Dog on Royal Princess

[5326jan]

My last job in the military before retirement next year is running an organization that cares for our ill and injured. We have all kinds of service dogs around including "comfort dogs" that are owned by some with cases of PTSD or Operational Stress Injuries as we now call it. They provide a great service to those who need them and I know of at least one that has been on a cruise.

 

What a rewarding job! Please convey to your colleagues how much their service and sacrifice are appreciated.

[JF - retired RRT]

Amen. We've actually started taking shorter itineraries because we don't like being away from our two Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. IMHO, if someone could figure out how to run a practical pet-friendly cruise line, they'd have a gold mine.

 

Off topic, sorry. I LOVE chessies. Had them when I was younger, miss them a lot.

[Nomsayin]

Off topic, sorry. I LOVE chessies. Had them when I was younger, miss them a lot.

 

Chessies are never off topic:)

[alexspepa]

Not trying to be a smarta**, honestly..... how do blind people gamble?

 

I have to tell you one of my favorite poker stories.

 

I had the honor to play in a 1-2 NL cash game with Hal Lubarsky a few years ago when I was in Vegas. Hal is legally blind but an excellent player. He has a friend who stands behind him and whispers in Hal's ear what his hole cards are. That is the only time he whispers anything.

 

the rest of the hand he calls out the bets by other players and calls out the community cards to Hal. When I say calls out - he simply voices them in a normal tone.

 

One of the other players who was losing (mostly to Hal) took offence at the guy whispering in his ear, and after Hal left basically accused him of cheating. By the way you might as well slap someone as to do that in poker.

 

I was at the other end of the table and I said:

 

"that was Hal Labarsky - he doesn't need to cheat, he can beat you with both eyes closed...oh wait he just did."

 

the entire table broke up laughing and I had the honor to bust the guy out a few hands later.

 

true story...

[Packard]

My understanding, on this cruise, was that there was a place in the handicapped bathroom of the stateroom which contained kitty litter. The cabin steward scooped in that area at the same time as he cleaned In the morning and did evening turndown.

The dog was quiet, well behaved on board ship...better than some of the passengers! As was stated earlier, Honey alerted to door knocks, etc. and was also trained to alert to impending seizures.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Packard

[Gig103]

Not trying to be a smarta**, honestly..... how do blind people gamble?

 

The dealer tells the player what cards are up. Craps is even easier since the dealer places your bets and calls the numbers for everyone. Slots do it themselves except some bonuses which you'd just skip those machines for free spin bonuses.

 

Yes the player has to overcome some trust issues, but trusting a casino dealer is easier than a cashier in a supermarket! Hope this helps!

[nycruise]

"We have seen these "grass box areas" tucked in a corner on the promenade deck as well."

 

 

I guess the Promenade Deck has litter-ally "Gone To The Dogs", particularly on the Royal. :D:D

[Wandering_star]

I would love it if a cruise ship had a "ship dog". There are lots of high end hotels that have a hotel dog, and you can book time to spend with the pooch. Also, a lot of universities and colleges have puppy rooms for students studying for finals...

 

I know not everyone loves dogs (can't understand how!) and that some people are allergic, but the presence of a ship dog would definitely attract me to a ship I wouldn't have considered otherwise :)

[Ren1216]

I have to tell you one of my favorite poker stories.

 

I had the honor to play in a 1-2 NL cash game with Hal Lubarsky a few years ago when I was in Vegas. Hal is legally blind but an excellent player. He has a friend who stands behind him and whispers in Hal's ear what his hole cards are. That is the only time he whispers anything.

 

the rest of the hand he calls out the bets by other players and calls out the community cards to Hal. When I say calls out - he simply voices them in a normal tone.

 

One of the other players who was losing (mostly to Hal) took offence at the guy whispering in his ear, and after Hal left basically accused him of cheating. By the way you might as well slap someone as to do that in poker.

 

I was at the other end of the table and I said:

 

"that was Hal Labarsky - he doesn't need to cheat, he can beat you with both eyes closed...oh wait he just did."

 

the entire table broke up laughing and I had the honor to bust the guy out a few hands later.

 

true story...

 

Great story! And this is exactly what I was thinking... I figured someone would have to be telling the blind person what the cards were, and I wondered if others at the table would be skeptical and/or get perturbed by that. We are talking about money, after all. Interesting thread.

 

A few cruises back, there was a small dog that was constantly in the arms of a woman (in the MDR and everywhere). Really made us wonder what was going on... because it sort of looked phony. Please, no offense intended!! I'm just repeating what others thought and said out loud. She didn't appear to need the dog. She was completely mobile and seemed capable. The dog was this cutesy little thing with ribbons in her hair, etc. It truly looked like this woman had somehow managed to get her beloved pet on board. Obviously, at the time, we'd not heard of "comfort dogs". This must have been the case.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Ren1216

[billco]

Princess Access Makes Cruise Vacations Accessible For Passengers With Disabilities

http://www.princess.com/news/backgrounders_and_fact_sheets/factsheet/Princess-Access-Makes-Cruise-Vacations-Accessible-For-Passengers-With-Disabilities.html#.Unp1TGRDvug

 

Princess Welcomes Guide Dogs for the Blind Group

http://www.prweb.com/releases/guide/dogs/prweb8500033.htm

[Coral]

Obviously, at the time, we'd not heard of "comfort dogs". This must have been the case.

 

It could have been a seizure dog. Dogs can detect seizures before they happen and alert their owners so that they can sit down or get to the ground (so they don't fall).

