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

[wizard-of-roz]

Originally Posted by BeagleOne

Thanks! The bigger dog is my Katrina-rescue foxhound I got when volunteering at a Mississippi shelter after the storm. She was an unbelievably mangy puppy and they were going to put her down but I said I would take her. I thought she was a beagle and then she somehow became a foxhound!

The puppy is a beagle who came to the shelter where I was working; he had a leg deformity. The minute I put him on the floor to watch him walk the foxhound started gnawing gently on his head. She's actually resting her head on the base of an IV pole in the picture! They've been inseparable ever since (5 1/2 years).

I call that pic "Are you my mother?"

What wonderful stories.......YOU are an amazing person. No obstacle to big for you to tackle.

Thank you for taking care of these babies and for giving them the life they so deserve.

I, personally, can NEVER get enough of these wonderful stories.

[wizard-of-roz]

Barbara & David, I know you're hurting and I want you to know that I'm with you, with a huge hug around you both.

I'm kissing my big girl and boy a little bit harder because of Valentine.

I'm sending my love to you.

When you're ready to come back will you please share some pictures with us of your precious little Valentine.

Much Love,
Roz

[wizard-of-roz]

Sunshine, how's Rich doing? I hope everything works out for him, please let us know.

I'm sending my best wishes to you both.

Much Love,
Roz

[wizard-of-roz]

DisneyKidsDad: How are you doing? I bet little Ocho has brought some happy smiles in your home!!!!

I won't mention the work.....you guys must be nuts with all the exhaustion a puppy can bring!

Warm hugs to you too!

[S.S. Cruisers]

Barbara and David: I am so sorry to hear about sweet little Valentine. My heart goes out to you. Run free little one.

[wizard-of-roz]

Originally Posted by S.S. Cruisers

Barbara and David: I am so sorry to hear about sweet little Valentine. My heart goes out to you. Run free little one.

Nancy, how's life? Are you doing any traveling this summer......especially, in the cruising world!!!

[Quampapetet]

Most hotel-type places don't allow animals to be left unattended in the rooms in case housekeeping/room steward or a maintenance person needs to enter. They are not going to risk their employees' safety no matter how well-trained you say your dog is. (Sadly, some service dogs have bitten others.) If the dog is your service dog, the dog isn't likely going to be left unattended in your room anyway, as you need him to help you.

The paperwork is for the countries you will be going to (including coming back to the U.S.). No country accepts such a new rabies vaccination. Some only accept rabies done within one year while others also accept it done within three years. Vaccinations are not immediate; the body takes time to build up the immunity to the disease. This is why rabies titer tests (blood tests to make sure the vaccination is valid) cannot be done less than a month after the vaccination. Since your cruise has already passed, I'd be interested in knowing if the Bahamas decided to accept you for the short time you'd be there or not.

Next time, though, you need to follow the regulations each country sets forth, especially if you go on a cruise to the Eastern or Southern Caribbean, where several countries have strict rules. Some countries just don't accept dogs on cruises period, such as Jamaica and Barbados.

Yes, the Bahamas requires an import permit (free for service dogs) and health certificate (does not need to be endorsed by your area USDA office, but needs to be from a USDA-certified vet).

I am VERY concerned for your dog's health, though, since you are vaccinating him FAR TOO OFTEN!!! This can make him sick and shorten his life! Please do not do this! Sadly, law requires us to vaccinate with rabies every three years, so you have to do it that often, but do not do it every year! The one-year and three-year vaccines are the same exact vaccines with different labels on the vials. You do not have to vaccinate the other things, like Distemper, every year, either. I do titers on those every year and they still show as well above the accepted level when she has not been vaccinated with those in I think seven years. I titer every year so I have proof for international travel, since I travel internationally at least once a year, but if you don't need the proof, you don't need to titer every year.

