Lots of service dogs this trip

[KyleAfterAWhile]

Do you see the glass half full or half empty?

When you see a person with an invisible disability who has a dog in the park, do you assume they're taking advantage and faking their need for support, or do you give them the benefit of the doubt and recognize that you're not trained to detect or identify therapy, emotional support, or service dogs or who might benefit from them?

This thread is all about perspective and our ability to know what we know, and what we do not.

Very good post. I understand all sides of it. Allergies, dogs in grocery stores, dogs in restaurants....all health issues. People need comfort, assistance, etc....all necessary.

Personally, I prefer to thank the LORD for my health be grateful I do not have a disability or mental condition or anything else that would require that in my life.

 

[KyleAfterAWhile]

Also, to clarify:
Y'all= "you"
Y'alls = "some of you"
All y'alls = "everybody"

Y'all is to mean "you all" just as can't is to mean "can not or cannot"

 

[NYDisGuy]

Yes, this.

I am not a dog trainer, but I know somebody who does train service dogs. He told me that a service dog is well-behaved and it is rare that the pooch would bark at another dog or human. It is part of their training.

I have been in theme parks where small "service dogs" will see other dogs and bark non-stop. Once in Disney, I saw a little Yorkie bark at a running child and his owner struck him. Took all I had not to take that dog from him. I am not saying they are not legit service dogs, but my trainer friend says that is not normal behaviour and it "could be" a pet that the person would feel better having with them.

I will not judge.... just sharing what he said.

No, it's definitely not a legit service dog if they are barking at dogs and children, and Disney has the right to remove them from the premise because of that.

 

[vanillagirl]

An ESA (emotional support animal) IS just a pet..there is no training involved with an ESA...those certainly could have been the barkers on the flight.

 

[vanillagirl]

Service dogs (guide dogs anyway) are trained to be mute in public....my daughter's dog remains silent even when challenged by other dogs.

We were dining outside on the Wdw boardwalk and dd's guide dog was quietly lying under the table when a Yorkie on a retractable leash ran at him and shrieked and barked in his face. The yorkie owner was stunned because dd's guide dog was so unobtrusively lying down there- apparently his presence surprised her and her yorkie was quickly out of control.

Service dogs are trained to be unnoticed...except they are so darn amazing it's like seeing unicorns

 

[Disney_and_Wine]

Question: How does this thread fit into the category of Theme Park Attractions and Strategies?

 

[Dismama2boys]

Question: How does this thread fit into the category of Theme Park Attractions and Strategies?

This is a HEAVILY moderated board. I'm sure the mods would move it if they felt it was a problem.

 

[Disney_and_Wine]

This is a HEAVILY moderated board. I'm sure the mods would move it if they felt it was a problem.

But that is my point. How could a heavily moderated board have missed the fact that this discussion belongs on the Community Board. Odd.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

But that is my point. How could a heavily moderated board have missed the fact that this discussion belongs on the Community Board. Odd.

My guess is because no one has reported anyone or something like that. I know what you mean though. Sometimes it's a fast reaction of move from one board to another board to another board and then others nothing really happens. I usually chalk it up to either no one has been reported or they haven't noticed the thread because there are soooo many other threads to do so.

 

[Disney_and_Wine]

My guess is because no one has reported anyone or something like that. I know what you mean though. Sometimes it's a fast reaction of move from one board to another board to another board and then others nothing really happens. I usually chalk it up to either no one has been reported or they haven't noticed the thread because there are soooo many other threads to do so.

You're probably right. There was a post yesterday involving extra FPs that got moved over to the Rumors Board in a nanosecond. (Not complaining about the move. Content-wise, it was a close call). But the post had to do with Fast Passes and BOOM! it got moved in a heartbeat. This is all about dogs and people either bringing them legitimately or perhaps fraudulently. Way more attenuated to Theme Park Strategies than a thread about extra FPs.

 

[wilkeliza]

But that is my point. How could a heavily moderated board have missed the fact that this discussion belongs on the Community Board. Odd.

It originally started as a discussion about them in the theme parks and evolved from there as threads naturally do.

 

[Disney_and_Wine]

It originally started as a discussion about them in the theme parks and evolved from there as threads naturally do.

