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Cruising With A Service Dog....everything You Ever Wanted To Know!


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Just to follow up on the Carnival saga.

 

They sent us a "gesture of goodwill" that was roughly the cost of our two Atlantis excursions.

 

It doesn't make up for the missed family time and it doesn't make me want to rush out and book another Carnival cruise but at least maybe this is an acknowledgement that they were in the wrong.

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Just to follow up on the Carnival saga.

 

They sent us a "gesture of goodwill" that was roughly the cost of our two Atlantis excursions.

 

It doesn't make up for the missed family time and it doesn't make me want to rush out and book another Carnival cruise but at least maybe this is an acknowledgement that they were in the wrong.

 

They will "come to the table" when called out on something. But, you're right it doesn't make-up for the lost family moments and it certainly doesn't help in your wanting to book with them again.

It's exactly the way I felt when they made mistake after mistake with my first Service Dog. It was so maddening I finally said, "enough" and , although I do have FCC's with Carnival I don't look forward to booking a cruise with them too soon!

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Wow! Thanks for sharing your story with us. I swear you'd think that we're starving these dogs!

 

I guess it's why they make such good Service Dogs....they're so food driven that they'll do anything to get that bite of food!

 

With Labs, it's so easy for them to put weight on, we have to be very careful to make sure we're including the training and reward food with their daily meals. Brenda [my first SD], who is now 13 1/2 gained weight and looked like a "rollie-polie" at one point. Everyone at CCI would remind me of how fat she was...now she's thin and living out her senior years as a diva.

 

Don't you just love it when someone says "dont you feed that dog, hes always so hungry?" Or "he looks so sad, maybe he needs something to eat" Right now Wex is definately overweight. This is the first time that he's gotten heavy since we had him. John has been having shoulder issues and I have developed plantar fasciitis over the past few months. This means Wexler has not gotten any exercise and has become a fatty boombalatti. We cannot get him to chase balls or run at all. The only way he gets exercise is to walk him. John is thinking of finding a dog walker to take him out.

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Just to follow up on the Carnival saga.

 

They sent us a "gesture of goodwill" that was roughly the cost of our two Atlantis excursions.

 

It doesn't make up for the missed family time and it doesn't make me want to rush out and book another Carnival cruise but at least maybe this is an acknowledgement that they were in the wrong.

 

Geez could they afford all that compensation :rolleyes:

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Don't you just love it when someone says "dont you feed that dog, hes always so hungry?" Or "he looks so sad, maybe he needs something to eat" Right now Wex is definately overweight. This is the first time that he's gotten heavy since we had him. John has been having shoulder issues and I have developed plantar fasciitis over the past few months. This means Wexler has not gotten any exercise and has become a fatty boombalatti. We cannot get him to chase balls or run at all. The only way he gets exercise is to walk him. John is thinking of finding a dog walker to take him out.

 

Owww! Sorry about your feet & John's shoulders. These dogs are very resilient. Wexy will lose the extra pounds easily. I know it took some months for Brenny to lose and all we had to do was drop down some of Horty's food portions and he lost weight.

 

When Morey got sick and all I was doing was going back and forth to the hospital....Horty and Brenny did a lot of laying around. I know what you're going through, don't stress over it, Wexy will lose the extra poundage easily!

You don't have to hire a dog walker, just drop down his food intake! It really surprised me how easy it was to do! I now give him rice cakes to fill in when he gives me that "I'm hungry" look, later in the day.

And, I love your "boombalatti" word!!!!

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Owww! Sorry about your feet & John's shoulders. These dogs are very resilient. Wexy will lose the extra pounds easily. I know it took some months for Brenny to lose and all we had to do was drop down some of Horty's food portions and he lost weight.

 

When Morey got sick and all I was doing was going back and forth to the hospital....Horty and Brenny did a lot of laying around. I know what you're going through, don't stress over it, Wexy will lose the extra poundage easily!

