Lots of service dogs this trip

[anniemae]

Saw a FB post a couple of weeks back. someone posted a service pony walking through MK.

 

[erin1715]

How lovely of you to judge who "could have used" a service dog.

Perhaps the blind gentleman is waiting for his dog to be trained. Perhaps he doesn't want one. Perhaps just about anything.

I think it's wonderful that Disney is so good at accommodating people with disabilities that they feel comfortable and safe there.




But you don't need them.



Excellent. Could easily have been a dog that can sense blood sugar changes well before the person thinks to check, or can sense seizures coming on and alert the person to get to a safe place.

Tags aren't needed FYI. So that actually means nothing that the dog had it.



Of course they are. Service animals are considered humans. Just like humans, if they do something egregiously wrong they can get kicked out. But until that time they are a member of the family.



Perhaps there are two people in the family with conditions that require a service dog.



Yep.

Well I guess you've proven you're just such a better person than my judgmental self, aren't you? If you've read my other posts you'd have seen that I have no problem with service dogs for ppl with all kinds of needs. But you choose to jump all over me for speaking about a blind man. Good for you.

I'm simply observing a large increase in dogs in the parks than the past. Just like I don't know if these dogs are legit, you don't know either.

 

[erin1715]

The expensive dogs are the seeing eye type of dogs. They have very specific and rigorous training, and are literally born and raised to do it.

Generally if you see a smaller dog that's not what they are doing. They have a natural ability to sense the issues. They weren't born and raised to do this.

I met a couple 2 years ago at home who had three BIG dogs, just pets. Can't recall their breed. The couple's son came home from Iraq with TBI and pre existing type 1 diabetes. He had to move in with his parents bc of the tbi and ptsd

One night two of the dogs came into the couple's room, frantic. The dogs woke them up and herded them into the sons room. He was out of it. They checked his blood sugar. He was dangerously low. The dogs had saved his life. Now they are his service dogs. The third isn't; she doesn't have the ability to sense it. She's still a pet but the other two work with him to keep him alive.



Your words say that you are NOT all for that.

I have a good friend with a daughter who has type 1 diabetes and they are not financially strapped and they cannot afford a dog. So
I guess it isn't just seeing eye dogs that are expensive like you think

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Service animals are not required to wear a vest, ID tag, or special harness. CMs may ask only two questions, which they will not. (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform? CMs are not allowed to request any documentation for the dog, ask that the dog demonstrate its task, or ask what is the guest's disability.

And if they would just ask those questions, as people enter the park, or when they check into the resort, it would cut down on the number of dogs at both places.

 

[erin1715]

So it sounds like I can just bring my dogs and tell Disney they are service animals with no proof? I wouldn't do that but it appears there are no requirements?

 

[xiphoid76]

As someone seriously allergic to dogs and cats, this issue is very sensitive for me. I am all for service animals, but I do believe the policy is being abused.
Last time on a plane there was a service dog next to me. I did not question it at all and do believe they can benefit the humans. I asked to be moved to a different section of the plane which was accommodated. Of course, there could have been a service dog in that seat on the previous flight - I never know, so come prepared for medical emergencies. In the parks I am able to avoid them easier which is nice. I think Disney will have to start as other hotels have done - allergy free rooms - for those of us that can not stay in a room that was previously occupied by a service animal as these are becoming more and more common.

My favorite comment I always get when I ask to be moved away from a service dog because of my allergies is "My dog is hypo-allergenic" or "dander-free". They are questioning my allergy, when I never question their disability. Unfortunately I am allergic to the animal's saliva which is airborne and all around the animal. I love dogs, wish I could have one - but at this point in my life I just need to be away from them as much as possible for my health.

 

[WEDWDW]

Are "Emotional Support" dogs different from "Service" dogs in requiring training and documentation?

 

[HillsboroHoppers]

I DO know some people use fake vests and badges to bring pets into places they shouldn't...BUT- your statement that only the blind man could use the dog is patently false. My daughter has epilepsy and has had a service dog, MO, for almost 6 years. That dog has LITERALLY saved her life at least 3 times. To look at my daughter (she is 26, so not a little kid) you would never know anything was wrong... so someone could assume (and sadly HAS, and made rude comments to her/us) she doesn't need him, that he is not a *real* service dog. Trust me, for folks with service dogs this trend of faking service dogs is very troubling, because it makes it harder for those with legitimate needs and TRULY TRAINED service dogs to go about their life without being harassed.

Edited to add: Mo cost us 4 thousand dollars. Although we had to have a *prescription* from her doctors to apply for him, insurance does not pay for service animals. Some organizations provide dogs free of charge, but the waiting lists are often years long if you qualify at all. Some people produce service dogs for enormous fees, like 20 grand. Some, like the agency we went with, train a modest number of dogs and charge a few thousand, with resasonable wait lists. It took us about 9 months to get MO, and we had yard sales to help raise the money beyond what we could come up with ourselves. Just to let folks know that service dogs fall into all types of price ranges!

