pool courtesy - SD ?

[mykidsintow]

I am curious of everyones thoughts on the pool.

In June we will be going for a week. Its our first summer trip with SD. In previous trips when we have gone to hotel pools we just take Lucas and put him down in the shade by Julias power chair and swim. He has water, shade and is fine. We have never really been anywhere as hot as FL in June.

We do plan to go to typhoon lagoon. I was thinking on that day I would take Lucas to the Kennel. He will have a pouting fit for awhile when we pick him up, but I think that is the best solution for that day. Since at the parks I mostly use him to notify me when Julia is having body temp issues.... this won't be a real concern while she is in the water (the water maintains her temp for her, even on hot days).

On 2 days we plan to hang out and swim at the resort and just relax. I don't think leaving the resort to take him to the kennel is really feesable fo a couple hour swim. So this bring me to the final question....

What do you do with your SD while you swim or spend time at the pool area?

Thanks!

 

[of2dbeach]

i am haunting you arent i ?? lol
Anyways not sure if they would let the dog by the pool or not ? it gets super hot though its been 90s here and not sure how the dog would do. you will have to at least get him a towel to lay on.instead of taking lucus to a kennel cant you leave him in the hotel room or do you think he would bark and carry on ? not sure how the hotel would feel about a dog by the pool but maybe you better tell them the reasons you need him there. other people is what i would worry more about if they were to pet him etc or make a fuss like OMG thers a dog at the pool!! then again people tote there dogs into walmart here too.. so who knows. i am sure others will have suggestions better then mine. i wont haunt you I promise lol. have a great night!

 

[mykidsintow]

Oh no! Its my little DIS stalker!

Hehehe nah! I appreciate your input. He is allowed in the pool area. That is completely not an problem. He is allowed anywhere we go. I will bring his usual sleeping blanket and its no problem to take it out to the pool. Usually I will nestle her chair between to lounge chairs and he will lay in the shade around/under them. Most people don't even notice. Its just like restaurants. Most people are appauled to see us come in, but soon forget he is there.

He isn't "allowed" to remain in the room. He would relax and wouldn't care (he would be much happier than a kennel), but that is against the rules.

Hence, my seeking input! Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[mechurchlady]

Take the dog with you to the pool and to Typhoon Lagoon. The dog is a tool much like a wheelchair or cane thus it is allowed at all parks, resorts and pools. Also when your kid is out of the water she could still over heat. It is rather easy in June to over heat even for this cafe au lait person. Besides who wants a pouty dog, lol.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Before I begin, I don't have a service dog of my own, so if I suggest something really stupid, just blame my ignorance

If your main worry is the dog over-heating, you could try to swim either in the evenings or early mornings, if that is feasible. Because I come from the UK, we always have a fair bit of jetlag when we first get to WDW, so are up at the crack of dawn (or even before) for a few days. We normally use this time to go to the pool and it's always pretty much deserted.

If you can't work that into your schedule, or want to use the swimming as a way to cool off in the middle of the day, do what you can to keep him cool. Obviously make sure he has water and shade, and something to lie on (paving gets pretty blooming hot in Florida). If he would be OK with it, you could damp down his fur regularly with a washcloth (from home) and a bottle of cold water. One of those little battery-powered fans might help as well. It might be that it is better for him if you have a number of shorter swimming sessions, with a break in the AC in between, rather than staying out for a few hours at a time.

Hope my random musings have helped some, and have a wonderful trip!

 

[of2dbeach]

your soo silly !! Another thought on the subject of the pool. A surf store just opned here in the mall. I was asking the lady about sunscreen surfers use because DS always gets burnt on his swim lessons.She said she uses a product that isnt greasy and stays on all day without re applying it . Its a bit more $$ but seems worth it to me in the long run.the sun here is brutal and if she is in the water she wont feel how burnt she is getting. they also had special UV ray resistant shirts that you actualy wear in the water.They felt light and she said there silky and comfy.Just something to think about.
your loving stalker ..hehee

Oh no! Its my little DIS stalker!

Hehehe nah! I appreciate your input. He is allowed in the pool area. That is completely not an problem. He is allowed anywhere we go. I will bring his usual sleeping blanket and its no problem to take it out to the pool. Usually I will nestle her chair between to lounge chairs and he will lay in the shade around/under them. Most people don't even notice. Its just like restaurants. Most people are appauled to see us come in, but soon forget he is there.

He isn't "allowed" to remain in the room. He would relax and wouldn't care (he would be much happier than a kennel), but that is against the rules.

