Trial Run for Dogs in Resort Rooms

[MellyBeans]

You want to bring dogs back to Disney? Reopen the Disney kennels. This is so stupid. I hope the test role out fails, and fails hard and this dumb idea gets shelved next to Coke II.

 

[LSUmiss]

As long as we've been staying at the Fort, the only dogs we've seen have been around the campgrounds, not the cabins. I respectfully disagree that the cabins would've been the logical place to test this policy. Why? Personally, the cabins are close, squeezed in area, you can very well hear the kids' (which it's ok as they are all excited) yelling and screaming so loud barks would be heard by others. Knowing how people are that think the rules don't apply to them, well they'd let them potty where the heck they wanted too. We've been on the golf cart headed to the boat and have seen with our own eyes people walking their dogs and NOT picking up their do-dah, close to the Meadow Trading Post. It's amazing how braver people get the darker it gets- oh no one can see me, LOL .

Oh, they don't monitor what goes on in the campground, like the rules for golf carts- out the window, let the 6 yr old drive, text while driving, speeding vehicles come up behind the cart like MOVE.. and we pull over. People get in their comfort zone and do what they want, when they want so to me, it will be the same thing when the doggies start arriving and it sure isn't their fault.

I think this post proves it doesn’t matter where you roll this out. Some ppl are suggesting it should have been done at other resorts & it would have been better. But someone will always be unhappy. A dedicated pet resort would best but not practical financially.

 

[Disneylover99]

That's what they're doing at POR, with building 24. At YC it's one area as it's all one building. At AoA it's 2 areas. An area of LM section and one area of Suites.

If you are saying that only one whole building is being designated pet friendly at POR, I guess that means that pets will be allowed all over the walking paths, since there are four spread out designated pet friendly poop areas at POR.

 

[mexi]

@hunyb207
To the Disboards!!

Thank you for letting us all know about your experiences at the Fort.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Got it. I'm pressed for time too so I'll make a point to go back to check for that post later.

And, while I haven't been called out on it yet, I apologize for bringing "racism" into the discussion. I'm a conservative white female and have no business speaking on behalf of other classes of people who have fought for equal rights and access. My reference to racism was meant as an example (should have read "things like racism and discrimination of federally protected classes" but, as I said, I'm a bit pressed for time!

Oh you're fine don't worry

In the respects of speaking towards racism and discrimination aspect I was referring to a myriad of characteristics-I mentioned later on 'insert whatever you want' type thing as I mean that. I too don't want to speak towards one group or another but I'm also speaking for a group (being female) and I'm speaking from observational ways as well-you know things you observe from others.

 

[hunyb207]

I think this post proves it doesn’t matter where you roll this out. Some ppl are suggesting it should have been done at other resorts & it would have been better. But someone will always be unhappy. A dedicated pet resort would best but not practical financially.

Exactly this. If they decided to build a dog friendly resort I have no doubt we would be hearing from some in the anti-dog crowd that they want a new resort for themselves. I remember the excitement on here when they were building Art of Animation. Can you imagine the uproar from people if Disney decided to build a new resort that they can't stay at?

If they changed the rules and only allowed dogs to be unattended for up to 2 hours, put size and breed restrictions, made designated buildings/wings for dog owners only, etc people would still complain because if they squint they can see a dog a mile away behind a wall of bushes.

I remember reading on FB after alcohol was added to the dining plan from people who don't drink that Disney was going to be filled with drunk people. It's as if the mindset when it comes to new policies is "How does this negatively or positively impact ME and not people as a whole. And if it impacts me negatively even slightly then nobody else should benefit from the change".

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Some of the posts I read about dog training got me thinking about whether children are taught proper etiquette in meeting strange dogs. It plays into some of my concerns. Let me be clear - I am in no way saying if a child (or adult) is bit by a dog in WDW or anywhere, it is either the child's fault or responsibility. It is decidedly not. I bring it up as another variable, since I think WDW is a lot of fun but it can stressful and/or tiring environment for people and dogs alike. And dogs can respond to cues in people's body language, scent, unpredictable behavior, etc.

Our last family dog was as loving and patient as the day was long, but BECAUSE of that temperament, I didn't want my kids to have a false sense of security about other dogs. I spent a lot of time teaching my kids about how to correctly and safely interact with unfamiliar dogs.

I've mentioned my kids' elementary school playground. Dogs were not allowed at pickup/drop off, but were there each and every day. And as you would see a variety of ability in managing dogs on the part of owners, you would also see lots of kids that did not know how to safely approach a dog. I was always surprised by that. I've seen posts from dog owners that have mentioned understandably not liking it when kids or ill-mannered dogs have encroached upon their pets. Anyway, I'm sure there will be lots of kids that don't know these strategies, or forget them because they're tired or over-excited, or just poorly behaved.

