So sad..horrible ending to our Disney vacation. :(

[jojo0612]

First, I'm so sorry for the loss of your pet. Second, as for your son, here's a ((hug))). My son is 8 and is very similar to yours. I understand completely the looks that people give you. You would never guess that something could be wrong with my son. He has austim characteristics along with ADHD. If his meds aren't working properly or are wearing off, he makes lots of nosies and can't sit still. To top it all off, he has a speech impediment so he sounds like a 3 year old. People stare and give you the "if that was my kid" look.

So that being said, you did what was best for you and your child. Forget the others!

 

[marlynnp]

So sorry about your dog.

As for the other situation you should come up with a standard reply so you're not at a loss for words when it happens again. I like: "xxxxxx has xyz which is considered a disability, I understand that you may find your ignorance to be disabling but that's considered to be a curable condition - work on it."

 

[bronny]

I'm so sorry, we lost our beloved Dobie, Shadow, some months ago and our house feels so empty. I just wanted to say that I have a 12 Yr old son who has ADHD and while he has no 'outward' signs of a disabilty there is NO way I could let him sit alone! If people have such an issue they should try sitting with a child with ADHD on a plane for 8 hours!!! I doubt any of them could cope. Let alone how traumatised my son (and no doubt your child is the same) would be. Let alone the obvious 'climbing the walls' problems my son is several years behind in maturity years. I also have never used disability measures when travelling with him but believe me I would if I had to, its just a shame people do not understand that some disabilities are not easily seen.

 

[aestapa]

We just faced the same issue with our beautiful yellow lab. We started medication last week and she seemed to get better, but her liver just couldn't take it. Up to the end, she was right under my feet as she has been for the last 8 years.

We came home from church last night to find she had passed away, apparently in her sleep. I'm still numb.

I had surgery to remove a melanoma last week. Its been a tough few days.

We took the opportunity to book a WDW vacation during our school system's break in 3 weeks. It will be nice to escape.

 

[bratmomma]

I am so sorry for your loss. I have had to make the decision to put a pet to sleep before as well and it if very difficult. I am even more sorry about the timing.

I know there is nothing I can say to make you feel any better, but I am truly sorry your family had this experience (and all the others tied to it).

 

[BrookeTx]

I am so sorry for your loss. I recently lost my sweet chihuahua, Bella.

 

[sahm1000]

So sorry for your loss Julie. I know how much my Oscar means to me. These furbabies are emotionally draining!

And I am so sorry about your flight home. It is amazing to me the way people act in public without any thought of others. I probably would've had to bite my tongue REALLY hard to fight saying something rude back. I hope the start of school goes smoothly for you and that your kids' hearts heal quickly.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Julie, so sorry to hear about your pet!

As far as the airport situation........don't ever feel guilty or ashamed or even hesitant when asking for the help that you need (for you) or a loved one. GEEZ, some people simply crave the "drama" to make a scene and make others feel bad, thats THEIR problem, not yours. Rude people who do not mind their own business make me nuts, I say, ignore them, IGNORANCE is bliss!!

And as far as the blue sleeve goes with SW, there is no guarantee that they'll give one to someone, so you were right in checking in and then asking at the counter. A simple request by stating that your child has sensory integration issues and you'd like to pre-board to make the transition easier for him, is usually all it takes. They are well aware of the Americans with Disability Act. Its one of the reasons we choose SW as they have been very supportive and professional in the past.
And I agree, its a reminder to everyone....that not all disabilities are those that can be seen!!
I hope the Fun memories of your beloved pet get you thru this tough time. Again, sorry for your loss!

 

[a1tinkfans]

I am so sorry for your loss. I recently lost my sweet chihuahua, Bella.

Sorry to hear about Bella!

 

[lawsonsontour]

bless you and your whole family...i really do feel your loss as anyone will who has lost a beloved pet this way.
as for the other thing i also have a son who has adhd and always found that the biggest problem we ever came across was the ignorance of others.

