Doggie and PopUp ?

[tink06]

Ok, completely new to the Fort experience, and planning as many future trips as possible

Our big prince of a dog comes camping with us when we go locally for the weekend, but have never taken him for an extended period. Also, never camped at the Fort yet, hence all my questions:

I know you need a site on a pet loop, and that you cannot keep your dog contained in a pop-up and need to utilize the kennel. Zeus has never been to a kennel before as we've had dog sitters at our house when we travel.

How has your experience been with the kennel. Do you come back to walk them, pay the additional fee to have staff walk? Those in popups/tents - what do you do with your pooch when you want to be in the park at night? Or get back late and the kennel is closed?

Any other information you could provide about bringing puppy to the fort would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

We have a new puppy (well, he'll be a year old by the time we travel) and were looking forward to bringing him with us on our next camping trip to the World.

In the research I did, it seemed as though WDW does not offer dog walking services in any of its kennels and you are expected to come back to the kennel 2-3 times/day to let the dog go to the bathroom. (concrete pads, I believe?)

Since they tell you to "allow 1 hour travel time to and from the parks" using Disney transportation - it seemed like we'd be spending an absurd amount of time coming back and forth to let him out, so opted to kennel him here locally at home instead.

The other option people stated was to find a kennel outside of Disney and take them there for the day(s) you would be at the parks.

Disney does so much else right - I wish they'd re-vamp their kennel procedures.

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

Do you come back to walk them, pay the additional fee to have staff walk?

I forgot to mention - I called several of the kennels directly (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Fort Wilderness, etc) ... the #'s are listed somewhere on a FAQ around here ...... and was told that because of extra insurance requirements, they no longer offer dog walking services. I wondered why they didn't just pass along the increase of the price to the kennel customers -- I'd GLADLY pay more for the convenience of it.

 

[drafthorsecrazy]

Years ago, before pet loops we used FW kennel. Yes it can be a pain returning to the campground to walk your pet but it was a nice break to come back into the tranquillity of the fort. Plus seeing the wagging tails of my pets reassured me that they were doing just fine in the kennel. My pets love to travel and if I had to board them, I'd want them close where I could check on them. I have heard that if you come back too late and the kennel has closed for the night if you go to the outpost someone will come with you to the kennel so you can walk you dog.

 

[tim5055]

Years ago, before pet loops we used FW kennel. Yes it can be a pain returning to the campground to walk your pet but it was a nice break to come back into the tranquillity of the fort. Plus seeing the wagging tails of my pets reassured me that they were doing just fine in the kennel. My pets love to travel and if I had to board them, I'd want them close where I could check on them. I have heard that if you come back too late and the kennel has closed for the night if you go to the outpost someone will come with you to the kennel so you can walk you dog.

I agree, Natasha is a part of the family and I enjoy taking a break and going back to the Fort to take her for a walk.

I don't know about letting you in late to walk your dog, but I do know that the staff at teh reception outpost will walk over with you and let you get your fur kids out for the night when you come back late. I always just day board Natasha, as she comes back to the pop up at night. Several times we have had a late night and they were happy to get her out for us.

They do have 8 or 10 large outside runs that do not have A/C, but do have a full roof and ceiling fans over them. Inside there is A/C, but the kennels are the stacking type, but center dividers can be removed to create more space for larger dogs.

If you plan on bringing your pet to the site, obviously you need to be in a designated pet loop. Three "pet walk" areas include a canal pet walk off the 1800 loop, a canal pet walk off the 300 loop and a nice wooded walk behind the 700 & 800 loops. You must drive them to the kennel, you can NOT walk them to the kennel, nor can you walk you pets out of the pet loops themselves.

The FW kennel asks that you stop by to walk them twice a day yourself.

For the safety of your pet and others, it is required that dogs be current on their required vaccinations which include:


* Rabies
* Parvovirus
* Distemper
* Hepatitis
* Parainfluenza
* Bordetella (kennel cough)


Many vets list some of these on their records as DHP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza) or DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus)

For other questions, you can call the kennel directly at 407-824-2735

Should the FW kennel be full, Disney maintains four other kennels on property:

* Ticket & Transportation Center
* EPCOT
* MGM Studios
* Animal Kingdom

I know a lot of folks say "I've never been asked to see my papers", but Disney has the right to refuse service it you don't have them; or if there is a biting incident the local health depart will impound the pet if there is no paperwork to prove current rabies vacs.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Just a couple more additions/clarifications

You are required to show proof of vaccination at the time you check in your dog at the kennels. Lack of proof will prevent you from being allowed to kennel your pet, so be sure the vaccination papers are on your list of things to be sure to bring.