Hence, my seeking input! Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[dclfun]

While your SD is allowed at Typhoon Lagoon I don't know if I'd bring her. If you're in the lazy river, for instance, where will she "stay" since she's not allowed in the water? The kennel is a great idea for that day and apparently fees are waived for SD's. As to the resort pool I'd play that by ear. I've never heard anyone complain about my SD being by the pool when I'm there to enjoy watching others swim. The only problem is the heat with really no way to get out of the heat by the pool even in the shade- I know as this bothers me also. Your SD IS allowed in your room though at the resort. I have a friend who sometimes leaves hers. She brings a pop-up type "kennel" which folds flat when not being used and the dog stays in that just in case housekeeping would come in. Her SD doesn't stay there all day every day, just for brief periods when she's swimming or her dog has had enough of the crowds. I met a family with an autism SD on my last trip to WDW and their dog remained in their resort room an entire day because of stress- people just couldn't keep from annoying their SD and they felt she needed a break. So you have choices. I wouldn't bring a SD along just because you can, but would decide once I'm there what would work best for your family and to keep Julia safe. If she's safe from overheating in the water then there's no reason you can't use the kennel or your resort room for your SD.---Kathy

 

[tw1nsmom]

Would something like this help? http://www.helpingudders.com/CoolingVests.htm

or this? http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=11111

 

[mykidsintow]

When we stayed at POLY in Feb.... Although that was not the best SD experience to begin with, but we won't get into that...

They told us under NO circumstances was the SD allowed to be left in the room alone or unattended.

We also have a collapsable crate. We take it with us everywhere (he likes to ride in the car in it sometimes). When we camp and we do something he wouldn't care for or I don't believe is safe (like we went camping 2 weeks ago and we went on a 2 hour cave tour. I didn't think he needed to be in a cave with bats). We set the crate up in the camper and turn on the air for him and the radio and he is fine. Typically at home we don't use a crate, but he could get out of a popup. Some pesky kid could decide to come along and see whats in our camper. We just feel he is safer in the crate and he does fine. We actually also left him in the crate one camping trip last yr when we went swimming at the lake beach. I didn't think laying in the hot sand sounded better than being in the air.

So IF in fact we are allowed to leave him in the room tha is a complete solution. He won't mind that at all. We were just CLEARLY told we were NOT under ANY circumstances allowed to leave him in the room unattended.

Thanks again for all the help and suggestions! I greatly appreciate it!

 

[bookwormde]

He is your child’s service dog and unless there is a danger to his health I would keep him with you. If you are worrying about not being able to find a shaded area near where you are have you though about one of those shaded open baby tents for him (like you need another thing to carry). With shade, water an a little air circulation most healthy dogs are fine. If it is too hot for him with these accommodations then it is probably to hot for the rest of the family and it is time to “bail” anyway.

bookwormde

 

[mykidsintow]

He is your child’s service dog and unless there is a danger to his health I would keep him with you. If you are worrying about not being able to find a shaded area near where you are have you though about one of those shaded open baby tents for him (like you need another thing to carry). With shade, water an a little air circulation most healthy dogs are fine. If it is too hot for him with these accommodations then it is probably to hot for the rest of the family and it is time to “bail” anyway.

bookwormde

We will be in a pool and he won't Big difference! We will be floating in the lazy river and playing in waves.... He will be laying on the ground in shade. Thats completely not fair to him.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Do know that if you take him to the water parks, somebody in your party must remain with him at all times (you can switch out who that person is, of course, but he can't be left alone with the wheelchair).

PetEdge makes a crate fan that you can get inserts for - you freeze the inserts and they blow cool air towards the dog. So, if you use a dog crate or dog tent and can find a safe way to attach this to or stand it by the crate/tent, that would be a good idea.

RuffWear also makes what they call a Swamp Cooler vest for dogs. You may want to check into that, although the dog can't wear a harness or SD vest at the same time. (You should write "Service Dog" and "Do Not Touch" on the sides of the vest.)

Your dog is not allowed in the water, of course, but is most definitely allowed on the pool deck and non-in-the-water areas of the water parks.

Don't forget to offer the dog water to drink frequently. You can also use a pump mister on the dog, although I don't know if that really cools them at all with all their hair/fur.

You may wish to take the dog on periodic walks around to get him moving instead of him staying in one spot all day. (You'll have to potty him eventually, anyway, but you know what I mean.)

