What do you do with your dog?

[wilkeliza]

In a perfect world, people would not lie about it. But I guess we know that's not going to happen. And it's a shame, because in the end somehow, it will only end up hurting the people that truly need them. I don't see what's so wrong about asking people to show "proof" that their dog is a service dog. Even if it isn't formally trained, a note from a doctor etc...

Unfortunately a note form a doctor does nothing. If you have enough money you can get a note for anything. It is very common here in NYC to pay a doctor 100 bucks or just the cost of the extra office visit to get a prescription for an emotional support animal. In NYC emotional support animals are protected for housing so a lot of people who want dogs in buildings that don't allow them just get their doctor to write them a letter. It is really sad when you think about it.

 

[Aurora0427]

We have a 99 pound golden retriever. I alternate between boarding him and having our pet sitter come 4 times per day to walk and spend time with him. We've never been gone more than ten days. I will say, no matter how wonderful the kennel, I think it's stressful and tiring for the dog. I don't think they get a ton of sleep, because some of those dogs bark all night long. Some kennels have soundproof totally separate rooms, which help with that. This past trip our pet sitter came, ten day trip. Even with her coming 4-5 times per day, our dog got mad and bored and chewed up his bed. When I walked in the day we came home, I don't think I've ever seen him that happy to see me. He crawled in bed with us and literally lay on top of me and fell asleep.

It's really hard traveling when you have dogs. I always think about them when we are gone, wondering if they're happy. They also limit how long we can be gone- my Inlaws have a house in the mountains we could stay at most of the summer, but we never go longer than a week because I refuse to board the dog for longer than that.

You're smart to think about these things ahead of time. So many people just get a pet on a whim without thinking how it'll fit into their lifestyle.

 

[HopperFan]

Travel often but usually someone is not going (DH, one or other kids) but when we all travel together where taking dog not an option, our furbaby (67 lb) goes to the Pet Resort. I pay $39 per night for her own room (50 sq feet) with bed. We get a standard room, not a suite so no hardwood floors, themed furniture and decorative elements. That adds $10-20 per night. She goes outside 3x a day while they completely clean her room.

Her fee includes one activity so we pay $7 more per day for her to have two activities. We always pick long nature walks (13 acre property with nice nature trails). If weather permits we pick swimming for the other activity - bone shaped built in pool. She gets a bath before we pick her up (on swim trips a bath before swimming as well is included).

She LOVES going and it's a vacation for her too - pricey - but worth it to me so she has lots of attention. I also do not like anyone in my home if I'm not here so this is more comfortable for me. But when renting on the beach, we now look for pet friendly units and take her.

 

[book_junkie]

We adopted a puppy mill rescue over a year ago- she was a little over 2 when we got her and as far as we can tell, all she knew was her cage, fighting dogs, and abuse. She shied from grass, trees, and the sky when we took her from the shelter. 14 months later, she hops in the car to take rides, runs in grass, and thinks all the furniture is hers.

That said, her anxiety is out of the park, and not just the common for her breed. We've had house-pet sitters with her (24-7) when we've had to be gone out of town, and those who have her breed (soft coated Wheaton terriers) tend to do the same, or take the dogs with them and have pet sitters come during the day. Now that we're local, we've done short 4 hour visits and she's been good, but if we did longer we'd arrange for someone familiar to come "visit" and walk her.

As to the medical dogs, I've seen the diabetic and anxiety dogs in action, as well as spectrum dogs at my workplace and when they ARE medical dogs, they are perfect. Those that fake their animal's credentials should be more than fined- I've had those in as well, and when they start acting inappropriately for an assistance animal, then we could step in. Otherwise we couldn't question.

 

[Baklava]

Didn't know any of that. I thought they had to be licensed/certified in order to qualify as a legal service dog. Well that sure leaves it wide open, doesn't it? What the heck is there to stop anyone from lying and saying their dog is a service dog, anywhere?

There are laws regarding that. Yes, some people break them, but a proprietor (or a CM) is entitled to ask what the function is and if you cannot demonstrate that function you can be told to remove your dog. A dog of any type can be removed if it is actively bothering other patrons, is not properly housebroken or is in some way inimical to the nature of the facility. You can, for example, not take your service dog into the allergy clinic where I live and zoos (or Animal Kingdom) can ban them because they upset the other animals. (Our local zoo only bans them in the children's zoo but they have the right to expand that.)

What the heck is there to stop anyone? The same thing that stops you from saying your 4 year old is 2 or your 11 year old is 9. Disney has the option of cracking down any time they see fit.

 

[Baklava]

In a perfect world, people would not lie about it. But I guess we know that's not going to happen. And it's a shame, because in the end somehow, it will only end up hurting the people that truly need them. I don't see what's so wrong about asking people to show "proof" that their dog is a service dog. Even if it isn't formally trained, a note from a doctor etc...

It's the legal and moral equivalent of demanding proof that someone needs a wheelchair or scooter.

 

[mshanson3121]

What the heck is there to stop anyone? The same thing that stops you from saying your 4 year old is 2 or your 11 year old is 9. Disney has the option of cracking down any time they see fit.

Yes, but if the previous poster's comment about all the dogs she's seen is accurate, and many of them are not in fact service dogs, it would appear that they're not cracking down on it.

 

[Baklava]

Yes, but if the previous poster's comment about all the dogs she's seen is accurate, and many of them are not in fact service dogs, it would appear that they're not cracking down on it.

You're right. They can, but they choose not to. I encourage anyone who is actively being bothered by a dog to speak to a CM. If the dog is not bothering you, you can't be sure it's no a service dog and are probably best off not getting worked up over it.