 

[mommytoone]

I am so sorry!! When we went to Disney in 06, our Lab, was very ill, my dh stayed home and thankfully we did get to say goodbye to him. One week after we came home we had to make the decision to have our dog put down. He was very ill and it was the best thing. This was 3 years ago, and we still miss him very much!! He was a member of our family. It was very hard.

And to the people on the plane, they should be ashmed of themselves for behaving like that. They had no idea why you were boarding first and for them to announce that loudly was just plain rude!! Some people have no class. I hope your son was not bothered/affected by their rude comment.

 

[PrincessMom4]

I don't have a pet so I don't truly know what losing a pet feels like, but I am sorry for your loss. I do however understand and know what you are going through with a special needs child. My only daughter has SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), ADHD and Autistic traits, who looks "normal" to everyone and can speak in good sentences for her age. Her behaviour is another story. People look at us like we are freaks like we don't have a hard enough time the rest of the year that Disney is a really great place to relax and just enjoy being in the moment. I noticed several people and even overheard people using the scooters that they didn't really need them, they just wanted to get ahead of the line. or other people with "normal behaving" kids talk to their kids like crap when a 2 or 3 year old split something on their precious disney paper or wasn't holding their camera the right way. People like that give parents with kids with disablities a bad name.

 

[LauralF22]

I'm so sorry for your loss. We've experienced the pain of many sleepless nights (and many thousands of dollars) trying to keep our dog comfortable before making the painful decision to let him go. And yours was just a pup.

My heart breaks for all you went through.

 

[mdezot]

I,too, am sorry for your loss and we can relate to your sadness. My family and I were walking into EPCOT on our last full day at WDW when I got the call from my mother ( who was dogsitting for our 2 13 year old mixed breeds). Lady was under the deck and not really moving and yelping a funny yelp. So my mom called the vet and the vet told her to bring the dog to them. Well, my mom is 76 and the dog weighed about 85lbs and was 6 feet in under our deck. So the vet called the Fire Dept and 5 firefighter arrived and carefully removed the dog on a blanket and placed the dog in our car and then followed my mom to the vet to carry the dog in for her. Well, my mother was calling us from the vet because the vet told her that Lady needed to be put to sleep. So I tearfully agreed to let the vet put her down knowing there was nothing we could do. At least you were able to say goodbye to her.

 

[ireland_nicole]

I'm very sorry for your loss, and hope that your son is able to seperate his emotions between the trip and the terribly sad events that followed.

As far as ignorant people. Yep, we meet em a fair bit. DS, DD and I all have "invisible" disabilities; although DD's aren't so invisible some times It's always hard to know when to educate, when to get mad, and when to ignore it. I find that usually just a quick, "life sure is more interesting with autism" is usually enough to get aggressive people to back off. Sometimes I just turn away, sometimes I say the absolute wrong thing like, she has autism, what's your excuse? or someone will say you/he/she don't look sick, and on a bad day I admit I have said, "you don't look stupid either, but I guess looks can be deceiving." as I said, not my finest moment. Sometimes I just remind people that 1 in 150 is a really big number, and I hope they never know what it's like to love a child who is dx'd with it. Or," honey, not all disabilities are easy to see."

Anyway, as time passes, I sincerely hope you are able to remember all the happy moments of your trip without constant reminders of the sadness.

 

[Steph9072]

(((HUGS))) we have three labs and my heart is breaking for you. I will say a prayer for you and your famliy.

 

[MonkersMama]

I'm so so sorry for your loss. We, too, just returned on Sunday night and had a stream of bad luck while at WDW (I got a call that my aunt died shortly after we arrived, I smashed my finger in the trunk of our car and was in pain for the rest of the week, stupid long waits for resort buses - which may have been more tolerable had I already not been dealing with the other things). DH and I both agree, life happens, even the sucky parts of life, no matter where you are. I felt that since we were on vacation that I was coping with these things better, more relaxed, than had we been at home. I hope you find some comfort soon.

 

[Juliet25]

Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. Big, huge hugs to you and your family.

 

[*Toadstool*]

Aww, Julie! I am so sorry about your dog. I am a dog lover, and I understand the pain of losing your beloved dog. How sad that he was only with you for a few years.
I hope you guys still had a good trip before you found out about how sick the dog was.