Service Dogs in 4-D shows

[Stag]

So, one of my concerns for our trip to Universal/IOA and Sea World is the 4D shows. You know the ones-- like It's Tough To Be A Bug and Mickey's Philharmagic, it combines the show with things that happen physically, be it sprays of water, smells, or puffs of air.

My question is mostly, if you have a service dog, how did they handle it? I'm worried about the puffs of air startling my dog or something like that, as I heard one story from another forum where her dog is now uneasy when he hears that "puff" sound of shooting air.

 

[dclfun]

In the shows, your SD will be lying down, and as such will not be subject to puffs of air, water sprays, etc. The only puff of air that startled my SD was on the re-tooled "Imagination" ride at Epcot- it hit her right in the eyes. Even then she just blinked hard and ducked- it wasn't that big of a deal. I have never repeated that ride though as I didn't like it either!---Kathy

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Agreed, most of those effects are meant to hit at...well...human level, not doggie level, especially since your dog should really be in a down command during the show. I've never been to anything besides a Disney park with our dog so I don't know exactly what you'll be encountering. I would probably suggest that you plan on the dog being startled, and be ready to offer a little comfort and they'll probably be fine. Our dog got a little jumpy the first day we were there, which was his first trip, but a bit of petting and having him lay back down and he realized "hey this isn't so bad" The only thing that really was bad was the JAMMinators, one of them with the "wearable" drums started walking towards us and our dog jumped up and barked, not the ideal reaction but understandable. I can imagine from his perspective it could have been viewed as a weird noisy threat. So in a nutshell I'd say "luck favors the prepared".

 

[Stag]

I didn't even think about most of the effects being at human level, and my dog is always in a down stay during things like that. I thought I remembered It's Tough To Be A Bug having air effects at foot-level but Boo's head won't be up that far anyway.

Thanks for pointing that out to me!

 

[SueM in MN]

I didn't even think about most of the effects being at human level, and my dog is always in a down stay during things like that. I thought I remembered It's Tough To Be A Bug having air effects at foot-level but Boo's head won't be up that far anyway.

Thanks for pointing that out to me!

I don't remember It's Tough To Be A Bug having any low level effects (the lowest is under your seated butt when the bugs are crawling out at the end.

I do remember Honey I Shrunk the Audience having some low to floor level effects, including a snake and mice. Those were felt on the lower back of my legs and ankles, so I imagine they would be at dog height.

Of the 4D attractions, the only ones that WDW singles out for guests to discuss with a CM before taking a SD on are It's Tough To Be A Bug and Honey I Shrunk the Audience.

 

[cinderella73]

I heard someone on here say once to ask cast member to sit on a end row so the dog could be to the side if you wish. Of course he would still have to be in be in the down position but at least not right behind the effects . Since you would be going through the wheelchair line with a SD anyway I think it gives a second or two extra to get settled.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Hey you two . As you know, I don't yet have a SD, so everything that follows is just what I've picked up here, and thought of myself.

As Cinderella said, you'd probably do best to get an end-of-the-row seat, and settle Boo down next to you. If you face her away from the screen, she probably won't even notice a lot of the effects. You might want to take you Mutt Muffs along with you, so she doesn't get too startled by any loud bangs or sudden noises. If you've got a blanket or jacket with you, you might want to consider putting this over her body, so she doesn't feel any of the water jets or bubble effects (you'll be in the air-con, so she should hopefully stay cool enough). Some of the shows have scent effects, though these probably won't be nearly as strong as some of the other interesting things she'll smell around the parks (like the turkey legs ). It might be wise to have either an empty seat, or a family member in the seat next to you, just in case she decides she needs to sit in your lap again (though that was her first cinema trip, so I don't know how she does nowedays); she's a big girl, and might end up leaning on your neighbor as well!

I don't know whether you're planning to get yourself a wheelchair / ECV for this trip, but if you do, there will probably be some space in front of or beside you for her. If she's in front of your chair, she shouldn't get any of the in-seat effects bothering her, as these aren't fitted in the wheelchair spaces.

Spoiler alert! Text is in white, so highlight it to read it (apologies to anyone else who uses Orlando Blue Night, you'll have to just skip past this if you don't want to know!)
The special effect under the seats in HISTA is done with a jet of air, and a little piece of plastic cable the flicks against your legs (yes, I really am that much of a geek, that I've gone and examined the seats to find this out ). As this is attached to the bottom of the seat, it would probably be somewhere around Boo's head when she's in a down-stay.


Hope some of this helps!

 

[Stag]

Our Mutt Muffs are DEFINITELY coming on this trip. I've been to Disney/UOF many times and those shows can get loud! I get paranoid in the movies, let alone at the live shows I often like to see when we're in the parks. I didn't think about covering her with something though. We have a roll-up travel mat that I was just going to pop into my bag and I could throw that over her, it's just a thick blanket pretty much with ties that let you roll it up almost like a sleeping bag and a strap that you can sling over your shoulder-- the best 30 bucks I ever spent and it's custom made!

