Lots of service dogs this trip

[Grmnshplvr]

I think a grocery store should be allowed to require service animals walk alongside their owners and not ride in the cart. It is not sanitary to allow a dog or other animal to sit where the next customer is putting their food purchases.

Or other animal - including children?

 

[wilkeliza]

The ADA needs to be rewritten so that a service animal has an official, government issued license. There are so many people claiming to have a service animal just so they can take their pet anywhere and there is no good way for businesses to deal with them. It's a shame that the abuse causes people to question those who have real, but invisible need for a service animal. If you can get a doctor's note to get a parking hangtag from your town, there should be an easy way to document legitimate service animals and to easily distinguish between a true service animal and an emotional support animal that isn't granted the same access.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that while service animals are permitted in the parks and resorts, they must always be where their owner is. In other words, you can't leave Fido in your hotel room to go grab a bite to eat or swim in the pool. The animal is required to behave and not bother other people or they can be removed from the premises. Also, the animal may not be able to go on all rides and in those cases Disney has a cage or other area to keep the animal while you ride. I'm just waiting for someone to insist on a rider swap pass when they have a service animal that they don't want caged while they ride.

You are correct. A service dog can not be left back in the room. A service dog can be left with a secondary handler if they do not want to leave the pup in one of the kennels at an attraction but it is always to be under control of either their primary handler or secondary handler. Service dogs are allowed in the pool area just not in the pool so if a family needs a service animal there would be no reason to leave it in the room to go for a bite to eat or to the pool as the service animal is allowed in those areas.

 

[VAfamily1998]

Or other animal - including children?

The thing is, the seat is MEANT for children, it's not meant for groceries. Sure, some people will put groceries there, but that's their choice. The structure of the seat is obviously made to accommodate a child. I really don't think it's logical to criticize people for putting children in the seat meant for children, just because some people want to put groceries in a seat meant for children.

 

[kandb]

The thing is, the seat is MEANT for children, it's not meant for groceries. Sure, some people will put groceries there, but that's their choice. The structure of the seat is obviously made to accommodate a child. I really don't think it's logical to criticize people for putting children in the seat meant for children, just because some people want to put groceries in a seat meant for children.

VERY good point.

 

[NYDisGuy]

The dogs you are talking about in both cases are not true service dogs. Emotional Support dogs are only protected for housing and air travel. Service dogs are much more trained and are protected everywhere. The only places they really can't be are food prep areas, hospital surgery rooms, and places it may be dangerous for the working dog so some zoo exhibits and some theme park attractions etc. A therapy dog is also not protect the same way at all. A therapy dog is only certified for certain things like visiting school, nursing homes, etc and only count when an organization invites them in not automatically like a service dog. I really think the abuse comes from lack of education on what a SERVICE dog is versus a therapy or emotional support animal.

The service dog can be trained to be therapeutic for PTSD and would be considered a psychiatric service dog. Agreed though, actual therapeutic dogs wouldnt be covered however I highly doubt Disney is asking and unfortunately service dog vests can be procured on ebay nowadays.

 

[kandb]

Don't get me started on when the cashier has a cold and constantly wipes their nose while they are handling every piece of food to scan.

 

[EdmondD]

I feel this course has run its thread. BUT...

I think people feel very strongly about others trying to get one over on someone or cheat a system. A family member of mine laughingly told me about getting a fake vest for her dog - she's moving to a new city and she proudly boasted that no landlord can now deny her a rental based on the fact that she owns a dog. I cringed. It's unfortunate that businesses and private landowners are being abused by this.

Striking the balance between allowing those who need it and ferreting out (pun so intended!) the cheaters is tough, and most businesses will err on the side of not offending someone or, worse, even breaking the law. Probably the choice I'd make, too.

Personally, I love kids. And I love dogs. At times, there are places I want to be where I don't want kids to be (and where they really shouldn't be). At times, there are also places I want to be and I don't want dogs to be (and where they really shouldn't be). I don't think either statement makes me horrible.

(I didn't use quotes once!)

 

[wilkeliza]

The service dog can be trained to be therapeutic for PTSD and would be considered a psychiatric service dog. Agreed though, actual therapeutic dogs wouldnt be covered however I highly doubt Disney is asking and unfortunately service dog vests can be procured on ebay nowadays.

Yes but at PTSD dog is not simply a therapy or emotional support dog. PTSD service dogs have to be trained for a task just like all other service dogs. Most of them are trained as a ground or to alert for medication, stimuli, etc but they are trained to do something be it apply pressure to their handler's chest, leading them to sit on the floor during an episode, getting another human during an episode, etc. They actually can not just help the PTSD through presence under the ADA.

