Doggie Dilemma

[YorkieMommyKandis]

We just had to change our travel dates, which means we will be going during the value season...so we will now be able to afford a moderate resort (as opposed to the Sheraton World off site). I really love the Disney Resorts (of course), but I can't think of anyone that I feel I could trust my Yorkie with. He is a very tiny 3 pounds...we actually snuck him in with us on our vacation to Myrtle Beach last year, but the way the hotel was set up made it very easy to do so. I'm also scared I would miss him terribly (My DH and I don't have kids yet, so I am attached to him more than most people could ever imagine).

Has anyone ever been able to take their small dog with them (or know anyone who has) into a WDW resort? I thought since he is just 3 pounds it wouldn't hurt to ask Disney, but I also know they are so popular they probably don't honor special requests. If I can't take him then we will probably have to stay off site, since I don't want to risk sneaking him into Disney.


-Kandis

 

[Nolcrest]

I certainly wouldn't sneak him into a Disney resort, but I would consider using one of their kennels if there were no other options. At least you could visit as often as you wished.

With so many things reported stolen at Disney, I would never take the chance of leaving my beloved pet at the resort.

 

[MattNash]

Speaking from personal experience, I can say that taking a dog to Disney can be a real hassle. I have a 10-lb Jack Russell and we put him in the Disney Kennel for four days last Christmas. It's a nice place full of nice people, but having to go to the kennel 2-3 times a day to walk him can REALLY punch a hole in the day time-wise and keep you from doing a lot of other things.

As for taking him into the resort, while I was at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, a dog was discovered in a guest's room and the people were asked to leave. Dogs can trigger allergies and even a 3-lb Yorkie can cause damage, even if only with pee and poop. There's a very good reason why Disney doesn't allow pets in the rooms.

I'm going back this weekend and I'm dropping my dog off at the vet. He'll have to tough it out. If you want to stay on-site, I recommend the same for you. Good luck!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Only service animals are permitted in guest rooms. No pets allowed in the rooms.

Either find a good pet sitter for your dog or board the dog at a reliable facility. We always board our dog at our vet's facility.

 

[epcotfan]

As for taking him into the resort, while I was at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, a dog was discovered in a guest's room and the people were asked to leave. Dogs can trigger allergies and even a 3-lb Yorkie can cause damage, even if only with pee and poop. There's a very good reason why Disney doesn't allow pets in the rooms.

Wow, that is weird Matt, when I stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge in 2003 I encountered security and the head of housekeeping on my floor when a non service dog was found in one of the rooms. I imagine they were probably asked to leave.

Leave your pup at home with a petsitter or have him kenneled at a doggy motel or vet's office. Bringing a pet on vacation is going to be much more hassle than it is worth. I miss my pets when I am away, but I know they are in the hands of a great petsitter and are much happier in their own surroundings.

 

[zuzu310]

My DH and I only have a dog also and no children so I undertsand how attached you are to him. However, we board our dog at a place (sort of like a daycare facility) where she gets one on one attention and love. It is not your typical "kennel" situation. Although I feel guilty at first, I try to think of it as her getting a little vacation too. The pricing is very reasonable...cheaper than the vet. Do a web search in your area for reputable facilities and see if anything like this exists. Before I left her, I toured the facility and met the staff. It also was highly recommended by a consumer organization in our area.

 

[ChristusG]

I totally understand what you are saying. I love my dog to death. But I would not try sneaking him into a Disney hotel. It is too easy to get caught there. I have successfully snuck him into other hotels, but have never tried Disney....its too hard. Plus, you will be gone into the parks all day and he could make noise. I had to leave our dog at the kennels at the front of Epcot. He has also stayed at the ones in Ft. Wilderness before. You are right, it's awful. Not the kennels themselves....but my dog is a very nervous dog. He was afraid the whole time, he had stomach troubles during the whole visit. I worried about him constantly because he was so scared. And you have to come back several times a day to walk the dog. It is REALLY hard to fit that into your day.....it takes 30 minutes to an hour, depending on where you are at the momemt, out of the day to come back and do it.

If you are like me and love your dog to death and want him with you, you should probably stay off-site. Disney needs to make a resort where dogs are allowed....or designate a certain amount of rooms as "pet-friendly." I think they would find that their guests would be very pleased.

 

[Figment2]

Think about your dog. You will be gone and he is in a strange room with all sorts of noises coming from outside that he cannot see. I know how one of my dogs reacted to being left alone in a rented Summer house so I speak from experience (can we say "pay for damage").

Please leave him at home with a pet sitter.

Cyn

 

[aubriee]

Something else to consider is the people who will be staying in the room after you. Alot of people have severe allergies to dogs. I would hate to think that because I broke the rules, an innocent person (possibly some kid) had to spend their vacation in the emergency room. Not to sound harsh. I have a schih tzu and an akita which I always miss terribly. They're my babies. My ex will baby sit my schih tzu and my akita will stay at a kennel (as I'm afraid he will get out and bite someone). I'll miss them, yes, but would never dream of taking a chance of ruining someone else's vacation due to pet allergies.

FYI- Last Sept we saw someone, who had been caught with a very tiny dog, at POP Century being escorted out by CMs . They were cursing the entire time. We also saw a lady at AK trying to sneak in a little Pomeranian, trying to say it was a service dog. Again no go.