As a refresher, here is the original post. Says little about theme parks but does mention WDW in general.

We've been coming to WDW every year for over 10 years and this trip we've seen a lot of service dogs for people who appear to be just fine.

Now, I know there are invisible illnesses but I've seen at least 10 dogs in a week with people in the parks. The only person that could have used a dog was a blind man and even he didn't have one. Just seems like everything else in society lately - overkill.

 

[NYDisGuy]

These threads are important in this specific forum because people may not be sure what the rules are. These discussions can explain unrealized rules or abuse of rules of bringing animals into theme parks and hotels. If you read through the entire thread you can see some misnomers with regards to therapy/purse animals and the differences to actual service animals.

 

[Disney_and_Wine]

These threads are important in this specific forum because people may not be sure what the rules are.

OK. I will award you that point. But earlier today there was a question posed about one person using another person's magic band that had FPs loaded onto it. It was a simple "rules" question. The question was answered and the thread was then immediately locked down. To the extent that this thread is in any way an attempt to impart knowledge about what the rules are, shouldn't consistency dictate that that question be answered, (which it has been) and then shut down? We are now 400 posts into this thread. Are people really answering the primary question any longer or are they just bickering? I know. I know. I can always ignore the thread. And I think I will.

 

[tzolkin]

I would never dream of judging the necessity of a service dog any more than I would judge someone using a scooter who I thought looked healthy enough to walk. Service dogs do an amazing job for people. Over the years, it's been discovered that they can provide support, warning and guidance for a variety of illnesses--many of which are unseen. I don't understand the concern. Yes, the number of service dogs have increased over the years, and not just at Disney.

I don't think most of the posts are judging about whether service dogs are necessary. Most are talking about judging people for bringing dogs that are clearly NOT service dogs.

I wouldn't think twice about seeing 50 people with invisible disabilities/issues who had service dogs. If the dog is well trained, it is absolutely none of my business why they need it. But, I will fully admit to getting very irritated when I see one person with a completely untrained dog that is being a nuissance who is trying to scam the system and bring their pet with them.

I have a certified therapy dog that I take to visit hospitals and nursing homes. I have never even considered bringing him anywhere that does not allow pets if he's not "working".

Yes, this.

I am not a dog trainer, but I know somebody who does train service dogs. He told me that a service dog is well-behaved and it is rare that the pooch would bark at another dog or human. It is part of their training.

I have been in theme parks where small "service dogs" will see other dogs and bark non-stop. Once in Disney, I saw a little Yorkie bark at a running child and his owner struck him. Took all I had not to take that dog from him. I am not saying they are not legit service dogs, but my trainer friend says that is not normal behaviour and it "could be" a pet that the person would feel better having with them.

I will not judge.... just sharing what he said.

Yes, the last time we were leaving MK, there was a family with a Yorkie on a retractable leash. The dog was running all over the place (tangling on people's legs and objects), barking incessantly, and urinated twice on the gates. There is absolutely no way that was a service dog.

 

[danikoski]

Service dogs (guide dogs anyway) are trained to be mute in public....my daughter's dog remains silent even when challenged by other dogs.

We were dining outside on the Wdw boardwalk and dd's guide dog was quietly lying under the table when a Yorkie on a retractable leash ran at him and shrieked and barked in his face. The yorkie owner was stunned because dd's guide dog was so unobtrusively lying down there- apparently his presence surprised her and her yorkie was quickly out of control.

Service dogs are trained to be unnoticed...except they are so darn amazing it's like seeing unicorns

Pretty much all the trained service dogs I've seen have been incredibly well behaved. Even the therapy dogs in hospitals and schools that I've have been pretty well behaved. And some of the ESA are trained, and very well behaved. We have a friend whose teenage daughter has exceptional anxiety issues. Nothing was helping. They have a lab mix that already had basic obedience and had been the daughter's dog already. They went through further training, and this dog just knows when the daughter is getting anxious. The dog has been a lifesaver for the family, and even though she's technically an ESA, she has a decent amount of training, otherwise the school wouldn't have let the daughter have her in the school.
So not all ESAs are just pets, bit there are a certain percentage that give them all bad names.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

OK. I will award you that point. But earlier today there was a question posed about one person using another person's magic band that had FPs loaded onto it. It was a simple "rules" question. The question was answered and the thread was then immediately locked down. To the extent that this thread is in any way an attempt to impart knowledge about what the rules are, shouldn't consistency dictate that that question be answered, (which it has been) and then shut down? We are now 400 posts into this thread. Are people really answering the primary question any longer or are they just bickering? I know. I know. I can always ignore the thread. And I think I will.