 

You don't have to hire a dog walker, just drop down his food intake! It really surprised me how easy it was to do! I now give him rice cakes to fill in when he gives me that "I'm hungry" look, later in the day.

 

And, I love your "boombalatti" word!!!!

 

 

Just regular rice cakes from the store?

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When I was a teenager we took a family vacation to South Dakota. We saw many prairie dogs and called them fatty boombalatties. Thanks for the memory jog. I hadn't thought about that word in a long time :) We are seriously considering a family vacation to South Dakota next summer. I'll be looking forward to introducing my kids to fatty boombalatties.

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Don't you just love it when someone says "dont you feed that dog, hes always so hungry?" Or "he looks so sad, maybe he needs something to eat" Right now Wex is definately overweight. This is the first time that he's gotten heavy since we had him. John has been having shoulder issues and I have developed plantar fasciitis over the past few months. This means Wexler has not gotten any exercise and has become a fatty boombalatti. We cannot get him to chase balls or run at all. The only way he gets exercise is to walk him. John is thinking of finding a dog walker to take him out.

 

 

Hi everybody :)

 

Just spent a wee while catching up with your posts!

 

Snoring - ah well in this house, it's stereo - boy dog downstairs, DH upstairs with me in the middle! At least I can poke DH in the ribs! LOL! Talking about poking, our two are expert at that! They can sniff out a treat a mile off and if you have something in your pocket and forget about it, they will nudge and shove to remind you!

 

Rangeley - I suffered from plantar facsiitis and its really painful, you could scream sometimes! I finally got it under control by resting, gentle stretching and reflexology - thankfully no problems now but I cannot wear heels very often, usually just on nights out and on cruises and even then no more than 2inches. These days I spend most of my time in flats with padded insoles, or proper walking shoes when out with the four legged pals.

 

I got quite a shock last time at the vet when himself weighed in at a massive 45 kilos - so we've cut down his food by about 10%, so he doesn't notice ;), and it's made a difference - I can see such a difference in his shape, he still has the massive shoulders and chest, but he has a much more defined waist now and looks rather fine, I must say!

 

So it's just me now that's a fatty boombalatti - LOL! I love, just love that word!

 

Hugs to you all:D

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When I was a teenager we took a family vacation to South Dakota. We saw many prairie dogs and called them fatty boombalatties. Thanks for the memory jog. I hadn't thought about that word in a long time :) We are seriously considering a family vacation to South Dakota next summer. I'll be looking forward to introducing my kids to fatty boombalatties.

 

LOL Glad I could jog some good memories for you!! :D

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Yes! Either no salt or lightly salted is good. They love them and they're easy for my Brenny to crunch on. Just make sure they're the plain ones, not the ones with carmel or chocolate added.

 

Great! I'm going to try them and some carrots instead of all the dog cookies he gets.

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Hi everybody :)

 

Just spent a wee while catching up with your posts!

 

Snoring - ah well in this house, it's stereo - boy dog downstairs, DH upstairs with me in the middle! At least I can poke DH in the ribs! LOL! Talking about poking, our two are expert at that! They can sniff out a treat a mile off and if you have something in your pocket and forget about it, they will nudge and shove to remind you!

 

Rangeley - I suffered from plantar facsiitis and its really painful, you could scream sometimes! I finally got it under control by resting, gentle stretching and reflexology - thankfully no problems now but I cannot wear heels very often, usually just on nights out and on cruises and even then no more than 2inches. These days I spend most of my time in flats with padded insoles, or proper walking shoes when out with the four legged pals.

 

I got quite a shock last time at the vet when himself weighed in at a massive 45 kilos - so we've cut down his food by about 10%, so he doesn't notice ;), and it's made a difference - I can see such a difference in his shape, he still has the massive shoulders and chest, but he has a much more defined waist now and looks rather fine, I must say!

 

So it's just me now that's a fatty boombalatti - LOL! I love, just love that word!

