animal registration to allow a service animal to stay on premises you would be violating the ADA as this does not exist nor is a requirement. In fact the ADA expressly tells you that any entity providing a service animal registration is not a recognized proof by the DOJ, in the eyes of law it simply doesn't exist.

I am a DVM. About 4 or 5 years ago, I was getting people at least once a month who would bring in a registration form to me to sign to register their animal as a "service animal". I refused to sign them, because I'm a doctor and not qualified to evaluate a service animal's level of training. These requests have decreased significantly in recent years - I don't know if they have cracked-down on these bogus registration services, or if those services just started requiring even less criteria to get the registration.

The poor thing probably needed to go potty and was holding it when it was at the door and getting more frantic.

Sounds like severe separation anxiety to me, which is very common.

I would have worried that the dog was alerting and someone was unconscious inside. I can't believe wdw wouldn't care about that. Well, I can believe that, but it sucks.

In some states it is legal for a LEO to break a car's window to free an animal trapped in a hot car. This is not exactly the same situation, but it seems to at least have warranted a well-check by security or law enforcement - for that dog and/or it's owner.

 

[sndral]

I'm not here to discuss what someone should and shouldn't do with respects to their service dog. I cannot make that determination nor could one legally discriminate against someone with a service animal unless it falls under ADA rules.

FWIW service animals go to zoos all the time, the presence of other animals itself does not prohibit a person from having access to a place. You probably have a zoo near you, you may want to check out the rules. For mine (which yes has the animals you listed) states you just need to stop by Guest Relations for further instructions about service animals. Barking inside a room is unlikely to even disturb animals on AK's property. I'm not sure where you're going with a presumed overriding of training as you have no idea what any particular presumed service dog is trained for.

FWIW you do not need to professionally train your service animal per ADA rules and people can and do train their own.

FWIW what you suggest about a pet friendly location violates ADA laws. You cannot relegate a person with a service animal to a specified room or area.

Your opinion may be that AKL is not the most appropriate location for a service animal but legally you cannot deny a person access nor a room if they have a service animal.

I was under the impression that most people here on this thread have the going assumption this dog was likely not a service animal and thus comments were more along the lines of this. But I did personally think Disney should have done better in the event this was a service animal there could have been real issues should the owner have been inside.

In any case respectfully your comments show another example of issues with people's assumptions regarding service animals.

This is from the US ADA about service animals https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-faqs/ According to it:
A constantly barking dog meets the definition of an out of control service animal & can be asked to be removed from the premises.
A service animal can not be left alone in a hotel room.
If the animals in a zoo are the natural prey of a service dog they dog can be barred from that area. The facility where I volunteer has an aviary & dogs are natural predators of birds, we’ve learned that it’s unnecessary to ban properly trained & handled service dogs from the area because our birds are habituated, but we do require that any service animal be escorted through, not because trained service animals would create a problem but because folks lie & claim that status for untrained dogs who‘s behavior can create a hazard to our birds.
Reasonable accommodation must be made, reasonable is not the same as requiring businesses to allow access no matter how disruptive a particular service (or non service claiming to be one) animal is.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

This is from the US ADA about service animals https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-faqs/ According to it:
A constantly barking dog meets the definition of an out of control service animal & can be asked to be removed from the premises.
A service animal can not be left alone in a hotel room.
If the animals in a zoo are the natural prey of a service dog they dog can be barred from that area. The facility where I volunteer has an aviary & dogs are natural predators of birds, we’ve learned that it’s unnecessary to ban dogs from the area because our birds are habituated, but we do require that any service animal be escorted through, not because trained service animals would create a problem but because folks lie & claim that status for untrained dogs who‘s behavior can create a hazard to our birds.
Reasonable accommodation must be made, reasonable is not the same as requiring businesses to allow access no matter how disruptive a particular service (or non service claiming to be one) animal is.

You're kinda going into territory here that we can't know about which was my point just by assumption standpoints.

AKL is not a prohibited place for a service animal just because there's other animals there. Zoos across the country allow service animals of which have those animals there as well. That doesn't mean they may not have particular areas where for the safety of the zoo animal or the service animal they cannot go to (which is permissible by the ADA) but just because there are animals there does not mean someone can say "how dare you bring a service animal there" as if implying that is wrong which is exactly 100% what the PP was stating. Each zoo may have their own particular areas a service animal is not able to go to which is why I did not go into that in particular aspect and just stated the rules of my local zoo, one would need to check with each zoo for their guidelines.

I have been going with the assumption this wasn't a service animal as have most posters. There are reasons, though intentionally limited, why Disney can take action towards a service animal but they cannot bar a service animal from AKL nor can they make them move to another location which was mentioned by the PP. Of course Disney can remove a service dog if it's barking due to being out of control (although my barking comment was related to the PP discussing disruption to the animals at AKL and a dog barking inside the room is unlikely to do this) but a service dog barking can be an indicator for their handler. I'm pretty sure most of us took the dog's behavior and constant barking to mean they were not a service animal but I do think in fairness a point of just saying it could be alerting is good. Because if it truly was a service animal with trying to alert that's highly egregious for Disney to ignore in multiple ways that.

Because of some of the comments I chose to clarify things based on the laws. It doesn't mean I've been trying to make a case for this being a service animal but rather just the general discussion.

As far as the FAQs yes that's exactly where I've been getting my info from and something some posters here may need to read up on.

You've already pasted in one but here it is together with another link
https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-faqs/
https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010-requirements/

 

[Simba's Mom]

Unless you have a highly qualified trained service dog, you should not be staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, for the sake of the service animal and the nearby guests and the animals on property, that is their HOME!!!!!. There are smells from animals that many service dogs have never smelled before and it may override their training. (Giraffes, wildebeests zebras, impalas, etc.). I highly recommend that if anyone goes to AK with a service dog, to first contact your service dog trainer/animal service professional that trained your hero. Barking is caused by either holding back poop/urine, confusion, anxiety, boredom, loneliness, hunger, thirst and/or pain. BringFido.com is a popular website listing restaurants and hotels that are pet/service dog friendly and they recommend not to stay at Disney Animal Kingdom with a pet or service dog. I can't get over that someone was stupid enough to leave a service animal alone at AK in a room. Perhaps it was someone stretching the rules just bring a pet claiming it was a service dog. The service animal is supposed to be with the person at all times, therefore the front desk should have been notified unless the guest was with the barking dog and then they both should have been removed to another Disney pet friendly location.

I want to say that some service dogs at AKV are excellent, so don't panic if you see someone with a service dog there. A couple years ago, I had the privilege of sharing Kidani with a very well-trained service dog. And I guess our schedules were such that we kept running into each other-in the gift shop, lobby, on the bus, in hallways, etc. He was servicing a man who appeared to be former military (I could be wrong-total guess) and it was an honor to see how well they worked together.

 

[jo-jo]

I want to say that some service dogs at AKV are excellent, so don't panic if you see someone with a service dog there. A couple years ago, I had the privilege of sharing Kidani with a very well-trained service dog. And I guess our schedules were such that we kept running into each other-in the gift shop, lobby, on the bus, in hallways, etc. He was servicing a man who appeared to be former military (I could be wrong-total guess) and it was an honor to see how well they worked together.

We were at AK and i asked someone their dog freaked out with the different animals or sudden flight of birds. She said no, not at all. The dog did seem perfectly calm.