Originally posted by dianthus
Kind of a "navigator" of sorts... See, I just learned something. I thought "seeing eye" dogs were the only dogs granted priviledges of owner domain. Labs are the best!
How does he assist you? My sister has mobility problems, perhaps this is something she could look into, if viable ... Also, how do you, or
DCL deal with allergy or fear issues with dogs- ie: stateroom placement, etc.... Is Cash allowed to accompany you to the dining rooms and other public areas? I would think this could be a problem for some passengers. Just curious!
Please post a picture of him! He could be our cruise mascot! We need to get him a bandana with Jeff's map/cruise logo on it
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This is long and boring and I promise never to get into it again....
There are hearing dogs, seizure dogs, guide dogs for the blind and dogs that are trained to assist people who have other mental or physical disabilities, some invisible, that substantially limit some major life activity, as spelled out in the ADA and case law.
To put it in briefly, Cash helps my balance and keeps me from falling backward when I walk. You can see the gray padded handle on his harness in the picture. As I have a permanent disability that meets specific definitions under the ADA and, as Cash has been specifically trained to assist in mitigating the effects of that disability, he is allowed access to places ordinarily not permitted to dogs. Fear of dogs or allergies to dogs are not valid excuses, are not supported by the ADA, and cannot legally be used to deny me, or anyone else who uses a service dog, access. It is a civil rights issue....As Cash's access is tied to my access, his presence is allowed and DCL has made the necessary accommodations. I have had fellow airline passengers refuse to sit next to us because of their fear of dogs. I am sympathetic but it it their problem, not mine, and the cabin crew is always happy to move them to a different seat. No stranger spends enough time with Cash to suffer an allergic reaction to him directly and I would expect that anyone with an allergy to dogs would know it by now and keep their distance. He does not shed much and has a dry, bristley coat, rather than the more common oily, coat of a pure lab. I expect it would be wise for DCL to supply the dispensary with a few packages of antihistimines for use by those few who believe they suffer from severe dog allergies but, by the same token DCL might be expected to notify those who are assigned to either Wonder stateroom #6154 or Magic stateroom #6154 that Service dogs have been in residence there, if they really thought there would be some kind of allergy problem, but I don't know that they do..
It might be useful to think of Cash as a different-looking wheelchair. He is a medical appliance, of sorts.. He is only able to do the great job that he does because, for a dog, he has great concentration and he is able to follow commands I give him or recognize situations where he must behave in a specific way...Not slamming me into a corner as we change direction and not allowing us to be separated by either a pedestrian or sidewalk barrier we approach, for example, even when things around us are chaotic. But, as a navigator he's a bust....can't be relied on to backtrack to the car (sometimes he doesn't even recognize the car), or to find a hotel room we've been staying at for a week, but he has many other talents. Because I rely on him so much I try to vary his work times and he often just wears a vest instead of the heavy harness and pack rig. Union rules...
We are also category 11, deck 6. [Note: Don't worry - I am aware that you must have rules regarding Cash. She will not be chasing Cash around or anything. I'm not one of those moms 
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