 

Hugs to you all:D

 

Poor Wex hardly gets any food. When we brought him home, they had him on 1 1/2 cups of food twice a day. He immediately gained weight since he wasn't getting the crazy exercise that he did with all the dogs at CCI. I cut him down to a cup twice a day and I think now it's even less. I think it's all the treats that he's getting and lack of exercise.

 

I started walking a few months ago to lose weight. I am a fatty boombalatti and really needed to lose. I was determined to lose and was up to walking around 2 miles day. The first month I lost 10lbs and was thrilled. The next month the plantar fasciitis hit and I haven't been able to walk. Now I am stuck trying to lose it without the exercise. So far 24lbs but it has been soooo slow going. :( I am a klutz and never wear heels. I would kill myself. Always wear flats. I am a flip flop freak and have many pairs. I even have a pair for formal nights that I wear. I have not worn them all summer. I found these "sketchers go walk" shoes and they are the only thing I can wear. I just found out they have some leather sneakers with the same sole and just ordered them for the winter. I have been walking here and there but not even close to the 2 miles I was doing before. I can walk one day and then have to take a few days off til the foot doesn't hurt anymore. It's been a real bummer!

Edited by rangeley
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Cindy, I have been walking, also. Around 1 mile a day. I have only lost 5 lbs in a month and it is very discouraging. I have cut back on food intake and tried to cut out all the potatoes and noodles. If I had a bit larger reduction I think I would be more encouraged to keep going and get it off. I still walk 6 days a week.

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Cindy, I have been walking, also. Around 1 mile a day. I have only lost 5 lbs in a month and it is very discouraging. I have cut back on food intake and tried to cut out all the potatoes and noodles. If I had a bit larger reduction I think I would be more encouraged to keep going and get it off. I still walk 6 days a week.

 

It's very hard and discouraging. You are doing all the right things, cutting out the carbs. Hang in there!!!

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howdy all! chandler here. my service-dog (sd) is rex, he's been with me for almost 9 years. i've been on several cruises (with rex) since discovering 'cruising' in january of 2013. this website/forum has given me a lot of good/useful information and i wanna take this opportunity to thank y'all for the help.

 

i guess my main questions for the sd forum are because i'm going to europe in november:

1. do i need anything other than rex's s.d. certification, current shots & u.s.d.a. certificate of health for e.u. countries; and,

2. can i get rex [something like] a e.u. service dog-passport while still here in the u.s? if so, is there a good point of contact?

i've sent e-mail messages to both the state department and dept of homeland security--but haven't gotten anything back but auto-replies.

i also wrote to the e.u. [defra] dept. but didn't understand their instructions. they were in english, but seemed kinda convoluted and were not specific to service animals. maybe pets and service dogs are considered the same thing 'over there'?

 

suffice to say: the info i've been able to digest is confusing and [while] i want to follow all the rules, i don't want/need to take $teps that aren't required. know what i mean?

 

airlines (aa and british airways) have signed-off on rex, but the mediterannean/transatlantic cruise(s) will be on rcl & clelebrity and i'm not sure what [if any] additional steps i need to take. therefore, any guidance y'all can/will offer would be appreciated. please advise. thank you.

 

s/f

 

vr/chandler

 

over...

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howdy all! chandler here. my service-dog (sd) is rex, he's been with me for almost 9 years. i've been on several cruises (with rex) since discovering 'cruising' in january of 2013. this website/forum has given me a lot of good/useful information and i wanna take this opportunity to thank y'all for the help.

 

i guess my main questions for the sd forum are because i'm going to europe in november:

1. do i need anything other than rex's s.d. certification, current shots & u.s.d.a. certificate of health for e.u. countries; and,

2. can i get rex [something like] a e.u. service dog-passport while still here in the u.s? if so, is there a good point of contact?

i've sent e-mail messages to both the state department and dept of homeland security--but haven't gotten anything back but auto-replies.

i also wrote to the e.u. [defra] dept. but didn't understand their instructions. they were in english, but seemed kinda convoluted and were not specific to service animals. maybe pets and service dogs are considered the same thing 'over there'?

