Service dogs and GACs

[christymarie]

If you have a service dog do you still need a GAC? I know that wheelchairs don't need GACs are service dogs the same way?

Our son uses a stroller for containment and we took the dog the last trip in case we did lose him (she can track). We had a GAC for the stroller but the GAC made no mention of the dog. When we go back if we decide to just take the dog and leave the stroller at home do we still need the GAC or will they see the service dog and realize there is a disability there?

Thanks!

 

[disneynewman]

we still get the GAC. There are some rides that DS goes on w/o his SD so you would still need the GAC if one person stays behind with the SD while someone else take your DS on a ride

 

[christymarie]

we still get the GAC. There are some rides that DS goes on w/o his SD so you would still need the GAC if one person stays behind with the SD while someone else take your DS on a ride

We would have to have the dog tethered to our son until we got on the ride, the dog would wait with one of us and then we would usually do a baby/dog swap type of thing. May still be worth it to have the GAC.

 

[dclfun]

I don't think you would need a GAC for a SD unless you needed other accommodations. For instance the dog would also wait in the regular line and "people swaps" are done w/o a GAC. You'd need to be able to tell someone in Guest Services what you would need for your son if there are other needs, otherwise you'd enter the queue lines with everyone else with the dog.---Kathy

 

[cinderella73]

Oh I am so glad I found this thread!!!

I am in the early atges of getting a disability /guide dog for my child. I have noooo idea how on earth to do Disney with the dog.

Of course he will go everywhere with us like a member of the family but I dont know how certain rides and things are handled.

We make trip to WDW up to 3 times a year and this might be our first year with the dog. I have so many questions.

When you book a room at WDW ( or any hotel) do you have to tell them you have a disability dog? And if you do can they make you stay in certain rooms?

Rider swap was mentioned above but are there any rides or attractions you can do with the dog? I know that sounds weird but for instance we all love to ride the TTA / Wedway people mover thing and thats not something we can really rider swap. I just cant imagine riding along with a dog ! lol Can they do that?

Also do the parks have areas you can walk your dog around in for potty breaks? ( I cant wait to be cleaning that up lol)

How do dogs handle being in a que ? Especially something like Peter Pan? We usually go off season but some lines get long and I dont want the dog uncomfortable or stressed out. Is this alone a reason for the disability card? I have never gotten one but after last year I realized it might be good to have just in case I need it. With a puppy even more so .

We are really excited but also want to learn as much as we can .

( Was not sure if I should have started my own thread or kept in the theme. Sorry if I seem rude by adding on here.

Thanks guys!

 

[SueM in MN]

Oh I am so glad I found this thread!!!

We're glad you found it.

You will find a lot of helpful information in post #3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. You can follow the link in my signature to get there or you can find the thread near the top of this board.
Toward the middle of post #3, there is an alphabetic listing of conditions and concerns and you will find a section about Service Animals there.

Of course he will go everywhere with us like a member of the family but I dont know how certain rides and things are handled.

For the most part, you will follow the listing in the Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities for where guests with wheelchairs enter attractions.
There is a Guidebook for each park and you can pick them up at Guest Relations (you can pick up one for each park in the first park you go to). The current Guidebook is a park map with extra information for people with special needs. It does list the handicapped entrances (which in most cases are the same as the 'regular' entrance). It also lists the attractions that are not recommended for Service Dogs.

When you book a room at WDW ( or any hotel) do you have to tell them you have a disability dog? And if you do can they make you stay in certain rooms?

We are just starting with a service dog for our daughter, so I will leave the "do you tell" question to those with experience.
I can tell you that a hotel can NOT charge you extra just because you have a service animal and they can't restrict you to certain rooms.

Rider swap was mentioned above but are there any rides or attractions you can do with the dog? I know that sounds weird but for instance we all love to ride the TTA / Wedway people mover thing and thats not something we can really rider swap. I just cant imagine riding along with a dog ! lol Can they do that?

In the Service Dog area of post #3 in the Disabilities FAQs thread, one of the links is to part of the online version of the WDW Guidebook for Guests where they list attractions where Service Dogs are not allowed or are not recommended.
Service Dogs actually can go on the TTA. Don't know for sure how you convince the dog to go up the moving walkway, but there is no recommendation not to go on.