Maybe some will consider this one of those "sky is falling" posts, but I see mixed posts about "it's the trend, lots of hotels are pet friendly" to "you'll probably never see a dog", so since it's now allowed at the POR in January, I'm going to plan for seeing dogs, and I will review these things with my kid for my own risk management.

 

[LSUmiss]

Some of the posts I read about dog training got me thinking about whether children are taught proper etiquette in meeting strange dogs. It plays into some of my concerns. Let me be clear - I am in no way saying if a child (or adult) is bit by a dog in WDW or anywhere, it is either the child's fault or responsibility. It is decidedly not. I bring it up as another variable, since I think WDW is a lot of fun but it can stressful and/or tiring environment for people and dogs alike. And dogs can respond to cues in people's body language, scent, unpredictable behavior, etc.

Our last family dog was as loving and patient as the day was long, but BECAUSE of that temperament, I didn't want my kids to have a false sense of security about other dogs. I spent a lot of time teaching my kids about how to correctly and safely interact with unfamiliar dogs.

I've mentioned my kids' elementary school playground. Dogs were not allowed at pickup/drop off, but were there each and every day. And as you would see a variety of ability in managing dogs on the part of owners, you would also see lots of kids that did not know how to safely approach a dog. I was always surprised by that. I've seen posts from dog owners that have mentioned understandably not liking it when kids or ill-mannered dogs have encroached upon their pets. Anyway, I'm sure there will be lots of kids that don't know these strategies, or forget them because they're tired or over-excited, or just poorly behaved.

Maybe some will consider this one of those "sky is falling" posts, but I see mixed posts about "it's the trend, lots of hotels are pet friendly" to "you'll probably never see a dog", so since it's now allowed at the POR in January, I'm going to plan for seeing dogs, and I will review these things with my kid for my own risk management.

I agree & I have seen many posts about ppl afraid that their child will be bitten. Now, maybe these ppl are concerned about dogs that are not on leashes or running free. They didn’t clarify so I don’t know. But, everyone has a responsibility to prevent their child from running up to strange dogs on leash.

 

[southjerseymom]

Be persistent. When you get the wrong answer ask for a supervisor. I'm still pissed my dream vacation and resorts were taken away from me but Disney did move me and made it as right as it could be in this stupid and unnecessary situation.

 

[Suziepeach]

I agree & I have seen many posts about ppl afraid that their child will be bitten. Now, maybe these ppl are concerned about dogs that are not on leashes or running free. They didn’t clarify so I don’t know. But, everyone has a responsibility to prevent their child from running up to strange dogs on leash.

Completely agree 100%.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

I agree & I have seen many posts about ppl afraid that their child will be bitten. Now, maybe these ppl are concerned about dogs that are not on leashes or running free. They didn’t clarify so I don’t know. But, everyone has a responsibility to prevent their child from running up to strange dogs on leash.

Or maybe they're concerned about dogs being in undesignated areas, I don't know. But I agree, everyone has that responsibility with their children, but ultimately a dog owner is responsible for their dogs behavior in public. Or at least that's how I felt as a dog owner, others may feel differently. Regarding the teaching part, I know when my son was little, it took a lot of reminders with the part about "asking permission" from a dog owner to approach a pet, because he loved dogs so much he got excited! He's 13 now so even though he still gets excited, he's never forgets!

ETA: It's because I agree with you that I made the post, so if parents that hadn't covered these things with their kids but are locked into a trial resort might consider addressing it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Maybe some will consider this one of those "sky is falling" posts, but I see mixed posts about "it's the trend, lots of hotels are pet friendly" to "you'll probably never see a dog", so since it's now allowed at the POR in January, I'm going to plan for seeing dogs, and I will review these things with my kid for my own risk management.

This is just my opinion but "it's the trend, lots of hotels are pet friendly" and "you'll probably never see a dog" are two different thought processes.

"it's the trend, lots of hotels are pet friendly" is about acceptance and openness that didn't used to be there. The fact that as a whole we have a slightly different outlook on our pets and animals than we used to.

"you'll probably never see a dog" is about the fact that the number of people who take advantage of the new policy is unlikely to be in droves of dogs overruning the resorts especially given how new it is. I've got no idea if that will be the case and I've been careful myself about saying that. I do know that I personally (again just my experience) haven't heard of pet-friendly hotels having a really bad reputation for dogs overruning the resorts but I did mentioned earlier I learned that more hotels than I thought (including well-known names) are pet-friendly.

That's just my opinion of course which may not in any way reflect that same thoughts of others.