 

[firefly_ris]

To reiterate what wilkeliza said... Service dogs, Therapy Dogs, and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are not interchangeable phrases, they do not refer to the same thing.

The Service Dog is the only one who is permitted public access and must perform at least 2 tasks to mitigate their handler's disability, and may also go through extensive PAT (Public Access Training) - depending on their trainer. There are owner trained dogs as well as dogs trained by service dog organizations. Tasks can be trained to mitigate both physical and psychiatric problems.

The Therapy Dog is the nice, calming dogs you see in hospitals, nursing homes, etc. They do NOT have general public access and are only permitted in places where they've been asked to come. They also do not perform any specific task for any type of disability. They do usually need to be certified through an organization such as TDI.

Emotional Support Animals do not have public access nor do they perform any certain tasks. They can be a calming presence for their handler. They can be allowed on flights and in no-pet housing with the authority of a doctor's note.

I personally have known several legitimate service dog handlers, one with an obvious physical disability, the other with a less obvious ("invisible") disability. Both went through painstaking amounts of training with their dogs, did enormous amounts of public access training - one girl's dog washed out (meaning after rigorous training, became apparent she wasn't meant for the work) and became her pet dog, and got another dog and did the training again and that dog became her service animal. She was always frustrated seeing people buying vests online, buying "certificates" online, then dragging their dogs into grocery stores and other places and watching their dogs piddle on the floor, snap at people, among other things -- all of these instances then made public access more difficult for her and her legitimate service dogs as businesses became more wary. This was someone who really needed and benefited from her dog's tasks, so it's very frustrating that so many people have no problems "cheating" by slapping a vest on their dog and then taking them everywhere. Not only that, but I'm sure many dogs become very stressed at the overwhelming stimuli of being in public all day because they aren't used to or trained for it. So they're not thinking about the well being of their pet, the well being of real service dog handlers, only thinking about themselves. A bummer.

 

[Grmnshplvr]

The thing is, the seat is MEANT for children, it's not meant for groceries. Sure, some people will put groceries there, but that's their choice. The structure of the seat is obviously made to accommodate a child. I really don't think it's logical to criticize people for putting children in the seat meant for children, just because some people want to put groceries in a seat meant for children.

I'm not criticizing anyone for putting a child there....but I would hope everyone washes their groceries before they eat the unpackaged food anyways.

 

[wilkeliza]

To reiterate what wilkeliza said... Service dogs, Therapy Dogs, and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are not interchangeable phrases, they do not refer to the same thing.

The Service Dog is the only one who is permitted public access and must perform at least 2 tasks to mitigate their handler's disability, and may also go through extensive PAT (Public Access Training) - depending on their trainer. There are owner trained dogs as well as dogs trained by service dog organizations. Tasks can be trained to mitigate both physical and psychiatric problems.

The Therapy Dog is the nice, calming dogs you see in hospitals, nursing homes, etc. They do NOT have general public access and are only permitted in places where they've been asked to come. They also do not perform any specific task for any type of disability. They do usually need to be certified through an organization such as TDI.

Emotional Support Animals do not have public access nor do they perform any certain tasks. They can be a calming presence for their handler. They can be allowed on flights and in no-pet housing with the authority of a doctor's note.

I personally have known several legitimate service dog handlers, one with an obvious physical disability, the other with a less obvious ("invisible") disability. Both went through painstaking amounts of training with their dogs, did enormous amounts of public access training - one girl's dog washed out (meaning after rigorous training, became apparent she wasn't meant for the work) and became her pet dog, and got another dog and did the training again and that dog became her service animal. She was always frustrated seeing people buying vests online, buying "certificates" online, then dragging their dogs into grocery stores and other places and watching their dogs piddle on the floor, snap at people, among other things -- all of these instances then made public access more difficult for her and her legitimate service dogs as businesses became more wary. This was someone who really needed and benefited from her dog's tasks, so it's very frustrating that so many people have no problems "cheating" by slapping a vest on their dog and then taking them everywhere. Not only that, but I'm sure many dogs become very stressed at the overwhelming stimuli of being in public all day because they aren't used to or trained for it. So they're not thinking about the well being of their pet, the well being of real service dog handlers, only thinking about themselves. A bummer.

To add to your statement about how it makes it harder for legitimate service dogs it isn't just public perception but is also actually more dangerous. Trained service dogs are also human and animal safe. They have great temperaments and would only go after a person or another animal if it was a life or death situation for their handler. I know someone who had their service dog attacked at an airport because someone had an incredibly aggressive dog with them. The poor service dog was just doing its job and got attacked. Poor thing couldn't work any more after it because of the stress and had to be retired. Of course that meant more money for the handler because even if you owner train time and money goes into that.

