Take your pet cruising on Carnival with you !!

On our recent cruise on the Carnival Dream, returning to Port Canaveral on 5/7 AM, there was a couple aboard for the week with their cutsie little arm candy dog !!

We both saw them walk thru the Lido buffet serving area with the little bugger on a leash walking ahead of them & another time we saw the cute little dog in a baby stroller being pushed around on deck 5, probably being taken to the casino for good luck.

We inquired at guest services & were told that this dog was a certified "service dog" !!

He was way too small to be of service to anyone !!

Could this be what we have to look forward to - cruising with fleas, dog poop & all the rest of the surprises that go with dogs ?

Apparently all you have to do is get a "certification" for your dog from your vet that says he is a/your "service dog".

We are not dog owners but this dog looked like a Yorkie type.

Looks like the wife & I will go out & get our own dog to take along on our next cruise as our service dog !!

I hope they had to pay a FULL passenger price.

Just a heads up. Not all service dogs are large. They have therapy dogs that they take in to hospitals and nursing homes. They are also used for some with depression. I do see your point. As I would not be please to see the dog around the food area's.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Yes, it could have been a service dog. Small dogs like that are often trained to detect seizures!:mad:

Not all service dogs are Seeing Eye Dogs, not all service dogs are German Shepherds. Service dogs come in all shapes and sizes, and provide all types of service. It takes quite a bit more than just the say so of your vet to qualify as a service dog.

Service animals are provided with their own area pm board for their business, and are very well trained. I don't think you have to worry.

Not all service dogs are german shepards. Small dogs like that ( if trained ) can tell when their owner is about to have a seizure and they can take meds to prevent it. It may be better to have a few dogs around rather than have to turn around and miss a port due to a medical emergancy.

Ok so I type slow as 5 post were made will I was typing this.

Wow, instead of making all sorts of sarcastic assumptions why didn't you just ask the owner what type of service dog it was, even though they don't owe you an explanation.

Not only are some breeds trained to signal oncoming seizures, there are some that are also trained in dealing with folks who have sleep apnea. There are also quiet a few service animals trained to assist with our troops that have come back from war and have trouble returning to everyday civilian life. Do some research before you make such snide remarks.

Service cat thread from on the HAL board

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1094186&highlight=ocelot

Service dog/animal thread on the Disabled Cruising board

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=585728

Some people are so CLUELESS.:mad:

I have heard about seizure dogs and thought "Ya Right".

Then 3 years ago my parent's dog (a small mixed bread) started laying on my father's chest and whinning. Whenever my Dad would lay down the dog would lay on him and whine. A few weeks later my Dad was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.

I will NEVER question any dogs ability again!

He was way too small to be of service to anyone !!

Pray to your god that you never need the services of a dog so qualified.

wow...

I don't think we should bash the OP, just duly inform him of how many kinds of service dogs there are.

If I had seen a dog going through the lido deck & it was obviously not a seeing eye dog then I would have been a bit miffed too!

Oh, great...now I not only have to worry about a heavy smoker in my stateroom the week before me but an animal. The cruise line needs to warn me before they assign me to a stateroom that has been occupied by an animal, regardless of size.

Oh, great...now I not only have to worry about a heavy smoker in my stateroom the week before me but an animal. The cruise line needs to warn me before they assign me to a stateroom that has been occupied by an animal, regardless of size.

That is a good point. My DH has severe animal allergies. Would not be a fun cruise for him if we are put in a cabin that a dog was in previously!

They have been allowed for as long as I can remember. However, in 12 cruises I have yet to encounter one. So to me it's a non-issue.

Oh, great...now I not only have to worry about a heavy smoker in my stateroom the week before me but an animal. The cruise line needs to warn me before they assign me to a stateroom that has been occupied by an animal, regardless of size.

I'm willing to bet those service animals are much cleaner and more well-behaved than a good chunk of passengers. Just sayin.......

I'm willing to bet those service animals are much cleaner and more well-behaved than a good chunk of passengers. Just sayin.......

We have a winner! Well said.;)

The "service dog" situation has gotten so out of hand that DOJ had to issue new guidelines concerning them.

http://www.workinglikedogs.com/2011/03/u-s-department-of-justice-rules-on-assistance-dogs-to-become-stricter-march-15-2011/

Essentially, people were claiming that their pets provide emotional support and they couldn't be without them. Doctors wrote a note and suddenly your little dog could go everywhere with you. The rules are changing so that the dog must provide a true service, not support.

Most dogs do not have the temperament or training to be actual service dogs, and as companies digest the new rules fewer anxiety chihuahuas will be found on board and elsewhere.

A couple of years ago, we were aboard a cruise, which was also taken by a group of people with service animals. They had about 5 or 6 different service dogs aboard, and if you hadn't seen them, you would never have known they were there. They were EXCELLENT, and without a doubt, far better behaved than some people I've seen aboard. I NEVER heard one of them bark, or make any kind of noise, or mess. They went to the shows etc., but I never saw them in the dining room (May have been assigned to the opposite seating.) I'd never complain about a service dog, on a cruise, or anyplace else.

"SKY"

I don't care how well behaved the animal is, some people are extremely allergic to animals, if it's a long haired breed, their hair gets into places that can't be reached by a vacuum and end up in someone's nose who will develop a severe allergic reaction. There is no defending an animal in your stateroom prior to your cruise, joke all you want, the cruiseline needs to establish a procedure to inform passengers when a service animal has inhabited the stateroom prior to your stay, period. A severe allergy can kill someone.

I am sorry, but I do have to worry when an animal is around my food. Uuuugggghhhh.

I am sorry, but I do have to worry when an animal is around my food. Uuuugggghhhh.

So blind people should be banished to their homes for all meals for the rest of their lives? :confused:

ps - you should be much more worried about the actual humans making your food. I worked at a DQ as a teenager. Ugh, the stories I could tell. :eek:

So blind people should be banished to their homes for all meals for the rest of their lives? :confused:

 

ps - you should be much more worried about the actual humans making your food. I worked at a DQ as a teenager. Ugh, the stories I could tell. :eek:

You should hear the stories the waiters on carnival tell about food.:eek:

I don't care how well behaved the animal is, some people are extremely allergic to animals, if it's a long haired breed, their hair gets into places that can't be reached by a vacuum and end up in someone's nose who will develop a severe allergic reaction. There is no defending an animal in your stateroom prior to your cruise, joke all you want, the cruiseline needs to establish a procedure to inform passengers when a service animal has inhabited the stateroom prior to your stay, period. A severe allergy can kill someone.

^5. As you can see from my avatar, I am a devoted beagle owner and have had at least one dog and various other animals my entire life, but there is a huge difference between my keeping one in my own house and having some other animal that I do not know the history of in a limited public space around me, service animal or otherwise. This was also part of the answer to a question I had asked at a Q&A with the entertainment staff on the Miracle a few cruises ago about the possibility of ever seeing animal acts onboard. The stage director felt that the restrictions of keeping even a trained performing animal on the high seas in close quarters were just too great for both crew and the animal alike. Honestly, unless absolutely necessary like a guide dog, they're really better off at home.