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

Oh, Joy is precious. And what a beautiful cruise! Glad you enjoyed it!

Dayspring, thank you so much for sharing these fabulous photos. Joy has exactly the right name! Clearly she had a wonderful time, and made it possible for you to go, too.

What's next? Keep us posted.

Fabulous pictures Dayspring. What a beauty Joy is; so appropriately named.

Dianne

omg Dayspring - she looks just like my Lucy (not a Service Dog just a Special Dog). thanks for posting!

Thank you for your posting DaySpring and for the photos! Just another example of how special our dogs are. :)

Thanks all for your kind replies!

I really, really hope that I will be able to cruise once more together with Joy! If only cruising wasn't so expensive...

Raylene's beside herself with excitement about our Alaska cruise at the end of August. (OK, she's mainly sleeping on the floor and lets out a long groan every now and then. Her groans are so loud that even I can hear them assuming I'm wearing my hearing aid. We just watched the recent Star Wars sequel and I've started calling her the Wookie.)

Anyway - this trip we are doing something we've never done before, and that's booking the cruise line's pre and post cruise hotel stays with transfers. All hotels in Seattle are shockingly expensive, and these packages are about the same as if we booked ourselves and paid for taxis.

Since this will be the first time we've flown with Raylene, I'm finding the idea that someone will meet us and take our luggage to be very soothing. A little less to concern myself with.

Raylene's beside herself with excitement about our Alaska cruise at the end of August. (OK, she's mainly sleeping on the floor and lets out a long groan every now and then. Her groans are so loud that even I can hear them assuming I'm wearing my hearing aid. We just watched the recent Star Wars sequel and I've started calling her the Wookie.)

 

Anyway - this trip we are doing something we've never done before, and that's booking the cruise line's pre and post cruise hotel stays with transfers. All hotels in Seattle are shockingly expensive, and these packages are about the same as if we booked ourselves and paid for taxis.

 

Since this will be the first time we've flown with Raylene, I'm finding the idea that someone will meet us and take our luggage to be very soothing. A little less to concern myself with.

The TSA also has a TSA CARES (https://www.tsa.gov/travel/passenger-support) program. When my old assistance dog school had a class at Sky Harbor airport, the TSA agents suggested we call them 72 hours ahead of our trip and arrange to be met by a passenger support specialist. You get a curb-to-curb escort, and they'll help you with any problems, like going through security.

Hi Honeys - we are home!

And more importantly all our doggies are home too! Well all I can say is that it was quite the reunion when Bonnie arrived home and saw Aruba, Max and Poppy!

We were not given a look in! It took Bonnie about 20 minutes to finally come and say a quick hello to me and the DH and then rush back to her best friend Aruba!

I'm busy unpacking - where is that butler now???? LOL!!! For some reason dialling 02 on my phone summons no-one! Not even the DH! LOL!

Bonnie has grown a wee bit, but is still a petite girl - and is down to one meal a day! Well that isn't going to happen in our house with the others getting their twice daily feeds. So I give her a smallish breakfast and the bulk of her food in the evening, so that's working out well as Aruba eats, well hoovers really, her food in about 10 seconds flat! So she and Bonnie finish at the same time.

Dayspring - your photos of your cruise, but especially your beautiful girl Joy are stunning! I showed them to my DH and we were both thrilled to see a chocolate girl as we have a chocolate boy (not a service dog) as you don't often see the chocolates in this role. Mind you they did have one chocolate at our local Guide Dog for the Blind training centre last time we were there. Joy looks like she was really, really enjoying her holiday!

Chris, we are taking Bonnie to our local airport in a couple of weeks for a training excercise - as we did with Aruba - so check-in, going through security, and hopefully getting on an aircraft -I really enjoy doing these sessions and then we are all going to the pub! It's all great experience for their future work.

Hope you're all well and once I get myself sorted and back into routine with the dogs, I will post a few photos from our cruise. In the meantime, here's Bonnie.

The TSA also has a TSA CARES (https://www.tsa.gov/travel/passenger-support) program. When my old assistance dog school had a class at Sky Harbor airport, the TSA agents suggested we call them 72 hours ahead of our trip and arrange to be met by a passenger support specialist. You get a curb-to-curb escort, and they'll help you with any problems, like going through security.

Thanks so much, Krypti...I'm concerned about Dallas mostly, because we have a stopover both ways. Plenty of time IF there's no delay, but the only dog relief area is outside, which means returning to have to clear security. I've been hearing about the terrible long lines, but have heard you can go to the front. I don't mind a line, and the dog would be fine, but we don't want to miss our connection. So I'll look into this.

Fairbourne, Bonnie is growing up! I would have loved to see the reunion with Aruba. Welcome back!!

