Registered emotional support dog allowed?

[Magpie]

My daughter doesn't have a fear of dogs. Neither do I.

I am tired of irresponsible dog owners who think the world should revolve around them and their pets. Unless it is a highly trained and documented service animal, it does not belong at a theme park.

Sorry, I mixed you up with asta, whose daughter has an "extreme fear of dogs"!

Your response seemed such a natural follow-on from what I'd written to her, that I didn't notice the change in writer. I really hope she gets help for her daughter!

And with regards to the original topic, from what I understand, the animal in question is documented. If it's "highly trained" is impossible to know. And as for whether the dog belongs at a theme park - that's for Disney to decide.

At least one cast member has commented in this thread that they were directed to allow people to bring ESAs into the parks, during training. And people have claimed to have seen them there (though it can certainly be hard to distinguish an ESA from a service dog, as trained service dogs come in all breeds and sizes, including teacup!).

I know everyone runs down the usefulness/reliability of Disney phone staff, but I'd still personally call and ask. And get the response documented. That seems to me the most good faith thing anyone could possibly do.

 

[aaarcher86]

I'd probably email Disney's Disability Department over calling. At least then you're talking directly to someone who 'should' know the policies, and you've got it in writing.

Most dogs your daughter comes across in life will not be highly trained or controlled. If her first reaction is panic, she is very likely to end up getting hurt.

Even very highly trained working dogs can act unpredictably, such as in this Indiana case where a police dog bit a child during a classroom demonstration: http://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/w-ind-police-dog-bites-boy-during-demonstration Other news outlets suggested that the child flinched or tried to jump back, and accidentally triggered an aggressive response in the dog. Which is exactly what fear can do, when you're interacting with a dog.

As for Emotional Support Dogs, you cannot know how much training any particular one has or haven't had, OR how legitimate their owner's need is. Try having some compassion and an open mind, before you decide it's all just because "they can't bear to be away from little Fifi".

This woman puts it well:

I understand people have legitimate needs for these animals. BUT, I do think this is the new fad for people who just want to bring Princess Pooch everywhere.

I won't give these dogs a second though (and I've never seen one in the parks) unless they try to bite my family. Until then, no big deal for me.

It DOES drive me bonkers that many people take advantage of something that people really need because they don't want to emotionally scar Fifi by leaving her home. But I won't assume that's what someone's doing until it's pretty obvious.

 

[bedogged]

The week before Christmas we saw a lady walking a little dog wearing a dress at Epcot. We didn't ask how she got it in the park and but since we're dog people we just stopped and pet her. Didn't look like a service dog at all.

Sometimes it can be really hard to tell. Even "a little dog wearing a dress" can perform a service for it's owner. Hearing dogs, dogs that alert for seizures or low blood sugar are often small dogs.

 

[Magpie]

I'd probably email Disney's Disability Department over calling. At least then you're talking directly to someone who 'should' know the policies, and you've got it in writing.

Excellent point!

 

[bumbershoot]

And this is why I would get the name of the person you talked to and document the time and day. I mean Disney employs these people to answer phones, they have to back up the answers that are given sometimes.

No they don't. No company does.

Regardless of the status of emotional support dogs, your daughter will still have to cope with service dogs (as in, seeing eye dogs and hearing ear dogs and dogs that can sense impending seizures) *and* she'll also have to cope with security dogs both in the airport and in the parks.

...

Your daughter's fear is rational considering her experience, but also severely limiting and potentially dangerous for her.

...

If you want your daughter to be safe when she's out in public, especially as she gets older and goes out without you to protect her, you need to help her overcome her fear of dogs.

Yes yes so very much yes.

I was bitten because I was being stupid with out malamute puppy. I wSnt emotionally scarred hiugh i was physically!