 

suffice to say: the info i've been able to digest is confusing and [while] i want to follow all the rules, i don't want/need to take $teps that aren't required. know what i mean?

 

airlines (aa and british airways) have signed-off on rex, but the mediterannean/transatlantic cruise(s) will be on rcl & clelebrity and i'm not sure what [if any] additional steps i need to take. therefore, any guidance y'all can/will offer would be appreciated. please advise. thank you.

 

s/f

 

vr/chandler

 

over...

 

Hey, Chandler and Rex, Welcome! I'm at home now but do have information on traveling to Europe at work. I also have the phone number of the Special Needs Dept. of Celebrity Cruises. They were very accommodating when it came to Brenda's needs.

 

We flew into Zurich and then rented a car there and drove to Italy, Germany and France. The only extra step I had to take for Brenda was getting a Rabies Titer done within 3-7 days of travel. It was done by my Vet. I carried all her paperwork everywhere I went and was asked to show it at every check point and at every countries border crossing.

 

Paris and France, in general, is the most dog friendly city & country I've ever been in. Pets are allowed in public places; like restaurants, hotels and even bakeries. The only place that gave us a bit of a hard time was a museum. But, after seeing all her documentation they easily let us in.

 

She had to be current on all vaccines, be on Heartguard/Advantix and be in good health. We traveled before a lot of the airports had installed grassy areas for SD's to relieve themselves and in Paris the stewardess took Brenda off the airplane [during a layover] & walked her on the tarmack for me.

 

We flew from L.A. to Wash. D.C., laid over and then traveled onto Paris and then Zurich, Switzerland. It was quite a trip for all of us. Brenda was amazing. I'm not so sure Horton would do as well! I don't think I have the endurance to do such a trip right now! Although, I'd love to try!

 

When I get to work on Monday, I'll find my old paperwork and let you know what exactly I traveled with for Brenda.

It's really good to practice holding back on going potty for as long as you can before you plan a long flight. Practice, practice, practice. Horton can hold his urine for a long time, Brenda was never so good at doing this. But, in all her years of travel she has only had one accident onboard the Diamond Princess, when I couldn't find the darn potty box. Totally not her fault!!!

I would practice with her only having ice chips to lick and then would not let her out to go potty for hours [making sure that she had relieved herself before we started the practice!]

Dogs can be trained to do anything as long as you use your good sense and are fair.

Edited by wizard-of-roz
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thank you for the welcome. i'll look forward to receiving the information. like your horton, rex has (in the past) amazed me with the length of time he'll 'hold it' the few times there have been extenuating circumstances.

 

that's way cool the stewardess (i mean flight attendant) would "walk' your pup. how did that come to pass? just curious...

 

as it is, rex brings me his leash when he's got to go out ... but on a plane there's no "out" to take him to. so i'm trying to be creative.

 

my current protocol, is training him to 'go' on an 18" x 18" patch of artificial turf. i carry it with me from time-to-time when i take him out for quick 'walks'. tell him to 'find a place' (that's his 'go now' command) and slide the turf under him. after he's done the deed, i give him a piece of kibble and say: 'good, find a place'. he's smart ... so he'll 'get it'.

 

he's like me that way: maybe a little slow to understand, but once "we've" 'got it', we've got it!

 

on planes, he goes with me to the rest room (yeah, it's tight) and it's gonna be a trick to put his "turf" down, but it's all i can think of. otherwise, it's gonna be 5.5 hours from lax to jfk (one hour layover--and the 'releif' area is clear in another terminal) then 7.5 hours jfk to bcn--if he can 'go' right after the plane lands, that would be good. otherwise, most bets are off--and i might have to pull out 'the turf in the airport (if they don't have a releif area.