I like that airport training - especially the pub part.

 

I like that airport training - especially the pub part.

yeah that caught my eye as well Chris...many of the restaurants and bars in Charlotte allow dogs in their outside patio areas; Lucy loves going to them (so do I).

Thanks so much, Krypti...I'm concerned about Dallas mostly, because we have a stopover both ways. Plenty of time IF there's no delay, but the only dog relief area is outside, which means returning to have to clear security. I've been hearing about the terrible long lines, but have heard you can go to the front. I don't mind a line, and the dog would be fine, but we don't want to miss our connection. So I'll look into this.

There's good news for this, too!

http://www.examiner.com/article/animal-relief-areas-required-inside-terminals-at-major-airports

By August 4, 2106 federal regulation requires all airports serving over 10,000 passenger per year must install a pet relief area in every terminal, inside the secured section of the airport.

There is no mandate for the how to create areas except they must be wheelchair accessible and located in each terminal.

There's good news for this, too!

 

http://www.examiner.com/article/animal-relief-areas-required-inside-terminals-at-major-airports

 

By August 4, 2106 federal regulation requires all airports serving over 10,000 passenger per year must install a pet relief area in every terminal, inside the secured section of the airport.

 

There is no mandate for the how to create areas except they must be wheelchair accessible and located in each terminal.

Wow, what a great piece of information! Thank you so much for sharing this news, which I'm going to print out. I think I'll call somebody at the DFW airport on August 5 and ask them exactly where my dog's relief area is for my AA flights on the 27th!

Waiting for my weekly "Happy Friday, everyone!" From Mamma Roz....

Oh! Darling! Please come and rescue me.......I'm deep into a Golf Tournament and it feels like I'm being swallowed alive!

The Tournament is tomorrow [May 18th], please someone tell me it's over. There are 100 men playing to win a car, one million dollars and tons of other prizes......I've been doing this tournament 19 years and every single one of them feels like a new one all over again. It's really a lot of fun......Horton gets lots and lots of really quality attention, the food is outrageously good and by the time it's over at 8:00pm, I'm ready to go home and just collapse!!!!

I missed wishing you all a happy 13th, after tomorrow, I'll be back! Take care and know that I think about you often!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

Well here we are in the City that never sleeps! We disembarked after a very foggy sail in to New York and it's been quite cool and raining all day! Getting us ready for heading back home to Scotland!

 

We are looking forward to seeing our fur babies and we got Miss Bonnie a special IDtag for her collar when we were at NASA Space Centre in Port Canaveral - it reads "Failure is not an Option". We thought it most appropriate and now especially after reading the article Alexspepa posted and of course "our" Lydia and Tyr!

 

DKD, you never know who might be reading this - just look what happened when I stumbled across this board! And we are so happy that we did - so back to the training next week, and the sardines! LOL!

 

I need the training, well, the walking, especially after all the gorgeous food we've been having on the ship! LOL!!!

 

So have a great weekend everyone and I'm happy to wish you all this from New York!

I'm so glad that you're doing something for yourselves. Your furbabies will be thrilled when you get home!!!

It's so rewarding to know that we all had a hand in your becoming a PuppyRaiser [Walker]. The love and happiness that you've given these amazing dogs and the potential for what you will bring to someone else's life is over the top wonderful!!!

Thanks all for your kind replies!

I really, really hope that I will be able to cruise once more together with Joy! If only cruising wasn't so expensive...

Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful "Joy" with us! Aren't we the lucky one's to have these beings in our lives!!!!!!

You are so right cruising is expensive but made so much better with our dogs by our sides.

What Joy did for you by licking your face, is simply a miracle. Thanks for sharing with us!

Raylene's beside herself with excitement about our Alaska cruise at the end of August. (OK, she's mainly sleeping on the floor and lets out a long groan every now and then. Her groans are so loud that even I can hear them assuming I'm wearing my hearing aid. We just watched the recent Star Wars sequel and I've started calling her the Wookie.)

 

Anyway - this trip we are doing something we've never done before, and that's booking the cruise line's pre and post cruise hotel stays with transfers. All hotels in Seattle are shockingly expensive, and these packages are about the same as if we booked ourselves and paid for taxis.

 

Since this will be the first time we've flown with Raylene, I'm finding the idea that someone will meet us and take our luggage to be very soothing. A little less to concern myself with.

You're going to love Alaska! I can't wait to go back!

Hi Honeys - we are home!

 

And more importantly all our doggies are home too! Well all I can say is that it was quite the reunion when Bonnie arrived home and saw Aruba, Max and Poppy!

 

We were not given a look in! It took Bonnie about 20 minutes to finally come and say a quick hello to me and the DH and then rush back to her best friend Aruba!