Also do the parks have areas you can walk your dog around in for potty breaks? ( I cant wait to be cleaning that up lol)

The Guidebook for each park lists the areas and you can ask CMs.

How do dogs handle being in a que ? Especially something like Peter Pan?

Peter Pan is actually one that Service Dogs are not allowed in.

We usually go off season but some lines get long and I dont want the dog uncomfortable or stressed out. Is this alone a reason for the disability card?

The disability card you are talking about is called a Guest Assistance Card and there is more information about them in post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

I have never gotten one but after last year I realized it might be good to have just in case I need it. With a puppy even more so .

Although you can bring a Service Dog in training into places in many states the very same as a fully trained Service Dog, I would not suggest bringing a puppy that is in training to WDW.
Our dog is 19 months old and is very well behaved, but he gets really tired when we take him out for an hour or so of training at a store. That is not anywhere as busy or stimulating as WDW and we don't plan to bring him to WDW until he is done with his training.

( Was not sure if I should have started my own thread or kept in the theme. Sorry if I seem rude by adding on here.

Thanks guys!

You were right to add onto this thread.
If you hadn't, I would probably have joined your new thread and this one together since they were both on the same subject. In general, as long as there is a current thread already started on a subject, it's better to just add onto that thread.

 

[cinderella73]

We're glad you found it.

You will find a lot of helpful information in post #3 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. You can follow the link in my signature to get there or you can find the thread near the top of this board.
Toward the middle of post #3, there is an alphabetic listing of conditions and concerns and you will find a section about Service Animals there.

For the most part, you will follow the listing in the Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities for where guests with wheelchairs enter attractions.
There is a Guidebook for each park and you can pick them up at Guest Relations (you can pick up one for each park in the first park you go to). The current Guidebook is a park map with extra information for people with special needs. It does list the handicapped entrances (which in most cases are the same as the 'regular' entrance). It also lists the attractions that are not recommended for Service Dogs.

We are just starting with a service dog for our daughter, so I will leave the "do you tell" question to those with experience.
I can tell you that a hotel can NOT charge you extra just because you have a service animal and they can't restrict you to certain rooms.

In the Service Dog area of post #3 in the Disabilities FAQs thread, one of the links is to part of the online version of the WDW Guidebook for Guests where they list attractions where Service Dogs are not allowed or are not recommended.
Service Dogs actually can go on the TTA. Don't know for sure how you convince the dog to go up the moving walkway, but there is no recommendation not to go on.

The Guidebook for each park lists the areas and you can ask CMs.

Peter Pan is actually one that Service Dogs are not allowed in.

The disability card you are talking about is called a Guest Assistance Card and there is more information about them in post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

Although you can bring a Service Dog in training into places in many states the very same as a fully trained Service Dog, I would not suggest bringing a puppy that is in training to WDW.
Our dog is 19 months old and is very well behaved, but he gets really tired when we take him out for an hour or so of training at a store. That is not anywhere as busy or stimulating as WDW and we don't plan to bring him to WDW until he is done with his training.

You were right to add onto this thread.
If you hadn't, I would probably have joined your new thread and this one together since they were both on the same subject. In general, as long as there is a current thread already started on a subject, it's better to just add onto that thread.

Thank you for explaining everything so well.

I agree with you that our puppy will not be able to keep up with us this trip. he will still be a little guy when we get him so I am thinking of asking to have him after we get back if I can. We go again in February and it will be a less hectic trip so maybe that will be a good time to introduce him to the mouse.

Our guide dog will have more trips to WDW then most people do to the grocery store. lol So I hope he likes it. Good thing is we go in off season so it shouldnt be to crazy for him.

Thats funny what you said about the TTA. I have nooo idea how to convince a dog to walk up a moving walkway. lol It should be fun. The CM had a cute conversation when discussing the rides the dog could and could not ride. She said "Well look at it this way , yes it willbe a totally different way of vacationing but you will get to see some cool backstage areas. " ( meaning when I walk the dog) . We also laughed at the fact that they didnt blacklist the teacups right along with Splash Mountain. I cant imagine someone taking their dog on spinning teacups. Thankfully though aside from the teacups we dont ride most of the rides he cant go on anyway. And the ones we do we will just do the rider switch .