The other points of your comment I do agree with. I warn each and every person that my cat has claws. I do it because I feel like it's my responsibility to let them know. And I advise he's not too keen on being petted by a strange person. My cat wouldn't attack and lunge at a person (he would hide under the table or run upstairs) but if you just go up and pet him he's not going to like it and he may bat at you (hence mentioning claws). I warn people of that both for my cat's wellness and for the other person's wellness.

 

[Eveningsong]

I'm sorry but I have to come out of lurkdom after however many years of reading the Disboards to say this is just plain false. Keep in mind I do not travel with dogs so I'm not team "Dogs should go everywhere". I have been going to Fort Wilderness for 5 or so years now. We go 2 or 3 times a year and stay a minimum of 7 days each trip. I go back in the beginning of November for 9 days. I have never, ever seen piles of dog poop at Fort Wolderness. Not ONCE. So these people who are saying otherwise are either lying or have the worst luck in the world. Not once have I seen a dog in the stores or at the swimming pool.

I've always said in situations like this that people would rather be "right" than "happy". The ones that are vehemently anti-dog just because you don't like them are going to actively look for a reason to be angry. Honestly, give it a month and all of the uproar will be over. I would be surprised if you saw even one dog your entire vacation.

Exactly this. If they decided to build a dog friendly resort I have no doubt we would be hearing from some in the anti-dog crowd that they want a new resort for themselves. I remember the excitement on here when they were building Art of Animation. Can you imagine the uproar from people if Disney decided to build a new resort that they can't stay at?

If they changed the rules and only allowed dogs to be unattended for up to 2 hours, put size and breed restrictions, made designated buildings/wings for dog owners only, etc people would still complain because if they squint they can see a dog a mile away behind a wall of bushes.

I remember reading on FB after alcohol was added to the dining plan from people who don't drink that Disney was going to be filled with drunk people. It's as if the mindset when it comes to new policies is "How does this negatively or positively impact ME and not people as a whole. And if it impacts me negatively even slightly then nobody else should be benefit from the change".

Or maybe they're concerned about dogs being in undesignated areas, I don't know. But I agree, everyone has that responsibility with their children, but ultimately a dog owner is responsible for their dogs behavior in public. Or at least that's how I felt as a dog owner, others may feel differently. Regarding the teaching part, I know when my son was little, it took a lot of reminders with the part about "asking permission" from a dog owner to approach a pet, because he loved dogs so much he got excited! He's 13 now so even though he still gets excited, he's never forgets!

ETA: It's because I agree with you that I made the post, so if parents that hadn't covered these things with their kids but are locked into a trial resort might consider addressing it.

i'm worried about being lunged at, jumped on and/or being bitten by a dog and I am not a child I am a senior citizen.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I agree & I have seen many posts about ppl afraid that their child will be bitten. Now, maybe these ppl are concerned about dogs that are not on leashes or running free. They didn’t clarify so I don’t know. But, everyone has a responsibility to prevent their child from running up to strange dogs on leash.

I'm not worried about running up to a strange dog. I'm not going to do that. I'm worried about the strange dog running up to me. (My kid is 22, if he is there, he will step out in front of me to take the hit.)

Yes, they should be leashed. But I'm sure we've all had dogs jump on us while the owner stands there and watches.

 

[Suziepeach]

As an example, when our Charlie was with us, he had a protective side- mixed golden. Any who, I was very cautious when I'd have him, on leash, in the lobby of our vets office. A mother was checking out, paying no attention to her little one, said little one came up to Charlie, I pulled away, looked at mom and said, "Please don't let her come towards my dog again, he might bite her." Boy oh boy did she give me that go to hedoublellhockeystick look.. fine by me, I stood away until Charlie was called back. It was like I offended her.. go figure..

 

[andrewilley]

Disney expelling paying guests.

Good one.

They could however expel the dogs, and insist that if any dogs cannot behave within the agreed guidelines - and in line with other guests' expectations - then they must be relocated to the pet care center.

If you are saying that only one whole building is being designated pet friendly at POR, I guess that means that pets will be allowed all over the walking paths, since there are four spread out designated pet friendly poop areas at POR.

Keep up, after all there are only 3000 messages here!

The single-area policy has been added over the past couple of days, presumably in response to the public furore, and well after the doggy resort maps were printed. Read my update post for some background. Guests with dogs in building 24 at POR will not be expected or encouraged to walk their pets all the way over to the Royal Buildings, they should use the area next to their building. However you need to remember that they still still need to allow for possible cases where guests booked into a Royal Room suddenly turn up with their dog because they were told the resort was dog friendly - which is no longer the way Disney are promoting the policy, and should be rare, but they do need a backup plan.