 

[andigomeep]

We board at Disney. It's a nice facility and they've been great with my sometimes difficult dog (he doesn't like men or other dogs). They send a picture mid-way through the week, on his first visit he stopped eating for them and they called to ask if they could give him wet food instead of just ignoring the problem. We stop by once or twice a day each day to walk him and let him play in the play area. We have two more reservations for him next year. We love being able to bring him and see him, he's getting older and it's nice to have him nearby.

 

[RustManFan]

Fortunately my sister lives in the same town. She was always more than willing to take care of our dog, get our mail, and watch some of the cable channels she doesn't subscribe to on her package. Our wonderful pup is no longer with us but she takes care of our cat now. Obviously a much easier task since no walking is involved.

 

[quagmire0]

We've always had small dogs. We have a fenced yard and a small dog door for them. Nice thing about this is that they are self-sufficient and go out when they need to. We have relatives in the area and they stop in once or twice a day to give them food and water and play with them a bit. Larger dogs are obviously more high-maintenance.

 

[brockash]

I wasn't sure where to put this, so feel free to move it to it's proper place admins.

But, for those of you who have a dog, what do you do with them while you're gone?

We are toying with the idea of getting a family dog (large breed), but the one thing that has held us back is knowing that in another 18 months we plan on going back to Disney, and well be gone 2-3 weeks.

What do you do with a dog for that long? I really don't know if we have any family/friends that would be willing/able to care for a dog for that long.

Yes, that's def. something to consider. We're military, so we almost never have close family/friends around us, so anytime we leave we have to kennel her or sometimes we have a neighbor teen come over to the house a few times a day, but neither are great solutions. I will say every time we have to deal with it, I do miss the dog-free days lol. I love our dog to death, but it can be a pain and the guilt of leaving her lol.

 

[tzolkin]

Yes, but if the previous poster's comment about all the dogs she's seen is accurate, and many of them are not in fact service dogs, it would appear that they're not cracking down on it.

During our last trip, we saw a very poorly behaved dog leaving MK at park closing. It was small (Yorkie?), but it was on a retractable leash running all over the place, pulling, barking incessantly, urinated on a post. I'm sorry, but there's just no way that was a service dog. If anything it was a danger to other guests that could be tripped.

I did see a few CMs rolling their eyes, but this was right on the way out of the park so they didn't say anything.

If people want to bring their dogs everywhere with them (legitimate service/therapy animal or not), I think they need to be extremely well trained so they are not a danger or nuisance to those around them.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

We board our pup at our vet's office. It's great, they take them for multiple walks during the day and I have peace of mind knowing medical experts are right around the corner if something goes awry.

My parents drive to WDW and board at Best Friends. It's fabulous. Their dog is not good around dogs she's not familiar with, so she doesn't participate in any of the group dog activities. We stop and visit her every day, take her for walks. She loves the place.

 

[jmkjr72]

You board it or find some one to watch it
We used to have a family farm and yep when we were away for disney we paid some one to come take care of the cows and chickens look in on the dogs and cats

 

[mshanson3121]

Well... in an interesting coincidence - we have a chance to get a free lab puppy. A co-worker of my husband has a black lab who decided to get frisky with a golden lab. So... we have about 24 hours to decide if we're going to take it! Oie! The pup is beautiful, pure black, with HUGE paws, lol. But both parents are available to be seen, and have great temperament.

 

[opal]

In a perfect world, people would not lie about it. But I guess we know that's not going to happen. And it's a shame, because in the end somehow, it will only end up hurting the people that truly need them. I don't see what's so wrong about asking people to show "proof" that their dog is a service dog. Even if it isn't formally trained, a note from a doctor etc...

We visited AK a few weeks ago. On the path leading to the Lion King show we saw a couple with a smaller dog wearing an Emotional Support Animal vest. The dog was being held loosely on a leash and jumping on and playing with passing children. We encountered the same animal while having lunch at Restaurantosaurus. This time the dog was in the chair next to it's owner with paws on the table, eating it's lunch off the table. DH engaged a cast member that was clearing and wiping tables and asked that she give that table extra attention while the dog's owners watched him and laughed.

Later in the day I asked security at the gate about the Emotional Support Animal policy and was told that all animals entering a Park must have documentation proving that they are ESA or Service Animals. I told her what we had witnessed and she was appalled.

 

[Annadesu]

I was worried about leaving my dog during our next trip, so when we went to a wedding a few weeks ago, we let her stay two nights at a kennel to see how she did. Turns out, despite being very attached to us, she couldn't have cared less. She ate, she played, and was very cuddly towards everyone, etc. I'm not worried much about leaving her for a week, come vacation time.

 

[L&Lfan]

Dogs eating off the damn table and folks changing their kids' diapers on them. What an inconsiderate, entitled culture we've become.

 

[Baklava]

Later in the day I asked security at the gate about the Emotional Support Animal policy and was told that all animals entering a Park must have documentation proving that they are ESA or Service Animals. I told her what we had witnessed and she was appalled.

That security guard was misinformed. If they're asking for "documentation" they are violating the law and are in danger of getting Mickey's butt sued off. There are questions that can be asked but documentation is not a thing you're allowed to require because many legitimate service dogs don't have it. Many service animals are trained by their handlers independent of a specific training school (because those schools charge $10K or more for a dog) and there's not a governing board or anyone that you would go to to get documentation. You can't require disabled people, who are disproportionately low income, to buy an expensive animal to satisfy a desire for paperwork.

That dog did not belong in Disney and should have been removed. Even a trained and valid ESA does not belong on a table and by your description that wasn't one. The standards are pretty minimal but that one failed to meet them.