My son watched me nearly get bitten by my dad's Golden because I didn't realize my dad had ruined that dog's natural instincts to be friendly. She mouthed my forearm very firmly and aggressively and I had to draw upon my resources of knowing dogs to slow things down and call to my dad without scaring the dog more. My son was 3 and had loved dogs until he saw that play out (he was inside and I'd run out to the car and was on my way back in on the deck when she took umbrage at my entering the gate). Took more than 2 years but we got him to be ok with dogs again. I won't have my son be that scared. It's just not safe for him.

Those types of dogs are highly trained and controlled.

Emotional support animals are not highly trained or controlled.

People who claim an emotional support animal usually do so because they can't bear to be away from little Fifi or Fido, or they mistakenly believe little Fifi or Fido don't want to be away from them for any period of time.

So many assumptions. Any animal can lose it. Not all dogs go to school like a seeing eye dog dos.

Plenty of normal dogs are incredibly controlled.

And I would never say that MOST support dogs are just people who miss their dogs or think their dogs miss them too much.

And people have claimed to have seen them there (though it can certainly be hard to distinguish an ESA from a service dog, as trained service dogs come in all breeds and sizes, including teacup!).

If I weren't on my phone I'd give the thumbs up emoticon!

 

[Lurch]

May i ask what a emotional support dog is?

Emotional Support Dog = Pet

 

[kerplop]

There's a definitive difference between a mental health service dog and an emotional support dog. The first is trained extensively much in the way a seeing eye dog or other common service dog is. They "work" and they know it, because they are trained for it for years. They do things like remind you to take your medicine, wake you up for work/school, search your house for things, and when you're outside of the house they keep a physical buffer between you and strangers or help you if you're experiencing a panic attack or PTSD flashback. When you're out in public they're SUPPOSED to wear vests just like any other service animal and they basically ignore other people while they're working unless you allow them to interact. You can register them as service animals with the government and they are covered under the ADA.

Emotional support dogs are there to make their owners feel comforted and secure. They are wonderful therapy tools, but in the end they are not service animals. They cannot be registered and theoretically if Disney didn't want people to have them, they could ban them from the parks and there's nothing people could legally do in return.

That said, Disney is often of the mindset of shying away from any kind of situation where someone with a legitimate disability (which I definitely think people with ESA are for the most part) could cause trouble or sue. So it seems to me they let people do what they want until it becomes a problem and then they crack down on it.

As someone who has and works with an organization that trains both kinds of dogs, as well as other skilled companion dogs I'm actually against having ESA in the parks. I understand that some people feel they need that support, but as always people ruin it for others by taking advantage. A working dog is ordinarily predictable and a pet isn't always. I'd hate to see someone get hurt or an animal get hurt just because someone wanted to game the system.

 

[surferdave]

This bit only got to 3 pages last time it came up in August, good job guys.

 

[bedogged]

May i ask what a emotional support dog is?

The following is from the Service Dog Central web site:

"An Emotional Support Animal is a dog or other common domestic animal that provides theraputic support to a disabled or elderly owner through companionship, non-judgmental positive regard, affection, and a focus in life. If a doctor determines that a patient with a disabling mental illness would benefit from the companionship of an emotional support animal, the doctor write letters supporting a request by the patient to keep the ESA in "no pets" housing or to travel with the ESA in the cabin of an aircraft.

ESAs are not task trained like service dogs are. In fact little training at all is required so long as the animal is reasonably well behaved by pet standards. This means the animal is fully toilet trained and has no bad habits that would disturb neighbors such is frequent or lengthy episodes of barking. The animal should not pose a danger to other tenants or to workmen. But there is no requirement for fancy heeling or mitigating tasks since emotional support animals are not generally taken anywhere pets would not ordinarily go without permission (the exception being to fly in the cabin of an aircraft, even if the airline does not ordinarily accept pets)."

 

[Vidia2]

This bit only got to 3 pages last time it came up in August, good job guys.

Was the entitlement police here for that one as well?

 

[disneydentist]

Emotional Support Dog = Pet

I like that definition.