 

[vanillagirl]

My daughter has a guide dog.

A couple things....emotional support dogs are not supposed to be taken to public areas (except air travel). Therapy dogs r working dogs allowed in certain,public areas where they r working (hospitals, schools, libraries, retirement homes etc) but not to run errands with the owner.

The only dogs legally allowed in Disney parks are service dogs...or ponies (which are only recognized as service animals in a few states..they r an option for peeps that cannot be around dogs). Service dogs are trained to assist a peep with a disability. Unfortunately as pp stated CMs won't ask the 2 important questions re service dogs therefor it probably has become a bit of a free for all.

My daughter DOES use a rider swap. She can also use a human guide, therefore her dog waits with one of us while she is guided to the ride by another of us. Wow the judgement on this thread....her dog is never kenelled so she's not about to leave him in a strange cage in an unfamiliar area. We have waited with another dog one time who was an autism service dog. (Another invisible disability)

Also...her dog REFUSES to wear the booties. He was professionally trained ($50k) to wear them however we live in a cooler area so the only time he would need to wear them would be a summer WDW trip. And he decided he will not wear them....she uses a balm on his pads instead. FYI a characteristic of a guide dog is they do have their own minds..able to make decisions and think for themselves as well as take direction. He needs to be comfortable while he is working because DDs safety is at stake and all of his focus needs to be on the job he is doing....along those lines, he does not wear a vest. As advised by the guide dog school. He needs to be cool and comfortable and have freedom of movement. He wears a leather harness which identifies him as a guide dog.

DD does not look disabled, and she has been disrespected and judged MANY times...her dog has been barked at (by ADULTS, kids and other dogs) and touched and offered food...GROWLED at by other dogs...you name it. He NEVER barks or makes sounds in public. He is a beautiful yellow lab trained by a top guide dog school in NY. Yet due to the assumptions about fakers out there she gets questionable judgy looks and comments...to which she says "I'm blind, not deaf".

He is allowed everywhere with her...incl doctors offices..dentists.. restaurants (he sits under the table) hotel rooms...etc...

FYI the NFB Convention (national federation of the blind-largest gathering of blind ndividuals in the country) is in Orlando the first part of July and that may explain more guide dogs in the parks.

For those feeling bad for the working dogs my daughter's dog is treated like a PRINCE. He is necessary to DDs safety and she loves and appreciates everything he does for her. Most service dog owners feel the same. My daughter's guide dog enhances her life and allows her to function and go where she needs to go independently...and he will let her know if he is uncomfortable. The relationship between a dog and its handler is a bond you really cannot understand unless you experience it for yourself.

 

[BrianL]

So I have to have ask--are people bringing their service dogs on the Mountains? That is, Splash, Big Thunder and Space?

The service animals can't ride any of the mountains. Honestly, I didn't think they were allowed to ride any attraction, but apparently they can.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/service-animals/

It looks like all of the thrill rides are restricted (though DINOSAUR appears on both lists). While I understand that it is technically easy for an animal to enter theaters and some other slow-moving rides, I also think that some of them might really freak an animal out. Maybe the training helps with this, but some shows are very loud with some very weird things going on.

 

[DekrRini]

Interesting post, because two weeks ago during our trip, my DD12 and I noticed more dogs than we ever have also! It was simply an observation, one that upset my animal loving daughter very much because one dog looked absolutely miserable panting very hard at AK laying in the sun while the owner was talking. My DD was very concerned about him and made a comment about the owner not even caring how hot the dog was. I very graciously tried to explain to DD the different reasons people have service dogs (as the owner had no visible disability) and tried to convince her that I'm sure the dog is very well taken care of for her sake, but on the inside I was cringing looking at that dog in the heat panting excessively and thinking how it's paws have got to burn on the pavement. Made me sad for the animals sake, not arguing the 'need' for the dog, but still sad to see the dog in those conditions. Another dog we saw at MK was marked as a service dog and had booties on, which my daughter thought adorable, and the dog seemed very content, not panting... this didn't bug me nearly as much, it's just seeing a dog appear to be suffering needlessly that is sad to me. As much as people may 'want' to do fun things, if you need a service dog with you, this doesn't bother me, but I feel it's only humane to take into consideration the needs of the animal as well.

I don't own a dog, but I thought that when a dog got excessively overheated and didn't get enough water, it could die. Is that wrong? I would hate to see an animal suffering like that.

I once saw a golden retriever a year or so ago that I had doubts about being a service animal. The dog was tugging on its leash and going all over the place. It didn't seem like any of the other service animals I've seen over the years. I felt sorry for the dog because it just seemed to be miserable.