The folks at the Outpost aren't really there to allow you to walk your pet after hours. If you are going to be at the park past the kennel hours, let the kennel staff know ahead of time. You will be instructed to go to the outpost with the proof of ownership of your dog (the pink slip they will give you) and a staff member will escort you to the kennels to pick up your dog. If you are kenneling overnight, however, you are expected to walk them prior to closing and then again first thing in the morning.

They do keep track of whether or not you walk your pet during the day, and I have seen them not only give warnings to owners for first time offenders, but also "evict" repeat offenders. It really isn't that hard, and I enjoy the break from the parks.

 

[tink06]

Awesome, thank you for all the tips. Right now he won't be coming, b/c I do not have a site for pets - but I'm going to keep trying so as I can keep this option open if we so choose. This would be our longest trip away from him, we've never gone for more than a week, which is why I'm more inclined to bring him if we can.

Thanks again!

 

[VAN]

We have been visiting FW for several years now, but this past spring was our first with a dog.

We have a pop-up ... our dog is 10 lbs and is crate-trained. He is used to being in a crate while we are at work each day; however, I do go home at noon for lunch and let him out at that time.

Anyway, here are my thoughts on our experience. It was extremely warm when we were there and we do not have a/c in the camper. We had our dog with us at night and then would exercise him in the morning and then drop him off at the FW kennel about 10:30. The kennel closed for the day at 9:00 pm. There was plenty of room for the "small" dogs, but the kennel was full on the weekend for the "large" dogs ... they were referring people to the Epcot kennel. [We camp for 2 weeks, but only go into the parks a couple of days.]

On the first day, we presented our paperwork and then one of us was allowed to take our dog into the back to settle him in. He was nervous about what was going on and was not comfortable with being in a crate off the ground (he was assigned to the top). He initially wasn't too fond of the caregivers either. They offered to feed him and had a water dish filled that was fastened to the crate door. We brought along the pad and towels from his crate along with a couple of his toys to make him feel more comfortable.

We would usually plan our day so that we came back after 5-6 hours to let him out, feed and walk him, etc.

The staff was wonderful and by the end of the trip, our dog was licking them and was literally jumping out of our arms to get in the kennel.

They do stress that they close at 9:00 and need to have them picked up before then. We were able to keep our dog's food in the fridge and they had a counter where we placed his bag, etc. They described their service as a "crate service"; this helps keep it in perspective that they only "house" your dog and nothing else (although, they would feed them if you wanted).

One day we were going to the parks. We dropped him off at the Epcot kennel. We had to show his paperwork again because they don't have the same database as FW. From there we left for AK for the morning, returned to Epcot at 1:00 and walked our dog, then entered Epcot; returned in early evening to walk the dog; then went to dinner and Illuminations at Epcot. The park kennels are open until 1 hr past park close. We planned to end our day at Epcot so just used that kennel from the start of the day.

Another thing to note: When we entered the parking area, we told an attendant that we needed to drop off at the kennel ... we were then directed to a special up-front parking convenient to the kennel, instead of parking way out in the lot.

I was very impressed with the kennel staff - especially those at the FW kennel. Our dog even got a certificate at the end of each day for good behavior.

Another thing to note, separate from the kennel. We usually take our dog for a 3 mile walk on a walking trail at home and wanted to find something nearby ...some sort of park we could visit or something. We ended up going into Celebration 2-3 times. It is nearby and they have a wonderful city park around some waterways (hang onto your dog, because there are gators!) ... a lovely walking trail, rocking chairs overlooking the lake, etc. After our walk, we went to a restaurant that had an outdoor seating area where we were allowed to have our dog. I brought along a dish of his food and another for water - he was able to enjoy his lunch at the same time that we did. The food was very good and reasonably priced.

I would recommend this side trip with your dog to anyone ... very, very nice!

I hope these recent observations help ... the $10 per day was certainly worth it to ensure that our dog was safe and secure. It was a bit of a pain to come back to walk him, but we have been to WDW so many times, that we are in vacation mode and so have a very laid-back, relaxed schedule.

 

[tink06]

Van, thank you. I appreciate you sharing your vacation experience and all the neat little tips! Sounds like fun was had by all. We too are laid back when we go b/c we've been there before, and know we're going back . We've thought about going over to celebration, but never seem to make it - sounds like if Zeus comes - would be a perfect op!