Tell me about WDW with your dog(s)

[KristinU]

Hi All,

We are thinking about bringing our furbaby along on our next trip to the Fort. He's a little black lab who joined our family almost 2 months ago and he'll be about 10 months or so by the time of our trip. So far he's great in the car and had a great first foray into camping for Columbus weekend on Cape Cod.

I'm sure he will do well on the trip down and back and will enjoy his time at the Fort, but I wanted to check in with those of you who travel with your dog(s) to see what your daily schedule looks like and whether or not you feel limited in your park time by them being with you.

We do have a day planned where we're going to Legoland, so he will need to have a day trip to Best Friends on that day. I'm considering whether or not we'd want to have him stay there on another day for the evening so we can do some night time stuff at one of the parks. Any feedback on their non-overnight services?

We are not commando all-day park-goers, so I'm thinking we'll be just fine tucking him in for a nap in the morning in the camper and coming back at lunchtime to hang out and play for a while. DH and I can take turns taking DS to the pool while the other one walks and plays with DK9.

We always boarded or got a sitter for our previous DK9, but I'm thinking that our new one would have more fun with us, and since we now travel with the travel trailer it just seems to make sense to consider bringing him along.

Oh, and any specific loop that I should request that would put us close to walking paths or the dog park?

Any thoughts, experience, tips, or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[motherwild]

We travel with a Boston Terrier. She loves Disney. The dog park is nearest to the 300 loop. We have always stayed in the 300 loop. She is crated while we are gone. We also crate her at home so she is comfortable in the crate. At home when we are working she is left up to 10 hrs a day.
If you are going to us Best Friends I would make reservations asap.

 

[stpetedisneydad]

Our dog loves the Fort also and really enjoys his time there. We also are not commandos and have no problems leaving him for 4 or 5 hours at a time, afterall he's home alone longer than that while we work. We have used Best Friends overnight when we've done a night at a resort before checking into the Fort and were very happy with the service.

 

[tim5055]

One of the most common question I see asked is "Can my dog be left in the camper alone?"

There is no simple answer to this question, every dog is different and you have to make your choice based on the temperament of your dog. Remember, you dog is a member of the family and should be treated as such. Do not place them in a dangerous situation.

On a couple of camping trips "test" the dog. Put them in the camper and go out and get in the car, slam the doors for the correct number of people and drive away. One person stays behind and keeps quite listening to see what the dog does. Some dogs will go to sleep, some will whine/bark for a coupe of minutes then quiet down while others continue to bark.

You have already indicated you have thought of this, but for others - If you do plan to leave them alone, please keep in mind they can't care for themselves. Make sure the temperature will be in a safe and reasonable range. While you may have A/C or a heater, what will happen in a power failure? Remember food and water!

This is also not something you should spring on your dog out of the blue. If your dog has only experienced being with it's "pack", being abandoned may be difficult for them to deal with. Over several trips in the pop up you may want to slowly build up the time you leave them alone.

Some things that may help:

A bed the dog is comfortable sleeping in; even better is a crate if your dog is comfortable in one.

Close all curtains to keep it dark

Run your A/C to keep it cool (plus it adds background noise)

Leave a radio on softly to block outside noise.

Again, the choice will ultimately be yours. You must feel comfortable with leaving your dog alone.

Now, for FW, within Fort Wilderness, three "pet walk" areas include a canal pet walk off the 1800 loop, a canal pet walk off the 300 loop and a nice wooded walk behind the 700 & 800 loops. Additionally, a pet play area was constructed as of January 2008. If The old rule was that you could not walk you pets out of the pet loops themselves, but that is a thing of the past. With the new off leash park, pets are walked all over (but not in non pet loops, the stores or pool area).

As for which loops are pet loops, The rule has traditionally been that pets were restricted to certain pet designated loops. In early January 2008 folks began reporting that pets were now allowed on all loops. I called the FW front desk on two occasions and was told once that they were now allowed in all loops and the second time that the rules were still the same... Pets were restricted to pet loops -not all loops. Even to today, folks are reporting pets in almost every loop at times.