 

[jsmla]

My DH and I only have a dog also and no children so I undertsand how attached you are to him. However, we board our dog at a place (sort of like a daycare facility) where she gets one on one attention and love. It is not your typical "kennel" situation. Although I feel guilty at first, I try to think of it as her getting a little vacation too. The pricing is very reasonable...cheaper than the vet. Do a web search in your area for reputable facilities and see if anything like this exists. Before I left her, I toured the facility and met the staff. It also was highly recommended by a consumer organization in our area.

I have a beloved Shih Tzu and this is what we do. The facility in our town offers all sorts of services. Jack gets his own 5X8 "room" (not a cage or kennel) with a picture window, bed and even a TV with Lassie reruns! We can send all of his own food, treats, toys etc. The dogs are walked 4X/day and you can pay for extra playtime and even a doggie afternoon tea. He always seems pretty happy when we pick him up. It runs about $35/day with the extras.

 

[Julylady]

Please, please don't try to sneak him in your room. I am one of those people with severe allergies to dog dander whose vacation you would ruin if I had to stay in your room after you left. Within 30 minutes of being in a room with a dog or where a dog has been I literally can't breathe. I need to go on several meds and it puts me out of commission for 7-10 days.

I always check with the hotel before my stay and do my part by not staying at any hotel that allows dogs. Please do your part as well!

PS - I love dogs and it breaks my heart to have this condition.

Donna

 

[kaysmommie]

I have a beloved Shih Tzu and this is what we do. The facility in our town offers all sorts of services. Jack gets his own 5X8 "room" (not a cage or kennel) with a picture window, bed and even a TV with Lassie reruns! We can send all of his own food, treats, toys etc. The dogs are walked 4X/day and you can pay for extra playtime and even a doggie afternoon tea. He always seems pretty happy when we pick him up. It runs about $35/day with the extras.

I will also be putting my Shih Tzu in one of these more upscale doggie facilties. We have to pay only $3 extra a day to have a play time for them. We will be at Disney for a whole week and I'm a little worried about leaving her there too. I can definately understand. But I can't let it ruin my family vacation. There is even a doogie bed & breakfast in our town.

 

[lclark0621]

Travel is not a pleasureable for an animal. They get stressed.

I understand how much you love your dog. But your dog will be better off at a good kennel or petsitter.

The stress on you AND your animal, is not worth taking then on a vacation. They don't understand they are on vacation. They dont understand where they are or what is going on.

With a good kennel, you will know your dog is well cared for & in a safe enviroment.

Disney does not allow ANY animals in their hotels, except service animals. DO NOT sneak your dog into a hotel room. Not only can the animal cause damage, cause others to get sick, and possible get hurt or lost, if found, Disney will kick you out of the resort.

 

[FloridaSam]

As other posters have stated, dogs are not permitted in resort.

Last April during our stay at Pop the family in the next room smuggled in a dog which barked from the moment they left it during the afternoon till they returned at about 10pm.

Not only was it not fair on the dog but guests in the surrounding room were disturbed for many hours. CM's were waiting for the people to return and they were asked to leave.

Sam x

 

[YorkieMommyKandis]

Thank you so much everyone for the responses!! I will definitely not try sneaking him in, especially after all the reminders about allergies (I am allergic to cats but for some reason didn't even think about this). I guess we will just stay off site since it is cheaper and I can't imagine going anywhere without him. That would be absolutely horrible (and embarrassing) to be asked to leave the property. The Sheraton World sounds like a nice place so I'm thinking we will stay there since they allow pets. We live in a small town and don't have any doggie daycare type places in my area or else I would go with that option...I was actually hoping to open one here someday to fix that problem.

-Kandis

 

[YorkieMommyKandis]

I also agree with the idea that it would be nice for Disney to open a resort where pets are allowed in all/some of the rooms. I just sent this message off to Disney about it, although I'm not expecting very much...

Hi. I just wanted to say that I really wish Disney would open a resort where pets are allowed. We really want to stay in WDW but can't because our Yorkie would not be allowed. He is very small and I would never leave him in a traditional boarding facility. We would love to see a moderately priced resort where pets are allowed, or at least a resort that has a "daycare" type boarding facility with small rooms for each pet. It would be nice to see the daycare facility built into the resort so owners would be close to their pets when they wanted to visit them. Thank you for your consideration.



-Kandis

 

[jsmla]

Kandis,
You might want to look into the Sheraton Safari too. I've stayed there and it's pretty nice and pet friendly too. It's also really close to the Downtown Disney entrance to WDW, a 5 minute drive maybe. We stay at Starwood properties (Sheraton and Westin) a lot when we travel with Jack. Lowes properties (Hard Rock, Royal Pacific) also allow pets. I know how you feel. I really don't like leaving my puppy behind. That's one of the reason we vacation in our travel trailer so much!

Oh, and Jack loves to travel. He's been going with us since he was 6 months old and has been everywhere from San Francisco to NYC. I just make sure I bring his same food and only give him bottled water away from home. Strange drinking water can cause upset tummies. You may already know this but you'll need a current health certificate and a FAA approved carrier to fly with your pet.

Have fun!

 

[travelgoddess]

We have 2 black labs that are like our babies, we have no kids. We have an wonderful dogsitter that moves into our home and takes care of them when we travel. They have gotten to know and love her. I don't make any travel plans until I have her all lined up. Good luck in finding someone reliable in your area. We are leaving in 2 days and I miss them already.

 

[ChristusG]

I second the Sheraton Safari....we stayed there in February of this year and I was very impressed. It is VERY close to Disney too. Much closer than the Sheraton World.

 

[ChristusG]

Oh, and thanks for sending that email to them! I think I will do the same. Hey, if they get enough requests, the wise thing would be for them to act on it. What email addy did you send it to?