 

[wilkeliza]

The service animals can't ride any of the mountains. Honestly, I didn't think they were allowed to ride any attraction, but apparently they can.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/service-animals/

It looks like all of the thrill rides are restricted (though DINOSAUR appears on both lists). While I understand that it is technically easy for an animal to enter theaters and some other slow-moving rides, I also think that some of them might really freak an animal out. Maybe the training helps with this, but some shows are very loud with some very weird things going on.

Training definitely helps. There is an amazing story that comes form 9/11 about Michael Hingson and his service dog Roselle. During all the panic of evacuating the north tower he was able to stay calm cool and collected and actually helped guide people to safety because his service dog Roselle never once freaked out even as the building was burning around them. Crazy to show how important these dogs can be to their handlers.

 

[kandb]

I'm not criticizing anyone for putting a child there....but I would hope everyone washes their groceries before they eat the unpackaged food anyways.

I see that you said unpackaged but that is produce only and hopefully people wash that anyway.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

thats because cats don't care about any one other than themselves

Not true pumpkin and I were bffs till the day he pass so to say cats only care about them selfs is not true

I feel this course has run its thread. BUT...

I think people feel very strongly about others trying to get one over on someone or cheat a system. A family member of mine laughingly told me about getting a fake vest for her dog - she's moving to a new city and she proudly boasted that no landlord can now deny her a rental based on the fact that she owns a dog. I cringed. It's unfortunate that businesses and private landowners are being abused by this.

Striking the balance between allowing those who need it and ferreting out (pun so intended!) the cheaters is tough, and most businesses will err on the side of not offending someone or, worse, even breaking the law. Probably the choice I'd make, too.

Personally, I love kids. And I love dogs. At times, there are places I want to be where I don't want kids to be (and where they really shouldn't be). At times, there are also places I want to be and I don't want dogs to be (and where they really shouldn't be). I don't think either statement makes me horrible.

(I didn't use quotes once!)

I agree I am a huge fan of kids but some times when dh and I go out we want a adult only place

 

[JerseyJanice]

It looks like all of the thrill rides are restricted (though DINOSAUR appears on both lists). While I understand that it is technically easy for an animal to enter theaters and some other slow-moving rides, I also think that some of them might really freak an animal out. Maybe the training helps with this, but some shows are very loud with some very weird things going on.

i am laughing my head off at the thought of my previous dog on any Disney ride. He loved to destroy stuffed animals.

The Country Bears, Pooh and Tigger, the crabs in The Little Mermaid--all would be mincemeat if Max got his jaws on them.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I remember a CM at Kilimanjaro Safari telling me the story of a gentleman who was upset because they wouldn't allow him to bring his therapy snake on the KS. I still am not sure if I should believe him-I've never heard of a therapy snake. All I know is that if I saw one, I'd sure need therapy!

 

[epcotty]

"Service dogs" are the biggest scam. We all need "support" in bad, stressful times. I heard a person is going through a trying period, Dr. recommends they get a pet... So said dog is now "theraphy".. Sure in some cases there are legit, medical reasons, even mental medical reasons.. but come one.. We all can say having a pet, does one good.. Studies show having a pet reduces stress anxiety et... So now can we all use this benefit to get a pet to fly for free, bring a pet on vacation to avoid boardinig costs or get a rental where no dogs are allowed? How many times have I heard of people ( they admit it, ) " My dog calms and supports me!!! My dog must go and sit on my lap at a restaurant ( as emotional support) As fluffy is too precious to be left at home alone. ." Ok, lets buy that cert online.


Sorry. But it's non Disney related but I have good friends in the restaurant and realtor industries. This is becoming a real issue, the abuse. Want a rental that won't allow pets,? Go buy a cert online. I work for an airline.. all of a sudden we have more pets on board.. Have you ever sat next to a person with a dog on their lap for a long flight?

A shame as many do need them. Neighbor is diabetic and has a "trained" dog. I dont normally "judge" but in this case I myself have seen tooo many abuses where I reserve the right to judge.. Also There are serious medical mental issues and then those who need to get a grip on life.. I am speaking of "emotional" dogs here.... I am "Emotional" dependent on my husband to support me.... Can he get a free ride as he is escorting me.??

Therapy dogs are not service dogs and should not be treated as such, and generally aren't from what I know. From what I know, on planes most airlines' policy is to have the pet in a container. If they allow otherwise they're blatantly violating their own policy. Most restaurants that are ok with dogs require them to be at the outside tables. Disney only allows service dogs, and I hope they enforce that well enough. Otherwise it would put the guests at risk, especially if someone were to bring a biting dog (and the dog owner would also be risking lots of lawsuits)