 

I'm busy unpacking - where is that butler now???? LOL!!! For some reason dialling 02 on my phone summons no-one! Not even the DH! LOL!

 

Bonnie has grown a wee bit, but is still a petite girl - and is down to one meal a day! Well that isn't going to happen in our house with the others getting their twice daily feeds. So I give her a smallish breakfast and the bulk of her food in the evening, so that's working out well as Aruba eats, well hoovers really, her food in about 10 seconds flat! So she and Bonnie finish at the same time.

 

Dayspring - your photos of your cruise, but especially your beautiful girl Joy are stunning! I showed them to my DH and we were both thrilled to see a chocolate girl as we have a chocolate boy (not a service dog) as you don't often see the chocolates in this role. Mind you they did have one chocolate at our local Guide Dog for the Blind training centre last time we were there. Joy looks like she was really, really enjoying her holiday!

 

Chris, we are taking Bonnie to our local airport in a couple of weeks for a training excercise - as we did with Aruba - so check-in, going through security, and hopefully getting on an aircraft -I really enjoy doing these sessions and then we are all going to the pub! It's all great experience for their future work.

 

Hope you're all well and once I get myself sorted and back into routine with the dogs, I will post a few photos from our cruise. In the meantime, here's Bonnie.

Hi, Bonnie girl! You are a looker!

Thanks for posting her picture, I can't wait to see more photos of your cruise. Welcome Home!

There's good news for this, too!

 

http://www.examiner.com/article/animal-relief-areas-required-inside-terminals-at-major-airports

 

By August 4, 2106 federal regulation requires all airports serving over 10,000 passenger per year must install a pet relief area in every terminal, inside the secured section of the airport.

 

There is no mandate for the how to create areas except they must be wheelchair accessible and located in each terminal.

I love this.....except, some of them are placed in the most inconvenient areas. They're either outside of the security area so you have to go out and return through the long lines again. We were escorted out and escorted through the long lines in Oregon, it made it so much easier! They won't do this everywhere but it sure is helpful when they do!!!

Oh no not the cone of shame!! 😮

Turned out she didn't need it; the vet said to just use a T-shirt that covered the two little incisions in the belly and that worked perfectly! The stitches were absorbable, so we didn't have to go get them removed, either.

I think all of us Service Dog partners do so much research we end up knowing much more about the paperwork - and the way it plays out on the ground in the real world - than anybody else does, including (especially?) the Service Centers that we need for endorsements.

Yes, we definitely do end up knowing more than most vets do about the import requirements!

Are heartworm, flea, and tick treatments required for the 7001? In ten years, we've had zero problems with fleas and only a handful of tick problems from a filthy rental property a block over, and my vet doesn't recommend heartworm treatments for my service dog.

I have never heard of a vet who doesn't recommend heartworm preventive! :eek: Heartworm is transmitted by mosquitoes and can kill dogs; using a monthly preventive is very important! You must do a blood test before beginning preventive (giving it to a dog who has heartworm can kill the dog as the dead heartworms travel through the heart) and annually if you give preventive year-round (which is recommended even in wintry climates because mosquitoes are out longer/earlier than they previously thought, plus if you go to warm places in the winter, you want your dog protected).

Heartworm is treated with the same meds as the preventives, but the dog must be kept crated for the months of treatment because any movement can cause death - it is a very hard treatment and not all dogs make it. Prevention is key and so easy to do, just a beef-flavored "treat" for your dog every thirty days.

(And, no, humans cannot get heartworm.)

I'm with Roz. If my vet told me he didn't recommend heartworm preventative, I would find another vet. Just my humble opinion.

Seriously! I would also report a vet like that to the licensing board!

I don't know how much it is out there but our vet said 55.00 a pill. Lasts for 3 months. And she said the price was going up soon. Also it doesn't work until the tick bites them, doesn't repel. Being so close to Connecticut, which is tick heaven, we are sticking with the liquid stuff. I will probably switch him over at some point, but right now I have a bunch of tubes left that we got free from iaadp.

Try the Seresto flea/tick collar. It is about $45 or less from Chewy.com (some places sell it for MUCH more) and lasts eight months. I have been using it for years without any ticks or fleas. My vet was happy we use it, too, and said the ticks actually never went away this winter, so even a month ago they were already bad. (I use the collar year-round. I just ordered another one with the food order I made yesterday because it is due for replacement on June 1st, which means it will already have been eight months since my girl came home! Wow!!) The only thing I don't like about it is it can be difficult to remove temporarily if you take your dog to the groomer (mine requires it to be removed for the bath and haircut) or if your dog swims more than twice a month.

The spot-on liquids don't work well on my breed's hair. They're probably designed for dogs with fur.