 

[Tondee]

It always confuses me when someone invites me to pet their service dog as I am explaining to my son why we are not supposed to pet service dogs. That happened at Epcot. This summer at DS, we saw some girls with service dogs in a store trying hats on the dogs and taking pictures in a store. I am an animal lover so I would have no problem wearing a hat a dog had on but some people would be very upset. I researched service animals when I was thinking of getting my dog certified as a therapy dog. (To visit schools, librarys, etc...) I thought the rule was not to approach, pet, or make eye contact with a service animal. This could distract them from their job. There was a video showing a girl falling because her seizure alert dog was distracted by a couple of people that came up to pet it.

 

[Tondee]

A service dog is trained to help people with disabilities such as visual impairments, mental illnesses, seizure disorders, diabetes, etc. A therapy dog is trained to provide comfort and affection to people in hospice, disaster areas, retirement homes, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and more. Emotional support dogs provide their owners therapeutic benefits through companionship.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

Well there we go. I know for us it's hard to leave our two dogs home and find someone to take care of them. So I could absolutely see people taking advantage of this. You don't have to pay to put them in a kennel while you're on vacation and get to have them with you. Win win. Not to mention that it might make sense for one service animal but why would people need two with them?

Would it really be easier to bring them? I LOVE my dog. I can't imagine dragging my dog on a plane with my kids, expecting her to behave in a confined space, making her stay at a hotel where she will be stressed by sounds in the hallway and doors opening and closing that we ignore but she can hear, not having a convenient quick place to take her to go to the bathroom, and wrangling her through a very busy theme park with our kids. Seems like an awful lot of hoops just to avoid a dog sitter or kennel.

I think the people who abuse this just really want to bring their dog to Disney. I don't see an added convenience. My dog is trained well but not trained to handle the chaos that is WDW. I can't imagine someone would think bringing their family dog there would be more of a convenience and not more challenging!

We take our dog on a road trip to visit family and purposely drive 17 hours straight through to avoid sleeping in a hotel
with her. It's stressful for her and us to stay in a hotel.

 

[erin1715]

For the record, I was making an observation that of ALL the people I saw with dogs the one person that could have really benefited from one didn't even have one. I'm not saying a blind person is the ONLY one who could use one. I know that dogs are of use to invisible illnesses and I even said that in my first post if I'm not mistaken. But with the AMOUNT I've seen this trip I don't believe they all for a good reason. That is just my opinion.

And what if someone is allergic like a PP or deathly afraid of dogs? Whose issue takes priority?

 

[Aurora0427]

As someone seriously allergic to dogs and cats, this issue is very sensitive for me. I am all for service animals, but I do believe the policy is being abused.
Last time on a plane there was a service dog next to me. I did not question it at all and do believe they can benefit the humans. I asked to be moved to a different section of the plane which was accommodated. Of course, there could have been a service dog in that seat on the previous flight - I never know, so come prepared for medical emergencies. In the parks I am able to avoid them easier which is nice. I think Disney will have to start as other hotels have done - allergy free rooms - for those of us that can not stay in a room that was previously occupied by a service animal as these are becoming more and more common.

My favorite comment I always get when I ask to be moved away from a service dog because of my allergies is "My dog is hypo-allergenic" or "dander-free". They are questioning my allergy, when I never question their disability. Unfortunately I am allergic to the animal's saliva which is airborne and all around the animal. I love dogs, wish I could have one - but at this point in my life I just need to be away from them as much as possible for my health.

THIS. I'm fortunately not allergic to most dogs... Australian shepherds bother me, but I'm deathly allergic to cats. We won't stay at any hotels that are pet friendly and don't have allergy friendly rooms. Fortunately I've never seen a cat at an amusement park as a service animal.

I'm a huge advocate for service dogs, but I think they should all wear a vest and have a card that describes their job. The dogs should be registered. Because people do take advantage, just like they take advantage of the scooters.

Our golden retriever could never pass as a service dog. He's so bad! The very thought cracks me up.

 

[Aurora0427]

For the record, I was making an observation that of ALL the people I saw with dogs the one person that could have really benefited from one didn't even have one. I'm not saying a blind person is the ONLY one who could use one. I know that dogs are of use to invisible illnesses and I even said that in my first post if I'm not mistaken. But with the AMOUNT I've seen this trip I don't believe they all for a good reason. That is just my opinion.

And what if someone is allergic like a PP or deathly afraid of dogs? Whose issue takes priority?

I totally understood what you were saying.... don't worry!

 

[jaiminee krikit]

The expensive dogs are the seeing eye type of dogs. They have very specific and rigorous training, and are literally born and raised to do it.