For the safety of your pet and others, it is required that dogs be current on their required vaccinations which include:
* Rabies
* Parvovirus
* Distemper
* Hepatitis
* Parainfluenza
* Bordetella (kennel cough)

Many vets list some of these on their records as DHP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza) or DHPP (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus).

Another thing to keep in mind is Veterinary Care While at Fort Wilderness in case of an emergency. The closest vet is:

Sand Lake Animal Clinic
8932 S. Apopka-Vineland Rd Orlando, FL 32836
Tel no: 407-876-4461
This is about 8 miles from Ft.Wilderness

The closest 24 hour vet is:
Veterinary Emergency Clinic of Central Florida
2080 Principal Row Orlando, FL 32837
(407) 438-4449
This is about 23 miles from of Ft. Wilderness

 

[motherwild]

We also get a letter from our vet listing all current vacines and that the dog is in good health. We always travel with these papers. The dog is micro chipped and wears a collar with my celll phone #.
http://www.dogidcollar.com/products/pet-collars/

 

[Born 2 Fish]

He's too young and won't remember being at Disney anyway , I'd just leave him home with someone.



JUST KIDDING !!! We always bring our little girl with us,,she remembers EVERTHING !


Tim has pretty good info on this matter and about pets,
Here is a link that has a lotta great info about pets and other Fort stuff,,be sure to check out the whole site ,

http://www.title-3.com/DoggieCamping.htm

 

[KristinU]

LOL Frank! You're right...I'm sure he will never remember it, so it isn't really worth it to go at this point

And thanks for the wealth of info in the responses everyone! Really great stuff! I should have clarified that our previous DK9 did all sorts of camping with us - she was right there with us as we transitioned from "real" camping (backpacking) in our younger days to car camping to the pop-up. She didn't make it to see the camper that we're in today, but she sure did like the Aliner She just never went with us on our long adventures to WDW, only regional stuff.

Since you all have posted some great info on camping with pets in general, I'll add that there is a great Android app called Pet Care Services that gives you a list of a bunch of different categories of places nearby where you are currently. This was great peace of mind as we camped with our previous baby in her geriatric years. She had a few medical issues that made us want to always know where the nearest emergency vet was at. I would guess that something similar is available on the iPhone as well.

Our pup is in a crate at home and really is comfortable in it. We also have a soft crate that we took on our first camping trip. He did great in it for a couple of hours here and there when we went for a bike ride and had dinner with friends....but he recently showed us that he's not ready for a soft crate at this point - he chewed the zipper on the door when he wasn't in it. We have it set up in the living room for him to just hang out in, and he does enjoy going in there to rest, but I guess that rolled up door looked like a chew toy So now I'm on the hunt for a wire crate that is short enough to fit in the lower bunk in the camper. It needs to be 29" or less high and his crate at home is 31" high (and yeah, I looked at the camper today - no hope of a mod to make up that 2"...I can gain 1/2" tops)

And it sounds like I need to get on the good foot and get his reservations for Best Friends.

Thanks again, all!

 

[Stinkerbell1973]

Marley, our 11YO golden retriever, LOVES the Fort! She has her own set of mouse ears and every year we always make sure to take a picture of her with them on (bought them at Michael's in 2008). We always visit the dog park and we always request the 500 loop. The only times we've ever done commando style days was in Sept this year, we didn't have her with us. I do enjoy that mid day break of coming back to let her out, we relax and eat lunch, take naps.....

 

[KristinU]

OK, I just dug up my old post to see if I had already asked my latest question...and no, I didn't

So, when should I let WDW know that we will have our furbaby with us? When we fax a loop request? There certainly wasn't a spot in the reservation system to put him in like there is in most other camping reservation systems I've used.

And since my last post on this thread I did find a wire crate of the right size for the lower bunk that is about the same footprint as his taller one at home, so plenty of room to stretch out and stand up and move around. And he had a great Thanksgiving trip to Mystic, CT where he spent some time in his crate insude the camper while we went to dinner, to the Mystic Seaport, and to the Mashantucket Pequot Museum. He also loved playing at the little dog park they had at the KOA and met a couple of friends to play with I think he will have a fun trip with us!

 

[2goofycampers]

I let them know when I make my reservation I will be bringing furbaby along.