Do you mind me asking what kind of puppy you have? We have 3 choices golden retreiver , labrador , Portagese water dog ( spelling?) . The Port. water dog is hypo allergenic but a lot harder to find , plus they need to be trimmed every 3 months I believe . The lab and retreiver shed a lot more and we are mildly allergic . ( Myself more than anyone)

Thank you also for the hotel advice. I can imagine that in the future I will no doubt encounter people that will hassle me about having the dog. But I will just have to arm myself with all the right answers and know all my rights. Its a bit daunting right now but I am sure it will be a really wonderful experience for my son who can finally be a bit more independent .

Thanks again for all your advice and help.

Oh I think this is the info you were talking about . Here is alink that might help some of you. The Cm found this for me while I was on the phone with her. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plain-text/#SERVICE ANIMALS

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Just keep in mind a lot of things are going to depend on the dog itself. Our dog is a guide dog, my dad is blind. Even though during his training they expose the dogs to loud noises (they take them out into a field and smash plates, shoot guns, set off firecrackers, etc) to weed out the ones who react badly and to train them not to be scared, our dog Racer was a little startled during some of the rides, and barked at the JAMinators. How you're dog will react to the queues, rides, characters and crowds will really depend on what it's used to and has been exposed to in the past.

As far as a GAC, I'd say get one even if you don't end up using it. With dogs being used for so many different things now, the GAC can help tell the CM's exactly what kind of assistance you need. For example on certain rides the dog isn't allowed on, we take advantage of the rider swap. This can cause a little bit of an issue because of my father being blind. With us, I or sometimes a willing cast member, has to walk my father to the ride vehicle or inside it (like star tours), and I have to wait in a place close by if its light enough for him to be able to see me (he's not totally blind) or close enough so that I can get him off the ride, hand the dog off to him in a spot where he won't be in the way, then go back through to get on the ride myself. A lot of younger or new cast members don't quite know how to handle it.

The GAC has I believe 3 options that the CM issuing it will choose from, as far as how much help you may need. It's almost like 3 levels of help. For instance some people might need the ride vehicle to stop for them, but can be in a normal vehicle, where others may need a handicap accessible vehicle. If you have a dog with you, you'll find yourself in a lot of these types as the dog can go right where a wheelchair would normally fit.

Don't be put off or deterred when it comes to people giving you trouble. Make sure you have identification for the dog to prove its a registered service animal, and it doesn't hurt to bring a letter from your vet saying that it's up to date on shots (we've never been asked for it, but keep it just in case) We've been stopped a couple times and asked by employees at airports and CM's at Disney for Doggie ID and after that, there's no trouble at all. If there is a problem with a CM while you're at the parks, make sure you look at their name and go to Guest Relations. Disney is very adamant with how their guests are treated and if a CM causes problems or treats you unfairly, you can guarantee if you bring it up, something will be done about it. As far as you're average joe giving you issues over it, unfortunately it happens, and some people are worse than others. It's your right to tell people not to touch, speak to, or otherwise distract the dog (most CMs have told us it's in their training with Disney how to handle service animals). The way I see it is I don't go up and get in your baby's face and touch it, so don't do it to our dog.

Things have certainly gotten better over the years as far as people being familiar with service animals. Years ago it was very common for people to tell us the dog wasn't allowed in stores, that if we had it in public than it was ok for them to pet it, and that my father was faking being blind so he could have his dog with him. More often than not nowadays you'll overhear parents tell their children "No you can't pet the doggie, he's a worker dog" or something to that effect as I think it's just more common to see. Our worst problem was actually at Disney the last time we were there which was Oct 08, when we were waiting to be seated at Crystal Palace. We had ADR's and when we checked in we asked to be seated in a spot where the dog wouldn't be in anyones way, CM or customer. A table opened that worked for us and we were seated ahead of a family that was there before us, and the man of the group said loudly "Gee it must be nice to push ahead of everyone else because you have that dog!" Almost everyone that overheard gave him a nasty look, and another man (a total stranger to us) said to him "Do you really want to play that game? Would you give up your sense of sight just to get a table faster because I could make that happen for you" Needless to say his family looked embarassed and the jerk just crossed his arms and was in a right little tiff over it.