Originally Posted by kloutz

I am taking my dog on Royal Carribean. She is a service dog. The cruise line has a rule that dogs cannot be left unattended in the room? How do they know when service dogs are trained and quiet. Also, RC is different than Carnival. They want me to have all paperwork which is fine but there is a rule:


(b) The animal must be accompanied by a valid certificate which substantiates
that it has been vaccinated against rabies within not less than one (1) month and
not more than ten (10) months prior to importation for the one (1) year vaccine.
For the three (3) year vaccine it must be within no less than one (1) month and
not more than thirty-four (34) months prior to importation into The Bahamas.


My dog always gets a one year on schedule but just got her rabies last Fri and we leave RC on May 21 for the Bahammas. then we need a health certification no more than 48 hours old.

So, I have a RC question and Bahamas question.

[Quampapetet]

Originally Posted by Marcntyme

At Port Canaveral we presented ourselves at the Special Services Desk. Turned our paperwork for Saki in, had our pictures taken and our Sea Pass(es) were Issued. They had pre-applied dog footprints on each card.

That's cute about the dog pawprints on the sea passes! I went on Royal Caribbean back in 2008 and they didn't have those then. It makes me want to go on them again just for the card, LOL!! Well, that wouldn't be the only reason, of course, and I do want to go on Oasis or Allure someday. My next cruise will likely be the same one I did in 2011, but won't be until 2014.

We hadn’t planned to get off the ship at “Coco Cay” RCI’s private island as we had been told that we needed a pet import permit for the Bahamas that needed to be obtained 48 hours before departure. Imagine our surprise when the cabin phone rang early that morning Guest Services telling us that “saki” had been cleared to visit. As we placed our Seapass in the security checkpoint special chimes went off alerting the immigration officer that the dog had been cleared.

You misunderstood the information for the Bahamas, but I'm glad they let you off the ship anyway. The import permit (which is free for service dogs) is valid for one year (but only for one entry, so you can't use it on multiple trips during that year). It is the health certificate that needs to be no more than 48 hours old (for cruises, countries give leeway on this for obvious reasons, so you usually just need it done within 48 hours of your leaving for the cruise).

That's interesting about the different chime about the dog being cleared, as I've not heard that on my cruises. Something new? I didn't cruise this year.

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip!

[Quampapetet]

Originally Posted by rangeley

Wexy is still leaking, we are trying to take him out often. This morning he ate and then drank the whole bowl of water, atleast 3 cups or more. No wonder he leaks!! The vet doesn't seem to be to worried about it. They don't want to believe it could be incontinence because he is young and a male. I guess it is really rare, but the key word is "rare" not unheard of. I guess at some point (when John decides) we will do an ultrasound on him to check some things. I have been told it's around 300 buckaroos!!

If it is incontinence, try giving him fennel seed (you can get it at some Whole Foods stores via the fill-your-own-bag-of-spices thing) with each meal. It can help tighten up the muscles ... at least in female dogs, but hopefully males, too.

I'd stop him from drinking that much at once, as that can lead to bloat. Accomplish this by offering only a little water at a time several times throughout the day. He shouldn't need the amount of water that he is currently drinking (unless something is really wrong - has he always done this?).

I have been battling a SEVERE heartburn attack for over a week. Bad enough I had to go to the doctors.

Have you tried taking omeprezole on a daily basis as a preventive? It used to be a prescription, but is now available over the counter. I have a family member with acid reflux and his doctor put him on that and it is the only thing that has ever worked for him (I don't count having to pop a bunch of Pepcid every day as working). I hope you are feeling better now!

[Quampapetet]

Originally Posted by cjborne2

I'm wondering if any of you watched the new TLC show called "On The Fly". We watched because we saw camera crews at BWI several months ago. We are watching for ourselves in background shots. Last week there was a guy who was traveling (I think it was from Baltimore) to Denver with a service dog who was training. The dog was not officially "certified" as a service dog as its training was going to be completed in Denver. The airline was giving him a hard time about flying with the dog. The finally did let them on the plane. Since we were watching it from the DVR, I paused it to ask my attorney husband if the could deny them boarding. I didn't think they could. My husband said federal law trumps airline policy.