 

[CDNCruiser]

Here's a recent blog entry about dogs at Fort Wilderness.

http://land.allears.net/blogs/guestblog/2012/02/disney_fun_with_your_pets.html

 

[2goofycampers]

Here's a recent blog entry about dogs at Fort Wilderness.

http://land.allears.net/blogs/guestblog/2012/02/disney_fun_with_your_pets.html

Excellent article.

 

[skyp4WDW]

There are Pet Loops and NON Pet Loops. It is your responsibility to make your needs known when you make your reservation and again when you arrive. The last time I was at the Fort, someone had 'quietly" brought a dog with them into the 1500 Loop. When it was brought to the attention of the folks at the Outpost, they were instructed to move to a Pet Loop or leave Fort Wilderness immediately.

 

[KristinU]

Here's a recent blog entry about dogs at Fort Wilderness.

http://land.allears.net/blogs/guestblog/2012/02/disney_fun_with_your_pets.html

I agree - great article, thanks!

I'll give CRO a call and let them know that we will have our dogboy with us. Thanks all!

 

[Sgt Mickey]

I couldn't imagine brining my oldest lab at 10 months boy was he a pain but my chocolate lab is sooo opposite he would of been an angel. My concern in would he chew everything while your gone or are you keeping him in the crate then I would be okay with it. My oldest was quite the chewer and would chew EVERYTHING in his sight for at least a good two years.

 

[North of Mouse]

There are Pet Loops and NON Pet Loops. It is your responsibility to make your needs known when you make your reservation and again when you arrive. The last time I was at the Fort, someone had 'quietly" brought a dog with them into the 1500 Loop. When it was brought to the attention of the folks at the Outpost, they were instructed to move to a Pet Loop or leave Fort Wilderness immediately.

This also happened in the 100 loop when we were there a few years ago. We ask for a non-pet loop for a reason (not that we don't like dogs ) Anyway, on the way to the boat dock, a large dog started barking at us (scared us to death, not expecting it). We called security, and they were charged the back fee per day, plus had to make other arrangements for the dog if they wanted to stay there. What was funny to me, the security guy told us, the people next to the site there, had a large crate hidden behind underneath the pop-up bed. They happened to see it accidentally and when they got back to their camper had a notice to "pay up" and make other arrangements also - was two of them together (but not there together). It doesn't pay to sneak a pet in without paying or to sneak it into a non-pet loop (could get you thrown out, especially if no pet loops are available) Best to be honest

 

[2goofycampers]

Just for clarification not all people with pets in "non" pet loops are sneaking them in. We have been placed in "non" pet loops with The Fort knowing full well we had our fur baby with us a few times.

 

[skyp4WDW]

Just for clarification not all people with pets in "non" pet loops are sneaking them in. We have been placed in "non" pet loops with The Fort knowing full well we had our fur baby with us a few times.

That may be true; however, if someone in your Loop has a problem with your dogs being there, guess who's going to be asked to leave? (Definately not the family who specifically requested a Non-pet Loop). I think it's best to make sure there is a Pet Loop available when you make your reservation and avoid that sort of aggrevation for everyones sake.

 

[2goofycampers]

If I am placed in a loop and someone complains about my dog even though she is being well behaved. I got news for them, I AM NOT MOVING ! In November I'd say half off the people or more in my "non" pet loop had dogs with them.

 

[KristinU]

That may be true; however, if someone in your Loop has a problem with your dogs being there, guess who's going to be asked to leave? (Definately not the family who specifically requested a Non-pet Loop). I think it's best to make sure there is a Pet Loop available when you make your reservation and avoid that sort of aggrevation for everyones sake.

Pretty much impossible to make sure there is a pet loop available when you make your reservation given that WDW doesn't assign sites or loops until a few days prior to arrival.

And I agree with 2Goodfycampers - if management puts me somewhere knowing that I have my dog with me (and charging me my $5 a day for his presence), I would not move unless they offered me something in return for the aggravation. If this was a big ongoing problem, they'd change their reservation system to be a lot more specific about whether or not pets are coming along and how they assign loops.

I did glean, however, that all Full hookup loops are pet loops - so I guess you could guarantee that you're in a pet loop if you book a Full Hookup site (at least at this moment before they change something around again.)