Dining with a Service Dog

[Emagine]

I know how the normal ressies work but do I need to add a space or let them know when making the ressie that I will have a Service Dog with us?

TIA

 

[SueM in MN]

i don’t know if it would be helpful or not for it to be noted when making your ADR, but it will be very important to let them know when you check in for your ADR. That will be when they actually assign a table to you and you can let them know what you are interested in (a corner, a place out of the main aisle, etc).

 

[Emagine]

K, ty... I just was not sure if it was a have too when making dinning plans.

 

[jmartinez1895]

No, you don't have to let them know. My son uses a large dog and he ( the dog not the kid...lol) sits on the floor between chairs or either under the table. Now if your dog is so large that he would need a chair removed so he could have space then they may need to know so they can get you a large enough table, but as Sue said, I think they would take care of that once you check in.

 

[SueM in MN]

We have not brought DD's Service Dog to WDW, but he is pretty big (70 pounds) and just goes under the table at other places.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

My dog was closer to 85lbs and fit well under most tables, but when checking in, particularly at buffets, I'd ask to be away from big areas of foot traffic.

 

[Emagine]

TY so much for the replies. I am trying to get my ducks in a row. The agency we went with has bumped us up with a dog that someone backed out of due to funds. We were looking at about another 9 + mths now its 4. We have met and began training with the boys and the dog and they are so lovely together.

Now I am working out all the what if's and how to's hehe.

 

[videogal1]

TY so much for the replies. I am trying to get my ducks in a row. The agency we went with has bumped us up with a dog that someone backed out of due to funds. We were looking at about another 9 + mths now its 4. We have met and began training with the boys and the dog and they are so lovely together.

Now I am working out all the what if's and how to's hehe.

One of the "what-ifs" might include taking, or buying there, some bottled water for the dog if he's not from the Orlando area and used to the water. My poor Cash had an awful time there for the first couple of days, digestively speaking, until I got some bottled water for him. Mixing it with the local water a little at a time helped him transition to full-strength Orlando water after a few days. There's little worse than a big Service Dog with Monteczuma's Revenge.

It's odd that the agency (I'm assuming you mean the agency that is supplying the dog (?) isn't giving you more information on Service Dog public access laws. Informing a restaurant in advance just opens the door for unwanted interest in your personal, private medical business. If you wind up eating someplace where the dog is "sticking out", like my 110# of love often did, you can ask for a white napkin to drape over him so that he is easier for the wait staff to see. There's no way for anyone to know in advance what table will be available when you arrive at the restaurant so telling someone that you'll be accompanied by a service dog doesn't achieve anything useful.

 

[KAYzEyes]

No need whatsoever to let them know ahead of time. My (now retired) guide dog weighs 86 lbs and always fit quite nicely literally anywhere we went. A properly trained and handled service dog is nearly always "invisible" ... meaning, in most cases no one would even notice the dog is there, as it'll be tucked quietly beneath a table/booth or lying well behaved beside the handler. I always love it when I get up to leave a place and hear a dozen people around me say, "Wow I didn't even know there was a dog there!"