 

but that's the best i could do--breaking up the two legs, while still 'skipping' a 10 hour flight from lax to london (mostly because the u.k/london seems like an unknown quantity to me).

 

hey, you've [evidently] been on rcl ... how are they? seems like there's not a whole lot of continuity with regard to service-dog protocol. holland america's been my favorite so far. 4' x 4' wooden box with real grass. they supplied gloves, bags, hand sanitizer, sani-wipes, rags and a trashcan with a lid. that was awesome ... it was also on an open-deck at the nose of the ship's promanade decke--so people were always walking bY (rex is a dogs dog, i.e., not shy). my suite was a corner aft balcony (about as far from 'the box: as possible ... but that which does not kill us, makes us stronger, right?

 

do you actuall 'request' box fillers for horton? they've mostly been okay for rex, but the redwood chips were kinda awkward. i'm gonna be a sapphire again in jan and feb, so maybe i'll ask amber (for princess special needs) if she has any 'pull'.

 

next cruise is on celebrity in 12 days. vancouver down the west coast--i lookin way forward. second time on the century--i think the ship has a good vibe to it. anyhow ... thanks again for the warm welcome--i'll look forward to getting your information when you're back in the office.

 

s/f

 

vr/chandler.

 

over...

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thank you for the welcome. i'll look forward to receiving the information. like your horton, rex has (in the past) amazed me with the length of time he'll 'hold it' the few times there have been extenuating circumstances.

 

that's way cool the stewardess (i mean flight attendant) would "walk' your pup. how did that come to pass? just curious... We were on a layover and I knew it had been over 5 hours and she really had to go....Brenda and Horton have been trained to go "Hurry" on command and, although Horton is better at this Brenda did go on the tarmack [I was not allowed off the airplane so the flight attendant took her!]

 

as it is, rex brings me his leash when he's got to go out ... but on a plane there's no "out" to take him to. so i'm trying to be creative.

 

my current protocol, is training him to 'go' on an 18" x 18" patch of artificial turf. i carry it with me from time-to-time when i take him out for quick 'walks'. tell him to 'find a place' (that's his 'go now' command) and slide the turf under him. after he's done the deed, i give him a piece of kibble and say: 'good, find a place'. he's smart ... so he'll 'get it'.

 

he's like me that way: maybe a little slow to understand, but once "we've" 'got it', we've got it!

 

on planes, he goes with me to the rest room (yeah, it's tight) and it's gonna be a trick to put his "turf" down, but it's all i can think of. otherwise, it's gonna be 5.5 hours from lax to jfk (one hour layover--and the 'releif' area is clear in another terminal) then 7.5 hours jfk to bcn--if he can 'go' right after the plane lands, that would be good. otherwise, most bets are off--and i might have to pull out 'the turf in the airport (if they don't have a releif area. How do you keep the "turf" clean?

 

but that's the best i could do--breaking up the two legs, while still 'skipping' a 10 hour flight from lax to london (mostly because the u.k/london seems like an unknown quantity to me).

 

hey, you've [evidently] been on rcl ... how are they? seems like there's not a whole lot of continuity with regard to service-dog protocol. holland america's been my favorite so far. 4' x 4' wooden box with real grass. they supplied gloves, bags, hand sanitizer, sani-wipes, rags and a trashcan with a lid. that was awesome ... it was also on an open-deck at the nose of the ship's promanade decke--so people were always walking bY (rex is a dogs dog, i.e., not shy). my suite was a corner aft balcony (about as far from 'the box: as possible ... but that which does not kill us, makes us stronger, right?

 

do you actuall 'request' box fillers for horton? they've mostly been okay for rex, but the redwood chips were kinda awkward. i'm gonna be a sapphire again in jan and feb, so maybe i'll ask amber (for princess special needs) if she has any 'pull'.

 

next cruise is on celebrity in 12 days. vancouver down the west coast--i lookin way forward. second time on the century--i think the ship has a good vibe to it. anyhow ... thanks again for the warm welcome--i'll look forward to getting your information when you're back in the office.