So in a nutshell, grab that GAC card, it certainly won't hurt to have it. Get your dog used to as much stimulus as you can and the easier time you'll have at the parks. And expect to run into some moronic people, but remember it's certainly not the majority, a lot of people will probably ask questions while you're in lines and whatnot, take advantage of it to educate them and more than likely they'll pass on what they learn and it'll be a help to everyone.

 

[Schmeck]

Shouldn't a well trained, real service dog not get stressed out in queues, and not have to be coaxed onto a moving sidewalk? What would the purpose/use of a service dog be if he refuses to go into the situations where he is needed? If he is not properly trained, it seems to be a great risk to all to bring him along. He should be trained before he is expected to handle situations with his designated person, shouldn't he? If not, wouldn't he be putting that person at risk?

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I'd hope that any service dog would have the proper training, but what you have to remember is not every service dog goes through a specific regimen. If the dog is coming from a school or a service that provides them, then yes you can usually assume they've been trained to handle lots of things.

The flipside to this is many people are having their own pets certified because the pet shows a talent or skill that's beneficial to a person in that family with a handicap or disability. There's no guarantee of what kind of training a dog will have then. Then it's the owner's responsibility to expose them to things they'll encounter when they're out in public as much as they can.

 

[livndisney]

From the ADA.gov site:

What if a service animal barks or growls at other people, or otherwise acts out of control?

A: You may exclude any animal, including a service animal, from your facility when that animal's behavior poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others. For example, any service animal that displays vicious behavior towards other guests or customers may be excluded. You may not make assumptions, however, about how a particular animal is likely to behave based on your past experience with other animals. Each situation must be considered individually.


Although a public accommodation may exclude any service animal that is out of control, it should give the individual with a disability who uses the service animal the option of continuing to enjoy its goods and services without having the service animal on the premises.

 

[SueM in MN]

Shouldn't a well trained, real service dog not get stressed out in queues, and not have to be coaxed onto a moving sidewalk? What would the purpose/use of a service dog be if he refuses to go into the situations where he is needed? If he is not properly trained, it seems to be a great risk to all to bring him along. He should be trained before he is expected to handle situations with his designated person, shouldn't he? If not, wouldn't he be putting that person at risk?

The specific thing I was thinking of was the moving ramp on Tomorrowland Transit Authority. While I have seen moving flat walkways, most of them are in places like airports on the way to gates, so any dogs exposure to them during training would be minimal. Outside of that attraction and the exit to Pirates at WDW, I have never seen a moving ramp. That would be something entirely new to most dogs and not necessarily the easiest place for a dog to go up.

 

[disneynewman]

Sue is right, it is impossible to train a SD for every situation that they may ever come in contact with. Our SD has been on the moving walk way in the airport ONCE, she was so stressed about it I would never try that again.

Remember, Service Dogs are still dogs, not robots

 

[lunapnp]

I speak from experience when I say that even if you are in a wheelchair, I would still get the GAC. A couple of years ago, we made it all the way through our week long trip without a GAC. No one ever said anything to us about DD. Our LAST day in the park, we were given grief by one of the CM's at Splash Mtn because we didn't have a GAC.

Also, I'm thrilled to be reading this thread. I was just coming over the disabilities section because I remember a couple of months ago a thread about service dogs...and I was wanting to come look for some of the same info Cinderella 73 asked. We just found out yesterday that my oldest DD will be getting her service dog next month. We will be traveling to Orlando for two weeks of training. Unfortunately, no time for Disney on that trip...but we already have a trip planned for Oct!

Thanks to everyone for all of the wonderful information!

 

[Leajess99]

Shouldn't a well trained, real service dog not get stressed out in queues, and not have to be coaxed onto a moving sidewalk? What would the purpose/use of a service dog be if he refuses to go into the situations where he is needed? If he is not properly trained, it seems to be a great risk to all to bring him along. He should be trained before he is expected to handle situations with his designated person, shouldn't he? If not, wouldn't he be putting that person at risk?

A service dog will still end up with many issues that it has never been exposed to before. Even the best trained service dogs sometimes get stressed. It is a dog and there are situations where even if you ask a person not to touch the dog they will do it anyway or they will tease the dog thus stressing it. As a person I know how hard it can be to ignore teasing or touching so just imagine how the dog feels as well.