They could deny him, as the law does not cover trainers or dogs in training. Remember, the law is for people with disabilities, not the dogs. That was nice of the airline to let him on, but it was his/the training program's fault for not asking the airline if he could fly with the dog in the cabin. Only people with disabilities can bring fully-trained service dogs in the cabin, plus people with mental disabilities can (with a doctor's letter) bring emotional support animals in the cabin (people with psychiatric service dogs also need said letter). So, had the man been the person with the disability and had the dog been fully trained, the airline would not have been allowed to refuse them on the flight. (I'm thinking the dog probably was fully trained [fully-trained and certified are not the same thing; a service dog is required by law to be fully trained, but certification is not required] and the guy was bringing it to the disabled person for team training - perhaps the person was unable to fly to the trainer/program.)

[Quampapetet]

Originally Posted by wizard-of-roz

Dogs **"IN TRAINING" [**key words] do NOT have the same rights as a dog that has completed all it's training. They are NOT protected by Federal Law. And, therefore can be denied public acces into ANYWHERE that the public goes. On a case-by-case basis the public carrier or public business may deny the "dog in training" access, if they choose.

For airlines that is true, but for businesses it may or may not be true. See, some states have state laws that give access to service dogs in training. So, in those states, dogs fitting the state's definition of a service dog in training (some states allow all of them, some only allow those from particular programs) must be allowed in businesses. In states without such state laws, they are allowed to refuse service dogs in training - but never fully-trained service dogs accompanying their disabled human, of course! (Fully-trained service dogs cannot go somewhere with a non-disabled person or a disabled person who does not need the tasks that dog is trained to do. Access is given to the person, not the dog.)

[Quampapetet]

Originally Posted by rangeley

On tv the other night was a story about some dog that caught its leg in the escalator and lost two toes. I don't like it!!

That was somebody's pet dog, not a service dog that has been trained how to properly and safely ride escalators. Pets don't know to hop on and hop off.

[Quampapetet]

Originally Posted by Valentine's Mom

Hello everyone,
Sorry it'a been so long but today at 1:15 pm Valentine had to be put down due to extended illness. I love her and miss her terribly. I'm sure you will all understand that I won't be posting for a while but will be lurking.

Please everyone say a prayer to send Valentine in the right direction.

All our Love, Barbara, David and Valentine

So very, very sorry for your great loss! Take comfort in that you gave her athe most wonderful kind of life a dog could have: a service dog who travels and cruises! I'm sure she was an incredibly happy pooch and loved you more than anything else!

[Quampapetet]

So, I obviously decided to pop on in here today. I'm glad to see that Horton is working well for Roz and getting along well with Brenda. Sorry to see some of you struggling with different things with their family and/or their dogs, though. I wish you all the best!

Things are pretty crazy here, too, and I'll mention one of the things since it has to do with service dogs, since service dogs are for our disabilities. Well, for at least seventeen years, I have had a certain diagnosis that was one of my disabilities. Long story short, I was recently diagnosed with what I now believe is the correct diagnosis (I had never heard of this diagnosis before). I am now on meds and use a medical device to treat it and they are both helping - I haven't felt this well in forever, if ever! (I progressively got worse over the last seventeen or more years - probably over my whole lifetime really.) I still have my other disabilities and still need my service dog, but thankfully I am not as sick as I had been, especially since it got pretty bad just before my actual diagnosis. Thankfully, I was able to amazingly get a quick appointment at a top hospital with their best neurologist for my diagnosis, so was able to get on the meds not too long after my condition got worse (though I was already using the medical device and that was helping a good amount). This should mean that I won't be having to miss as many events and things anymore!