 

s/f

 

vr/chandler.

 

over...

 

Amber is great to work with [at Princess Access Care.] I ALWAYS get my cabin near the rear of the ship so that the potty box [a 4x6 box filled with cedar mulch, or a like substance] in the stairwell near my cabin. I ask that the bag of mulch be left with the box so that I may refill it when I want to and I ask for a receptacle to be placed near the box for the solid waste. I bring my own bags for the waste and I'm set. Your room steward is your connection to the box and will make sure you and Rex are all set.

Princess has been great to work with and they know exactly what I like for my dogs. I don't have to ask for too much.....they have it all ready the second I board, including a life preserver for my dog.

 

I didn't like HAL's set-up because it was way too public. And, I couldn't wear my PJ's to go to the box in the early morning. It was not so convenient. We had them put the box on our veranda next time we cruised with them. I don't think any cruise line is allowing this anymore!

 

I don't like the idea of dragging the turf around with me, only to have to worry about cleaning it in a small bathroom and then having to drag around a wet piece of turf wherever I go! Sounds like way too much work!

Celebrity was very accommodating in every way. They put the potty box in a crew closet near our cabin and it made it very convenient for Brenda and me.

Have a great cruise.

Edited by wizard-of-roz
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Just an update from our home. Rich continues to improve daily. It was like a switch was turned on. We are planning our cruise!!! Have decided on a Panama Canal cruise in April. Lot's of sea days make us both happy.

 

The other thing that makes us both happy is our new service dog in training...Bruce....He is now a 9 weeks old. Yet another male golden retriever for us to enjoy for 18 months and then send on his way. I understand Cooler is a rock star in the LA area and apparently enjoys her trips to Starbucks....

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Mornin' all: Welcome to Chandler and Rex. You definately found the right place for info. Not from me, but I am part of the support team!

Sunshine: I get goosebumps everytime I read an update from you! Panama Canal is on my bucket list, not sure I will make it, but a girl can dream! Bruce sounds like just like what the doctor ordered for both you and Rich.

Everyone have a great day.:D:D

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Amber is great to work with [at Princess Access Care.] I ALWAYS get my cabin near the rear of the ship so that the potty box [a 4x6 box filled with cedar mulch, or a like substance] in the stairwell near my cabin. I ask that the bag of mulch be left with the box so that I may refill it when I want to and I ask for a receptacle to be placed near the box for the solid waste. I bring my own bags for the waste and I'm set. Your room steward is your connection to the box and will make sure you and Rex are all set.

 

i obviously don't know amber (at princess) as well as you do, but she does seem very nice. i'm gonna follow your lead and ask for cedar mulch (that's the small shavings, right?), and the bag to be left by the box (great idea!)

a couple weeks ago on sapphire (for the first week) i was mid-ship and they put the box in a rear stairwell. when they first took me there, it smelled like cigarette smoke on the first day (which i thought was gonna be a problem) but i didn't smell smoke in there the rest of the time.

the second week, i was midship/forward and they moved the box to a crew [kind of] closet. they also put some disinfecting spray and towels near the box.

since the area was small with little ventilation, after rex relieved himself and/or i picked up his waste, i would spray the 'soiled' area with disinfectant ... and (i guess) it kept the closet from smelling like dog 'stuff'. anyhow, i thought that was good of princess to do. good for the other passengers too--no one wants to smell someone else's dog waste.

 

Princess has been great to work with and they know exactly what I like for my dogs. I don't have to ask for too much.....they have it all ready the second I board, including a life preserver for my dog.