Obviously for the thread but ahhhh see now that makes sense that it was shut down quickly (I found the thread).

Let's just say that enforcement of TOS (Terms of Service) for Disney has made certain topics, most especially FPs tied to ticket entitlements, a subject that can very very quickly derail. Since that enforcement the Mods have tried really hard to nip those topics in the bud for the most part (some Mods did this even before the enforcement just so the threads didn't get too heated--more like a preventative measure if you will). I'm going to assume it's because they don't want the topic to stray into the 'cannot be talked about' (which is talking about things that go against Disney's TOS) topic since the enforcement occurred.

Chalk that specific thread up to the fact that there was a lot of heated conversations within the last few months regarding the 'cannot be talked about' topic and thus the Mods pay very close attention to that.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

I went to Disney with a friend who has epilepsy and she brought her service dog. I can tell you it was not easy to have a dog with us in the parks. She didn't bring him for fun, or because it was easier than leaving him at home. It was definitely a hassle, but she needed him. If I had the choice between bringing my dog (who I adore and bring everywhere with me on the weekends) with me to Disney or leaving her home, I would absolutely leave her home. If someone really is faking that their dog is a service dog, that's their problem. The people who really need their dogs need to be able to bring them with them, which is why Disney will never forbid service dogs. In my opinion it's much better to allow someone who may be pretending to bring their dog than to ban people from the parks if they have a disability & need one.

 

[vanillagirl]

Pretty much all the trained service dogs I've seen have been incredibly well behaved. Even the therapy dogs in hospitals and schools that I've have been pretty well behaved. And some of the ESA are trained, and very well behaved. We have a friend whose teenage daughter has exceptional anxiety issues. Nothing was helping. They have a lab mix that already had basic obedience and had been the daughter's dog already. They went through further training, and this dog just knows when the daughter is getting anxious. The dog has been a lifesaver for the family, and even though she's technically an ESA, she has a decent amount of training, otherwise the school wouldn't have let the daughter have her in the school.
So not all ESAs are just pets, bit there are a certain percentage that give them all bad names.

That's wonderful for your friend's daughter. I'm glad she has the dog...but peeps CAN just go to a shelter, adopt any dog, and claim it as an emotional support dog. All they need is a doctor note...and there are doctors that are very easy going about writing a note. The issue is that emotional support dogs (and therapy dogs) are really not supposed to be accompanying their owners everywhere. Cool the school allows it, but they are not obligated to.

The whole ESA thing has really gotten out of control in my opinion. And ill mannered, untrained dogs are being taken into public areas under the guise of "service dog" due to all the confusion of what IS legally allowed. I guess it's pretty sad too that there are so many young kids/teens suffering with anxiety

 

[danikoski]

That's wonderful for your friend's daughter. I'm glad she has the dog...but peeps CAN just go to a shelter, adopt any dog, and claim it as an emotional support dog. All they need is a doctor note...and there are doctors that are very easy going about writing a note. The issue was s that emotional support dogs are really not supposed to be accompanying their owners everywhere. Cool the school allows it, but they are not obligated to. The whole ESA thing has really gotten out of control in my opinion. I guess it's pretty sad too that there are so many young kids/teens suffering with anxiety

Oh, I agree the ESA thing has gotten out of control. I feel for the people who really need those animals, and have trained animals, like those with PTSD or severe anxiety. The animals can really help in the right situation. And the bad, untrained animals give all service "type" animals a bad rap.
I wonder if anything can be done about those doctors notes. Absolutely ridiculous to just right a note so a person can have the dog/pet with them. There should be some guidelines there too.
I know my friend jumped through a lot of hoops to have her daughter be able to have the dog with her, including multiple consultations with multiple doctors who had to see a positive effect before they'd sign off on anything. It was quite the process. But I respect all of them for taking the situation seriously. It'd be nice if other health professionals would.