As for cruises, I am thinking of doing the same Southern Caribbean on Carnival out of Puerto Rico one that I did in 2011, but that wouldn't be until 2014. I was looking for something closer, like this year or early next year, but didn't find anything I wanted to do that my friends would be able to afford (like Hawaii or like Alaska out of California). When I do plan it, I'll make sure at least one other friend will be going, but will also open it up to any and all of my friends who want to come, so I hope a good number of them will be able to come, especially if I start planning it over a year in advance.

All right, I need to get off the board now. Take care, everyone! I'll come back to visit again at some point, LOL!

[Rolls Royce Lover]

I'm having some insomnia....don't mind it on the weekends so much...I get up at 7:00am, feed the dogs and then go right back to bed with Horton [who loves to sleep in in the mornings anyway], perfect for me! We close the bedroom door and cacoon ourselves until at least 11:00am. Great for the weekends, not so good for the work days!!!

Quam, it's so good to hear from you with all your great information and insights. Thanks for your good wishes for Horton and Brenda. They're great buds and really like each other. It's so cute to watch them greet each other at the end of our work day!!!!! It's a Laurel & Hardy routine!!

I'm glad to hear that you doing good now. Stay well and keep those cruising aspirations in your head.....it's definitely what keeps me going!!!

Please pop-in every once in a while to let us know how your plans are going and to add to our conversations.

[celle]

Hi,

I just saw on tonight's news that NZ is going to train dogs to alert diabetics to low blood sugar levels.

The first dog to be trained is a German shepherd. He is being taught to detect hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar levels). A lady who is a diabetic is taking part in this training. She supplies clothes that she has been wearing when having a hypoglycaemic episode.

Apparently, there are different substances in the perspiration during a hypoglycaemic episode. The dog is learning (with his super sense of smell) to detect these substances, and he is being taught to then alert the diabetic.

I don't know how many dogs will be trained, or when, but this is a start.

[Rolls Royce Lover]

Originally Posted by celle

Hi,

I just saw on tonight's news that NZ is going to train dogs to alert diabetics to low blood sugar levels.

The first dog to be trained is a German shepherd. He is being taught to detect hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar levels). A lady who is a diabetic is taking part in this training. She supplies clothes that she has been wearing when having a hypoglycaemic episode.

Apparently, there are different substances in the perspiration during a hypoglycaemic episode. The dog is learning (with his super sense of smell) to detect these substances, and he is being taught to then alert the diabetic.

I don't know how many dogs will be trained, or when, but this is a start.

Amazing! I'd love to see this in action. When I demonstrate to people just how Brenda or Horton do their jobs, they're always so impressed. Our dogs are true miracle workers.

[Latitude 20]

We're off for a week of camping in the wilds of Northwest Washington--no running water, no electricity and no computer. So I wanted to pop in to wish everyone a happy and safe Fourth of July! Will be back on Friday in time to celebrate our board's fifth anniversary!

[Rolls Royce Lover]

Originally Posted by Latitude 20

We're off for a week of camping in the wilds of Northwest Washington--no running water, no electricity and no computer. So I wanted to pop in to wish everyone a happy and safe Fourth of July! Will be back on Friday in time to celebrate our board's fifth anniversary!

What is wrong with you woman? Are there no more hotels in Washington? You're going to sweat, get dirty, get bug bitten and have withdrawls with no electronic devices to entertain you.....Oh! Well! I guess someone's got to be our "naturalist"....we've nominated you! Have fun! I think!

Please come back and tell us all about it. Happy "natural" 4th to you and your's.

Yes, we ALL need to write in on the 7th to celebrate our 5th year! Hear from you then!

[BeagleOne]

Thanks, Roz!

That's very interesting about the hypoglycemia-alert dogs. People in diabetic ketoacidotic (DKA) states often have a fruity/acetone odor on their breaths, although not everyone can smell it, and the diabetic person is usually showing other signs by then.

I wonder what exactly the dogs smell in the perspiration? Did a few searches and couldn't find anything. Does anyone know?