has anyone ever sailed with a service dog?

I was wondering if any one has traveled with a service dog? What kind of arrangements were made for the dog to relieve it's self? Was the dog stressed or comfortable? What about health certificates for the ports and re entry to the US? Did you take your dog into the ports of call? Thanks

The Disabled Cruise Board has a huge thread about cruising with service dogs.

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I've seen the relief stations for the dogs on the two Carnival ships we've been on. They are quite small, but a well-trained dog could use them. A lady I met last year had a very cute little shih-tzu type dog for stress relief or something. She had all the documents necessary, and the dog was very well trained, also "non-shedding," which I know is not perfect wording. She said she does not take the dog off the boat to port, but I don't remember is she said why...

Anyway, I marveled at the dog being able to travel comfortably. I had a bichon frise at the time, and while they were bred to keep Spanish sailors company, I don't think I'd want to put my little dog through the possibility of being motion sick and not having much space to relieve herself.

I've seen the relief stations for the dogs on the two Carnival ships we've been on. They are quite small, but a well-trained dog could use them. A lady I met last year had a very cute little shih-tzu type dog for stress relief or something. She had all the documents necessary, and the dog was very well trained, also "non-shedding," which I know is not perfect wording. She said she does not take the dog off the boat to port, but I don't remember is she said why...

 

Anyway, I marveled at the dog being able to travel comfortably. I had a bichon frise at the time, and while they were bred to keep Spanish sailors company, I don't think I'd want to put my little dog through the possibility of being motion sick and not having much space to relieve herself.

Unfortunately, a "stress relief" or emotional support dog is not supposed to be brought on the ship, as they are not granted the public access that service animals are. And true service animals are trained to only relieve themselves, on command, so a small area (ship's boxes are typically 4' x 4') is not a problem.

remember the first letter in ADA is American, which ends once the ship pushes off dock . My sailing friends who want to bring their dog to the islands is a pain staking en devour. Going to one island for a week is one story, however each island has different rules about bringing dogs on their island, service or not.

We have seen several on our cruises. The last was on the Pride over NYE. The owner was an interesting lady who bragged about how easy it was to bring her "mupsie" on vacation with her at dinner. Hopefully an anomaly. The first time we saw one on an Alaskan cruise, it was out on deck and have to admit I did a double take.

I knew a gentleman who had a dog trained to detect (perhaps predict?) seizures - some small breed that I'm otherwise unfamiliar with as a service animal. He was pretty used to being given a hard time about the dog, because to an outsider it sure looked like he got a quack to sign off on him bringing his pet everywhere. Less of a problem after brain surgery, though, because people tend to pipe down after seeing his scars. I'm not sure if the dog is still considered a service dog, as he hasn't has a seizure since the surgery and has even been taken off the related medications.

In any event, back on topic, he was supposed to cruise with us last year and NCL (the line we were going through) made it sound like a fairly simple process as long as all his paperwork was in order - they definitely made it clear that it had to be a service animal, not an ESA. IIRC, they wanted him to use an accessible cabin, despite not having any need for the mobility accommodations. We did not end up taking the cruise, but we had already decided to stay onboard the ship at ports, to avoid any issues that might have arisen when dealing with foreign bureaucracy.

To the original poster: there is a huge (over 900 pgs) thread about service animals & cruising in the "cruising with disabilities section of this board. Don't let the huge legth of that thread scare you, I read the 1st 2-3 pgs plus the last 2 & got a pretty good understanding of cruising with a service animal. It does address the 'relieving" itself issues. Good luck.

I want to thank everyone for their assistance to my question. I will read the disability section. It wasn't my intention to cause arguments. I am no expert at service dog requirements. I found out that they are different for each county in the state where I live. My first dog passed from cancer when she was 10. My second I got as a puppy. I was heart broken at losing the first , and didn't want to wait. My trainer was a police officer that worked with a canine. She now does obedience training and scent dogs for search and rescue. She occasionally trains service dogs. The first step was finding a dog with the right personality. No timid or dominate personality traits, one that was easy going and comfortable in most situations. She did basic obedience level one and two, a safety class, (stays in the car with door open, emergency stop and stay , etc). A class learning the job she is to do. Total of 150 hours of training. She had to pass the AKA Community Canine, Canine good Citizen test. She needed to be spayed. I needed a letter from my doctor and vet. She is registered and has a tag from my county stating she is a service animal. I was never told that she could only relieve herself on command. I was told if she should not relieve herself while working. It has never been a problem. She is crate trained. She goes with me on airline flights 3 to 4 times a year. She does well, but I would be lying if I said it was not stressful for her. I am making arrangements to leave her with family for this cruise. I have never been away from her for more than a few hours. A separation will be hard on both of us. I want to be prepared in case I need to take her with me if plans change. My personal challenge is cardiac related. Thanks

I want to thank everyone for their assistance to my question. I will read the disability section. It wasn't my intention to cause arguments. I am no expert at service dog requirements. I found out that they are different for each county in the state where I live. My first dog passed from cancer when she was 10. My second I got as a puppy. I was heart broken at losing the first , and didn't want to wait. My trainer was a police officer that worked with a canine. She now does obedience training and scent dogs for search and rescue. She occasionally trains service dogs. The first step was finding a dog with the right personality. No timid or dominate personality traits, one that was easy going and comfortable in most situations. She did basic obedience level one and two, a safety class, (stays in the car with door open, emergency stop and stay , etc). A class learning the job she is to do. Total of 150 hours of training. She had to pass the AKA Community Canine, Canine good Citizen test. She needed to be spayed. I needed a letter from my doctor and vet. She is registered and has a tag from my county stating she is a service animal. I was never told that she could only relieve herself on command. I was told if she should not relieve herself while working. It has never been a problem. She is crate trained. She goes with me on airline flights 3 to 4 times a year. She does well, but I would be lying if I said it was not stressful for her. I am making arrangements to leave her with family for this cruise. I have never been away from her for more than a few hours. A separation will be hard on both of us. I want to be prepared in case I need to take her with me if plans change. My personal challenge is cardiac related. Thanks

Your willingness to put the needs of your dog first is admirable.