 

with hope, they'll get to know me (like they know you) and it will be more seamless, but (so far) i'm still figuring this stuff out. yeah, the life preservers are cool. at the 'muster drill' there were 3 princess crew trying to help rex into his 'vest'. at first he was compliant/calm, but eventually [i guess] he thought they were playing with him. it was funny and people seemed to 'enjoy the show'. anyhow, it was a good ice-breaker ... kinda showing people that "this dog does belong on the ship" without having the "what's wrong with you" or "why can't i bring my dog" conversations. 'course ... lots of people are still gonna ask. no harm no foul -- having a s.d carries with it some responsibility to 'educate' people about service dogs. right?

 

I didn't like HAL's set-up because it was way too public. And, I couldn't wear my PJ's to go to the box in the early morning. It was not so convenient. We had them put the box on our veranda next time we cruised with them. I don't think any cruise line is allowing this anymore!

 

i did like the real grass on holland america, and was okay with the box being in public + rex is not shy. i'm a guy, so my p.j.s trunks/t-shirt are not much different than the jeans/t-shirt i usually wear.

the one thing i didn't care-for on h.a.l., is that i was in an aft/starboard cabin on the navigation deck and the box was placed forward/port on the promenade deck. kind of a hike, especially early/late am/pm--but in the big picture ... no harm, no foul.

 

I don't like the idea of dragging the turf around with me, only to have to worry about cleaning it in a small bathroom and then having to drag around a wet piece of turf wherever I go! Sounds like way too much work!

 

yeah, i know what you mean. the "turf" is in preparation for a longer-than-usual flight ... kind-of a work in progress for "emergencies" ... it 'represents' a place-holder. my idea is to teach rex that 'under certain circumstances', e.g., when i encourage it, it's okay/necessary to relieve himself inside--but only where he's told (hence, the turf as a marker), and when the "go there" instruction is given.

 

come "game day" the actual "marker" will have to be more practical and [possibly] disposable (maybe paper towels in the plane's restroom?) i think of the turf as a familiar (grass-like) place so rex will make the connection before transitioning to something more feasible for travel.

i've only been trying it for a couple days--but it's going okay so far. the first time, he started going on the regular grass, and i slid the turf underneath him (so it was "marked"), said "good, go there" and gave him a piece of kibble. since then, even after hosing off the turf, he's been more willing to 'go' on it--i'd like to think he's doing it for me--but i think he wants the kibble and praise more ;-) it's a work in progress--with hope, eventually the behavior will be 'learned', like 'come, stay, down, release, pick-it-up, and bring me a beer'. lol okay, i was kidding about the last one! haha

 

Celebrity was very accommodating in every way. They put the potty box in a crew closet near our cabin and it made it very convenient for Brenda and me.

 

i'm on celebrity again in a couple weeks and am lookin' forward to it. i was thinking: even though i [kinda] consider celebrity and holland america as cut above' neither of them provided life-vests for rex--while both carnival and princess did. hal is the same parent company as princess and carnival--so it's odd ... but the "lines" do each seem to have their own personality, huh?

 

anyhow, so far (from an overall perspective) i like celebrity and hal the best for attention to detail ... but princess seems to have the best 'rewards' program and accessible cruising department.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

thanks much for your guidance and feedback!

 

s/f

 

vr/chandler.

 

over...

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Mornin' all: Welcome to Chandler and Rex. You definately found the right place for info. Not from me, but I am part of the support team!

Sunshine: I get goosebumps everytime I read an update from you! Panama Canal is on my bucket list, not sure I will make it, but a girl can dream! Bruce sounds like just like what the doctor ordered for both you and Rich.

Everyone have a great day.:D:D

 

thank you s.s. and congrats to 'sunshine' on the new service-dog-in-training! panama canal is on my 'list' too.

 

hey, i thought of something else after i hit <send>. rex will usually drink any water ... but he avoids tap water on ships for some reason. has anyone else noticed their dog(s) having an aversion to tap-water on ships? I'll drink it, but rex wont (unless he's very thirsty) but otherwise he avoids it.

 

as a work-around, i request a pitcher of ice-water from room service, or give rex melted ice from the bucket. he will drink that. i know they use desalination/treatment of salt-water for ship's use ... maybe they 'treat' tap water differently then they do drinking water? hospitality staff on the ship seem to think it's the same water (tap/shower and drinking).