At one time many of the service dogs in this area were being trained at a military confinment facility by some of the inmates. They were exposed to many things but unless they were taken to either the casino or the airport (I think our airport has them) than they were not exposed to moving sidewalks. Shoot I get stressed on those and have been on them a few times. lol

I am very adament about teaching my kids that it is okay to look and comment about a service dog but it is not okay to touch them as they are working. Thankfully because of the local training they do get a lot of exposure to the service dogs so they know to just look and not touch. They also know that with any dog to ask the owner/handler for permission before ever touching.

 

[pezter]

Some organizations do not want their service dogs to be on moving sidewalks due to possible paw injuries so the dog may have never been on one.

 

[Schmeck]

What happens if the dog does freak out, and tries to bolt? Not only is there the possibility that others may be injured, but I would think that the child who is supposed to be benefiting from the service dog's service could be harmed as well, emotionally and psychologically. If I had a service dog that was there to keep me safe, and the dog flipped out, I'd be very freaked out!

Perhaps take turns on the TTA, so the dog doesn't have the chance to balk?

 

[cinderella73]

What happens if the dog does freak out, and tries to bolt? Not only is there the possibility that others may be injured, but I would think that the child who is supposed to be benefiting from the service dog's service could be harmed as well, emotionally and psychologically. If I had a service dog that was there to keep me safe, and the dog flipped out, I'd be very freaked out!

Perhaps take turns on the TTA, so the dog doesn't have the chance to balk?

Well yeah of course. I dont think anyone that needs a disability dog would push the dog into doing something that could "freak" it out. That would totally belie the point of having one.

I think that guide dogs would be like any other type of dog in so far as they would have individual personalities that would co-exisist along with whatever trained behaviors they would have been taught. Some dogs might not even think twice , while others might tend to shy away , and some although much more rare a occurance might freak.

I guess the only way for any of us doing Disney with our dogs to know is to test the waters carefully the first day / trip. Because we tend to spend a lot of time at WDW and thats where I see my son needing a lot of protection I will gladly expose our puppy in training to all the elements he can safely handle early on ( being careful not to endanger him or exhaust him ) .

I have a low key trip planned for Jan/ Feb and I will make sure to take pic and make a report up for anyone who might be interested. I know everyone will have a different experience and our dog wont be trained yet. But it might help provide some insight of sorts and help someone.

I have been totally shocked and suprised how wonderful Disney has been during all of this planning. As if I needed another reason to be hooked on Disney more! lol

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Absolutely dogs aren't robots, and each dog is going to be different. It just makes sense that the more you can expose them to, the less they'll be frightened of in the future.

As far as a dog bolting, I think it's a moot point. A responsible dog owner should be able to read the signs that the dog was becoming scared or concerned. Plus the dogs aren't allowed to be loose (without a leash) in public so wouldn't it make sense that the owner would keep the dog from running?

We've had 2 different dogs at WDW and both have handled the incline moving ramp at TTA fine. There was a little sliding but they adjusted (and I stood behind them in case they were to fully slip) I would have to say any dog who's had experience on an escalator will be able to handle it

 

[cinderella73]

Absolutely dogs aren't robots, and each dog is going to be different. It just makes sense that the more you can expose them to, the less they'll be frightened of in the future.

As far as a dog bolting, I think it's a moot point. A responsible dog owner should be able to read the signs that the dog was becoming scared or concerned. Plus the dogs aren't allowed to be loose (without a leash) in public so wouldn't it make sense that the owner would keep the dog from running?

We've had 2 different dogs at WDW and both have handled the incline moving ramp at TTA fine. There was a little sliding but they adjusted (and I stood behind them in case they were to fully slip) I would have to say any dog who's had experience on an escalator will be able to handle it

Aw is that ur guide dog in your pic there? Hes so cute!

Thanks for sharing that info. It helps me to feel a bit better. Our guide dog will be young and in pre-training when he first visits so I hope he gets so used to everything and learns to feel comfortable there.

I was just walking through Times Square today and I saw a few guide dogs and it was packed and crazy! I could barely stand the sensory overload .( I will stick to going on weekdays only from now on!) If those dogs could handle that they could easily handle Disney.

Taxis almost mowing people over , loud music , horns sounding everywhere , etc . . There was no one way flow of traffic so the dogs were going everywhich way to avoid getting knocked into.

I havent had any experience with a guide dog yet but from the looks of things they seemed pretty well trained.