Ideally, Disney should post discrete signs beside the pathways that lead away from building 24 saying no dogs permitted beyond this point. Then at least guests would not misunderstand the policy.

Andre

 

[Stitch7911]

here are my 2 cents.

1st im a Disney Fan and also a Dog lover. im glad they are doing this "Pet Friendly".For my family and i, we do not bring our pets becuause for the main reason is that we would just leave them in a cennal at the hotel or stay in the room while we go to the parks. to me, thats even more mean... for my family we try to leave our dog with Friends or Family so they get that attention while we are out. but if not then we will cennal them in a Doggie hotel.

i do agree that Disney should have rolled this out next year, this way people can change hotels or make sure their room is on a different floor from the pets. i hope Disney makes sure not to book a room that had a Dog in it to someone that is allergic to Dogs. At the same time i hope the people who are allergic to Dogs understand that dogs are part of someone dear pet and most consider them part of a family.

there are alot of hotels that are pet friendly why are you not shouting at them about this?? or is it because its "Disney"? Disney is base on "family friendly".... even if the family memeber is a pet. do you just book a different hotel if it says pet friendly??? if so, then why not do it with the hotel you are at??? also think can get a cheaper rate too.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

here are my 2 cents.

1st im a Disney Fan and also a Dog lover. im glad they are doing this "Pet Friendly".For my family and i, we do not bring our pets becuause for the main reason is that we would just leave them in a cennal at the hotel or stay in the room while we go to the parks. to me, thats even more mean... for my family we try to leave our dog with Friends or Family so they get that attention while we are out. but if not then we will cennal them in a Doggie hotel.

i do agree that Disney should have rolled this out next year, this way people can change hotels or make sure their room is on a different floor from the pets. i hope Disney makes sure not to book a room that had a Dog in it to someone that is allergic to Dogs. At the same time i hope the people who are allergic to Dogs understand that dogs are part of someone dear pet and most consider them part of a family.

there are alot of hotels that are pet friendly why are you not shouting at them about this?? or is it because its "Disney"? Disney is base on "family friendly".... even if the family memeber is a pet. do you just book a different hotel if it says pet friendly??? if so, then why not do it with the hotel you are at??? also think can get a cheaper rate too.

It is because it seems only at Disney will the dogs be left alone for up to 7 hours. Because only at Disney did they give 2 days notice. Because only at Disney are rules not enforced to the level that they are.

Many are not able to book at another hotel. Their vacation starts in a day, or week or month. Many have 5 members of their family, which means not all resorts can accommodate them.

 

[leafylogs]

I'm sorry but leaving a dog for up to seven hours in unfamiliar surroundings seems like a recipe for stress and trouble. Not a good idea Disney as the poll suggests!

 

[TheFloatingBear]

This is just my opinion but "it's the trend, lots of hotels are pet friendly" and "you'll probably never see a dog" are two different thought processes.

"it's the trend, lots of hotels are pet friendly" is about acceptance and openness that didn't used to be there. The fact that as a whole we have a slightly different outlook on our pets and animals than we used to.

"you'll probably never see a dog" is about the fact that the number of people who take advantage of the new policy is unlikely to be in droves of dogs overruning the resorts especially given how new it is. I've got no idea if that will be the case and I've been careful myself about saying that. I do know that I personally (again just my experience) haven't heard of pet-friendly hotels having a really bad reputation for dogs overruning the resorts but I did mentioned earlier I learned that more hotels than I thought (including well-known names) are pet-friendly.

That's just my opinion of course which may not in any way reflect that same thoughts of others.

The other points of your comment I do agree with. I warn each and every person that my cat has claws. I do it because I feel like it's my responsibility to let them know. And I advise he's not too keen on being petted by a strange person. My cat wouldn't attack and lunge at a person (he would hide under the table or run upstairs) but if you just go up and pet him he's not going to like it and he may bat at you (hence mentioning claws). I warn people of that both for my cat's wellness and for the other person's wellness.

I understand the two different thought processes (I've read just about every post), and that was partly what I was saying. I do not know what to expect in terms of how widespread it will be - there have been many informed opinions shared. For me, it is not germane to my thought process and my preparation for my trip, and I have to go with what I do know. I am now booked at a resort that is pet friendly for my trip in January. So I may or may not see a single dog, but it is now possible in a way that it was not before two weeks ago (yes, I'm aware service dogs were there). I will remind my daughter about safely approaching a unfamiliar dog due to this change. I posted my thoughts in case people who have limited contact with dogs want to consider discussing it with their children if they're now booked at a trial resort. How widespread the policy is utilized, and reasons why people think that will or will not be, are for me not relevant to my preparation, the new policy itself is the reason.