 

anyhow, it's something i find curious and thought i'd ask y'all if you've noticed your s.d.'s having an aversion to ships tap water or maybe it's something unique to rex (and could it maybe indicate something else--like a health problem worthy of a vet visit?). please advise. thank you.

 

s/f

 

vr/chandler

 

over...

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"Bruce" is just precious and brings joy to Rich and myself. After 14 months of people "doing" for us...it feels good to give back and getting puppy snuggles and kisses....priceless.

 

Of course this means house training, clicker training and learning to walk on the leash...and of course puddles to wipe up and stains to deal with. I think he is going to be a big dog. Shades of Crackers and Mackey. Right now he is just a giant fuzz ball. Two speeds. Sleep and Puppy Madness.

 

Sandy is teaching him some manners in the way only an adult dog can do, but it is fun to watch.

 

Excited to be planning our cruise...I am sure that some of you would like to join "Aunty Sunshine and Uncle Rich" you know we are dog people.

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Just an update from our home. Rich continues to improve daily. It was like a switch was turned on. We are planning our cruise!!! Have decided on a Panama Canal cruise in April. Lot's of sea days make us both happy.

 

The other thing that makes us both happy is our new service dog in training...Bruce....He is now a 9 weeks old. Yet another male golden retriever for us to enjoy for 18 months and then send on his way. I understand Cooler is a rock star in the LA area and apparently enjoys her trips to Starbucks....

 

Sunshine, your news is wonderful to hear. I hope that Rich continues to get stronger and stronger and your upcoming cruise will be the very best yet.

 

Bruce is a lucky boy to have you as his mentor!!! And, then he'll fill someone's life with more joy, courage and love then they'll ever know!!!!

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thank you s.s. and congrats to 'sunshine' on the new service-dog-in-training! panama canal is on my 'list' too.

 

hey, i thought of something else after i hit <send>. rex will usually drink any water ... but he avoids tap water on ships for some reason. has anyone else noticed their dog(s) having an aversion to tap-water on ships? I'll drink it, but rex wont (unless he's very thirsty) but otherwise he avoids it.

 

as a work-around, i request a pitcher of ice-water from room service, or give rex melted ice from the bucket. he will drink that. i know they use desalination/treatment of salt-water for ship's use ... maybe they 'treat' tap water differently then they do drinking water? hospitality staff on the ship seem to think it's the same water (tap/shower and drinking).

 

anyhow, it's something i find curious and thought i'd ask y'all if you've noticed your s.d.'s having an aversion to ships tap water or maybe it's something unique to rex (and could it maybe indicate something else--like a health problem worthy of a vet visit?). please advise. thank you.

 

s/f

 

vr/chandler

 

over...

 

The best thing about a CCI trained Service Dog is that they will sleep/eat/potty/drink just about anywhere and will eat and drink most everything that you offer. CCI dogs sleep [during training] mostly on concrete. There are no towels/carpets or snuggly cushions in their crates. They drink water out of commonly used buckets [the dogs are training/working/exercising and playing together], when they're offered water it's out of a bucket, that's been filled by a hose and been dribbled and drooled into by as many as a dozen dogs before any one dog gets to it! They'll push the dribble, snot, saliva and anything else out of the way to satisfy their thirst!!!

 

The drinking water onboard a cruise ship is excellent and equal to, if not far above, what our dogs are used to while in training. My DH would only give our dogs bottled water and we were dragging gallons of water with us when we boarded a ship. No more! After speaking with CCI and my dogs Vet, I have been encouraged to give both my dogs tap water. And reminded by CCI trainers that spoiling our dogs is truly part of the love and bonding process but is absolutely NOT NECESSARY!!!!

Horton laps up the ships water with great gusto and my packing and schlepping is much, much lighter!

Edited by wizard-of-roz
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