I haven't decided on a chair yet. I have a doctor's appointment-- another new doc, hoorah-- in August so I'm going to see what he says about it and maybe take the plunge and look into getting a handicapped placard for the car. My parents aren't really supportive of the idea of a chair while at UOF so I'm going to take it as it comes, you know? See how I do the first day, if it's bad, we'll figure it out. That's good to know that I can put her in front of me and not have to worry though.

And yeah... she still sometimes decides to sit in my lap. I'm pretty sure she's picking up on my anxiety signals and responding to them by just going "Well, he's not paying attention to me, so I'll just do my grounding work!" and hopping up there.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I'll second that white text! My chair was broken and I found the...mechanism.

I know I said that you should be prepared for all eventualities with regards to how the dog react but I really think covering them is excessive. I just think of it as do you feel the bubbles if you have clothes on? If you can't feel them through clothes, the dog won't feel them through fur. I really think the water jet will be too high for them to notice, and really with all the excitement and walking around, chances are good your dog will want to catch a nap when it can, particularly if you're in a nice cool building.

I can't speak for all service dogs, especially since so many people are training their own, particularly for things other than guide training (which is really the only experience I have with SDs) but a dog that's gone through a school for training really should have been acclimated to loud noises and through it's training should have been exposed to as much as possible so when they encounter it again, they'll know it's not biggie. While theme parks are certainly not your everyday experience for an SD, the more they've seen and heard, the better off they'll be.

 

[Stag]

Yeah, loud noises don't faze her at all. She's been to lots of movies and to a few festivals before so the most we get is an idle kind of ear-flick, lol. Sometimes her head will pop up if she hears barking, but that's more of an excited "WHASSAT?" and then once she realizes there's no actual dog, she goes back to sleep.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

What I find really funny is how excited our dog got when he saw characters! He was doing the lab wiggle butt thing and was like "Oh its Pluto its Pluto!!!!!!!!!!"

 

[OneLittleSpark]

I haven't decided on a chair yet. I have a doctor's appointment-- another new doc, hoorah-- in August so I'm going to see what he says about it and maybe take the plunge and look into getting a handicapped placard for the car. My parents aren't really supportive of the idea of a chair while at UOF so I'm going to take it as it comes, you know? See how I do the first day, if it's bad, we'll figure it out. That's good to know that I can put her in front of me and not have to worry though.

Good luck with the new doc, hopefully this one will listen to you, and not tell you that everything is due to your existing conditions (or rather, your diagnosed existing conditions!) .

As for the chair / ECV, you might want to consider 'preparing' your folks for the idea, so that it's not a complete surprise if you do need one. I know they're not great about these things, but maybe they will listen if you explain the details to them; after all, they did agree to your getting Boo in the end, and they've seen what a huge difference she makes to your life. It might be a good idea to do some research before you go, even if you're planning not to use a chair, just so you know where to go and what to do if you do need one (though, I would guess a lot of the attractions the boarding procedure would be the same for wheelchair users as SD partners).

I'd also suggest you take a cane with you, to help take some of the pressure off your joints, and to help you balance when you're standing up / sitting down (we don't want you going head-first into the concrete ). I have a teloscopic hiking cane from an outdoor persuits shop, and it suits me very well. It has a cane-style handle and anti-shocks in the base, to help with my wrists.

 

[Stag]

That's so funny about your dog. Mine was absolutely baffled by the Easter Bunny in the mall. It was as if she was thinking "That's weird.... I've never seen a rabbit THAT big before!" but we saw a Cat in the Hat costumed character the other week at the bookstore and she seemed so amused by it.

Spark, those are some awesome points. Yeah I've already brought it up a few times to them so it wouldn't be totally out of the blue and they'll be prepared for it. Fingers crossed that THIS doctor will help me convince them that, no, it's not all related to stuff I already have and yes, I do need help!

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Spark, those are some awesome points. Yeah I've already brought it up a few times to them so it wouldn't be totally out of the blue and they'll be prepared for it. Fingers crossed that THIS doctor will help me convince them that, no, it's not all related to stuff I already have and yes, I do need help!

Crossing my fingers and sending a huge bag of pixie dust for a good appointment with your new doc! Take a list of all the things you want to say, and don't be scared to keep at him until he listens (I know that it can be hard to be assertive, especially over something as important as this). Boo will probably try and do her grounding work, so be prepared to keep talking with a dog over your legs.

Good luck with your folks, I hope you manage to get them to understand whatever help you need. If you decide to see how you go without wheels, make sure you take the details of off-site rental companies just in case you need them. I also suggest you 'test drive' a cane before you try to go long distances with it - they can take a bit of getting used to, and it can take some adjusting to find where the right height is for you.

Hugs to you both!