Shade does help, so if they have umbrellas to use/rent or you have a travel crate or doggy tent to use, use those. (I have a great doggy tent that sets up and collapses just like a real tent with those poles that are all attached by an elastic string to each other. I got it somewhere online for $25, though have seen it elsewhere for a LOT more than that.)

It is doable to keep the dog with you. It just comes down to your need, your dog's needs, and what you are all comfortable with and able to handle (i.e. if you don't have somebody to stay with the dog while you are on the slides/in the water, it won't work). If you have ever been to the beach or local pool with your SD, it is similar to doing a water park or hotel pool. I did the beach in Cozumel on my cruise and it wasn't a problem. (I didn't go in the water out of choice, but I had friends with me who could've stayed with her if I wanted to.)

 

[bookwormde]

Yes I was thinking more for when you were in the resort pool and he could "watch".

bookwormde

 

[dclfun]

I think when they say that a dog can't remain in your resort room unattended, they mean "loose". There would be a liability issue if a housekeeper or maintenance person came in your room and somehow the dog got loose. We all know our SD's wouldn't bite someone but sometimes people are afraid and so those CM's shouldn't have to deal with a dog on the loose due to their own personal level of comfort. Having a dog in a crate or popup is a different story. The dog can't get out so it's not "unattended" and in danger of any of the above. Since I know people who have done it in the past at WDW resorts perhaps they merely didn't ask permission or perhaps they did and were told it was acceptable. ---Kathy

 

[zumbergc]

I don't know the rules about SD in room allowed or not.

If your room already got cleaned for the day, and you put the do not disturb sign on the door. Would it matter if the SD was in the room in his pup tent?

Maybe that would work on pool days? Not sure if you just pool in the afternoon or morning.

Have a great trip.

 

[mykidsintow]

Don't ask, don't tell.... I think i am catching on.

We are DVC... so our room isn't cleaned anyway.

If he is napping and resting I don't see the issue really.

He is going to the vet tmw..... he had a limp today and I can't see a reason (he has never limped before). I want to get him in and get whatever it is taken care of.

 

[dclfun]

I hope his paw is okay- please keep us posted. We're DVC too so I truly don't see a problem with Julia's SD being in your villa as long as you're comfortable with it. Putting the "do not disturb" sign in the key card slot is still a great idea just in case maintenance drops by for some reason or it's trash and towel day. You have to do what's best for your family and your SD is part of the family. Also, I know this is OT but I can't find the thread about the w/c shade cover and whether you found one. I was looking on the Maclaren site and they have a clip on pink umbrella. I was thinking it could be decorated and even wondered if they're still decorating the umbrellas for purchase at Epcot ( back by France). Maybe they'd decorate something like this for her for a charge vs. making you buy another umbrella ( which isn't what you wanted). If not I LOVED the decorated w/c cover made by another poster !---Kathy

 

[mykidsintow]

Lucas has a cut on his pad. They cleaned it and wrapped it. He is suppose to go back Tuesday to "check" on it. The vet said it was a clean cut and would be fine. However, I was pushing him to keep checking reminding him Lucas is a "working" dog and we have a trip coming up. So of course he will take my money to check it again....

We found a clamp umbrella at Walmart in the camping section. Its navy and Julia was not happy, but I painted stuff on it and now she thinks its fine. I think its ugly mostly because the paint dried semi transparent and doesn't show up well, but it will work just fine!

I am going to head on over to the Mac site and see their pink ones.... maybe... just maybe she needs a pink one too, hehehehe

Thanks for asking!

 

[dclfun]

Yes, as Sue said, she NEEDS a pink one! I'm glad her SD has a clean cut. Mine is getting a shower today to help rid herself of her winter undercoat as she is blowing coat right now and there's hair everywhere. Believe it or not I have a SD who loves a shower- she'll go stand in there and look at me hopefully. ---Kathy

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

I've heard of CATS who actually like showers/baths, so stranger things have happened!


Yeah, vets don't usually hesitate to take customer's money. Hopefully they won't charge you a full visit fee, as it is a re-check. That's what my vet does, they have a smaller visit fee if it is a re-check. They can waive it, too, as what they did for me once even though it wasn't even a true re-check (checking on bumps under my dog's skin on two different days about a month/month and a half apart [they're just sebacceous cysts, kind of like pimples, no big deal]). That was nice of them. I always use my 10% discount from IAADP, too.


And, yes, every girl needs some pink!!! Even my girl dog has a pink collar, LOL!