Generally if you see a smaller dog that's not what they are doing. They have a natural ability to sense the issues. They weren't born and raised to do this. .

This is not necessarily true. I have a friend who has children with serious food allergies. They are in the process of getting an Allergen Detection Service Dog. This dog is costing them 10's of thousands of dollars. This dog has been trained to detect specific allergens. A quick Google search also tells me dogs that detect seizures and low blood sugar also go through training to become official service dogs. And they are also incredibly expensive.

 

[kristenrice]

I'm wondering, and this is a genuine question, not trying to offend anyone...is there a reason why folks with legitimate service dogs would be against having their dog wear a vest/harness/collar that specifically identifies them as a service dog? I know that service dogs aren't required to wear any ID, but what is the reason behind this?

I work in EMS and I've had a couple instances of people who "needed" to take their dog with them I with them in the ambulance to the ER. The issue is who will take control of the animal when the patient is being treated at the ED? I've been told that I cannot refuse to bring the animal with us unless there is a direct safety hazard, which is not usually the case. It just seems like registering and "licensing" legitimate service animals would cut down on both the abuse of the system and the confusion.

 

[earfulofmagic]

At least 10 dogs in a week? So at least 10 people who need service animals out of several thousands of other folks? Is that a lot?

Even with a conservative estimate of 10,000 people at WDW spread across all the parks and resorts, that's still only 0.1% of people. It's not hard for me to believe there are "that many" people needing service dogs.

There could be any number of factors for why one perceives an increase in the number of service dogs: maybe their families can only visit during the summer, maybe Disney is getting better at letting people know service animals are welcome so they finally try a Disney trip, maybe the economy has improved so more folks needing a service animal are better able to afford one. Maybe they're dogs in training. Maybe people have realized Disney has ideal accommodations for service dogs (like the Fort Wilderness or Copper Creek cabins) so they're willing to take a trip. There are lots of "legitimate" reasons why service dogs might seem more populous at Disney World that I'd think of first, instead of assuming it's largely due to people faking a service animal.

I always like seeing service dogs wherever I go, it's nice to know people with an illness or disability aren't stopped from enjoying places like everyone else.

 

[HillsboroHoppers]

It always confuses me when someone invites me to pet their service dog as I am explaining to my son why we are not supposed to pet service dogs. That happened at Epcot. This summer at DS, we saw some girls with service dogs in a store trying hats on the dogs and taking pictures in a store. I am an animal lover so I would have no problem wearing a hat a dog had on but some people would be very upset. I researched service animals when I was thinking of getting my dog certified as a therapy dog. (To visit schools, librarys, etc...) I thought the rule was not to approach, pet, or make eye contact with a service animal. This could distract them from their job. There was a video showing a girl falling because her seizure alert dog was distracted by a couple of people that came up to pet it.

You should never pet a service dog (or give it treats, HUGE no-no!) UNLESS you ask for and receive permission from the handler. My daughter has some social anxiety issues as well as epilepsy, and she ENJOYS being able to interact with people with Mo as the go-between, meaning the attention is on HIM, not HER so she feels less anxious. On the flip side, if she is feeling off, she will graciously decline requests to pet him, knowing she needs his focus on her. Sometimes Mo will move away from people, because HE doesnt want to be distracted from her. It really is amazing what these dogs can do.

 

[HillsboroHoppers]

I'm wondering, and this is a genuine question, not trying to offend anyone...is there a reason why folks with legitimate service dogs would be against having their dog wear a vest/harness/collar that specifically identifies them as a service dog? I know that service dogs aren't required to wear any ID, but what is the reason behind this?

I work in EMS and I've had a couple instances of people who "needed" to take their dog with them I with them in the ambulance to the ER. The issue is who will take control of the animal when the patient is being treated at the ED? I've been told that I cannot refuse to bring the animal with us unless there is a direct safety hazard, which is not usually the case. It just seems like registering and "licensing" legitimate service animals would cut down on both the abuse of the system and the confusion.

I can only speak from our personal experience. I attended training with my daughter and Mo, I am the secondary handler, for reasons just like what you mention. When she has been in the seizure unit, or has had surgery, Mo stays at the hospital with her. Mo has also gone with her by ambulance when she had been out and gotten injured. Mo wears a vest, clearly marked SERVICE DOG DO NOT PET. He has a pouch that is marked MEDICAL INFO and contains her medical history, meds, drs and emergency contact numbers. He has been allowed everywhere except into the actual OR. A secondary handler is required for times she cant care for his needs, like to toilet him when she is in surgery, etc. He has only gone by ambulance once and they paramedic called me. When I got to the ER my daughter was in a room with MO, and he was laying on the floor watching her and the medical team.

 

[danikoski]

Saw a FB post a couple of weeks back. someone posted a service pony walking through MK.

Miniature horses and dogs are part of the American with Disabilities Act. Only two types of service animals that are protected under the ADA.