 

[Magpie]

I like that definition.

Yes and no.

A pet doesn't require a doctor's prescription. ESAs do.

A pet can be banned from an apartment building (ie, "no pets" rules). ESAs cannot. Nor can an owner be charged any extra for the privilege of having an ESA.

A pet doesn't have to be allowed to fly in a plane's cabin. ESAs are allowed to accompany their owner on board, and the owners can't be charged extra.

Pets are not allowed in college and university campus housing. ESAs are.

Emotional support animals are legally protected, insofar as once you've got a doctor's blessing to own one, you can't be prevented from having one in your apartment or from travelling on an airplane with one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_support_animal

While pets can act as ESAs, referring to an ESA as just a pet is extremely dismissive of the valuable job they do.

 

[surferdave]

Was the entitlement police here for that one as well?

It's kinda like a Stones concert; a few of the same guys and some new people playing the same parts someone else played last time.

 

[goofy4tink]

I would go with the information Sue posted. She is the mod for the DISabilities forum and knows her stuff. Especially since she has posted the ADA information and the Florida state information about the law.

I think what it comes down to is that Disney may or may not allow emotional support animals based off of policy, but they are not required to by law (as the ADA does not protect them).

The rules, as written by the ADA, are pretty clear. Sue does in fact know her stuff. And she's right.
But..here's the issue. Disney is always inclined to let things pass if it means a happy guest. They don't want any confrontation, so in goes the dog. I really doubt there are that many true ESA's out there.

 

[Vidia2]

It's kinda like a Stones concert; a few of the same guys and some new people playing the same parts someone else played last time.

I'm starting to understand why some people become so insistent that posters use the search function.

 

[Laketravis]

Nice. I'm not above football punting dogs that try to bite me/my kids!

 

[Laketravis]

The rules, as written by the ADA, are pretty clear. Sue does in fact know her stuff. And she's right.
But..here's the issue. Disney is always inclined to let things pass if it means a happy guest. They don't want any confrontation, so in goes the dog. I really doubt there are that many true ESA's out there.

I agree, except for the "happy guest" part - in my opinion, it would be "politically correct at the time"......

I won't debate the need for or designation of any animal as an emotional/physical/environmental aid, but the unfortunate fact is this is an area filled with fraud and deception. It only takes a credit card to purchase a vest on eBay.

Disney simply weighs the risk in both directions.

 

[tarak]

Nice. I'm not above football punting dogs that try to bite me/my kids!

As someone whose daughter was bitten in the face by a dog, I can only agree.

 

[asta]

Most dogs your daughter comes across in life will not be highly trained or controlled. If her first reaction is panic, she is very likely to end up getting hurt.

Even very highly trained working dogs can act unpredictably, such as in this Indiana case where a police dog bit a child during a classroom demonstration: http://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/w-ind-police-dog-bites-boy-during-demonstration Other news outlets suggested that the child flinched or tried to jump back, and accidentally triggered an aggressive response in the dog. Which is exactly what fear can do, when you're interacting with a dog.

As for Emotional Support Dogs, you cannot know how much training any particular one has or haven't had, OR how legitimate their owner's need is. Try having some compassion and an open mind, before you decide it's all just because "they can't bear to be away from little Fifi".

This woman puts it well:

It is nice that you guys find it so easy to blame the victim. Get biten by a dog and it is your fault because you are afraid of the dog. That is just twisted logic and very, very wrong. I am not a lawyer but I think the responsibility lies with the dog owner. I also think that under the deep pocket philosophy that Disney is setting themselves up for lawsuits if they allow informally trined dogs in the parks. If a dog bites of course the dog owners can be sued and I hope they are. But Disney is also responsible for allowing unsafe conditions and you can make much more money by suing them. I am surprised that Fisney would open themselves up for that risk. If the local farmers market is smart enough to not allow this risk, I can't believe Disney isn't't just as smart.

 

[larryz]

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