[whataboutport]

Maybe Princess needs to have dogs onboard for passengers to play with. It could be a fee-venue, like the Sanctuary, where you could go cuddle dogs and play catch: call it The Pooch Pad. This is brilliant!

 

 

I would totally pay extra for that!!

[CI66774]

I would love it if a cruise ship had a "ship dog". There are lots of high end hotels that have a hotel dog, and you can book time to spend with the pooch. Also, a lot of universities and colleges have puppy rooms for students studying for finals...

 

I know not everyone loves dogs (can't understand how!) and that some people are allergic, but the presence of a ship dog would definitely attract me to a ship I wouldn't have considered otherwise :)

 

I just love it when a hotel or resort has a resident cat or dog!

[DMRick]

We were on a cruise where the gal had a small dog, that let her know when she needed insulin. They had a child's pool with sand/litter set up for the dog to use.

 

We belong to the Good Sam Camping Club and when we fly, we ask the stewards to save us the aluminum pop tops from the soda cans (if they have time..we understand sometimes they are too busy). These are donated to the Dogs for the Deaf that the Good Sam Clubs support. They turn them in for money. They usually hand me a nice plastic bag full.

[Shogun]

Hi There

 

Have cruised with guide dogs, more than happy to see service dogs onboard.

 

yours Shogun

[MommaBear55]

I would love it if a cruise ship had a "ship dog". There are lots of high end hotels that have a hotel dog, and you can book time to spend with the pooch. Also, a lot of universities and colleges have puppy rooms for students studying for finals...

 

I know not everyone loves dogs (can't understand how!) and that some people are allergic, but the presence of a ship dog would definitely attract me to a ship I wouldn't have considered otherwise :)

 

That would be really fun!

[Host Carolyn]

The little dog is trained to alert the deaf person to sounds......such as a knock on the door, an alarm clock, etc. All things that aren't accommodated on a cruise ship. It's a legitimate service dog. And yes, service dogs do get breaks from 'working'....a romp on the beach would be a really fun one! For those who have therapy dogs and take them to hospitals, etc..they are NOT service dogs. I've seen people abuse the service dog requirement......it is specific to a disability defined by a Dr, and the dog provides an adaptive response for the disability. :)

 

If that was directed at me, no my "therapy dog" is not a service dog.. that's a complete other more advanced course! Lacie is having fun doing what she's doing. And I did not mean to imply Honey wasn't a legitimate service dog.. sheesh..:rolleyes::confused:

Edited November 6, 2013 by NCarolina

[shastatroy]

There are currently 2 dogs on the Golden, both are for young vets suffering from TBI. God bless the military.

[Ren1216]

It could have been a seizure dog. Dogs can detect seizures before they happen and alert their owners so that they can sit down or get to the ground (so they don't fall).

 

Of course, we all know that dogs have some amazing abilities... but this is really quite phenomenal! As I said, very interesting thread. It's good to learn about these sorts of things so we can educate others who may just assume they know a situation (of which, I have also been guilty).

[Coral]

Of course, we all know that dogs have some amazing abilities... but this is really quite phenomenal! As I said, very interesting thread. It's good to learn about these sorts of things so we can educate others who may just assume they know a situation (of which, I have also been guilty).

 

Here is more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seizure_response_dog

 

They can alert the person beforehand and/or do a variety of things after a seizure (alert others, summons for help, protect the individual, etc..)

 

Pretty amazing!

 

Honestly, I knew very little about service dogs before my mom became blind and she received her Seeing Eye dog. It is truly amazing all that they are trained to do. I remember trying to guide my mom before we got the dog and I couldn't do half of what the dog did!

[riclop]

There was someone with a lap dog on our Royal Cruise last week. I was not aware dogs were allowed on cruise ships? I know some folks call them emotional therapy dogs but how can the poor dog relieve itself on the ship?

Right on the bed where someone is sleeping as we speak.

[gcvt]

I am puzzled. There was a general announcement not to interfere with training, not to approach the dogs or touch the dogs, but you felt it was okay to pet the dog? The training is lengthy, up to 36 months of intense daily training and it needs to be consistent and is very repetitive. Even distracting the dog by saying the name out of context sends the wrong message. Later in the training they actually do distraction training.

 

I understand the lure of dogs, as I was a breeder of labs for many years and absolutely adore labs. We had some of our dogs go to NEADS, which actually starts their dogs in prisons to do the initial obedience training before the specialty training for the specific disability.

 

I did. I'm a horrible person :p

 

Our Gladys is an assistance dog too.

Edited November 7, 2013 by gcvt

[FawnRiver]

Amen. We've actually started taking shorter itineraries because we don't like being away from our two Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. IMHO, if someone could figure out how to run a practical pet-friendly cruise line, they'd have a gold mine.

Echo that, I get little panic attacks and thankfully we have a great puppy sitter (our breeder) who likes to cruise too, so she understands how anxious I get when away from them. She emails me to stop worrying about the dogs, how much fun they're having playing with their relatives and get back to enjoying my cruise.

[e2011]

As I understand it from the guy's mother, the dog was a "seeing eye dog for the deaf"... which I've not heard of. The guy had hearing aids and I think was pretty good at lip reading, could definitely talk. She was a certified service dog. I have a certified therapy dog and am going to just ask about this because I'm curious and have never heard of a seeing eye dog for the deaf. She was very well behaved but ran like a banshee on the beach at Grand Turk .. very happy doggie to get down and play :)

 

Interesting. I have never heard of that for the deaf but I am glad it helps the fellow.

[thyme2go]

If that was directed at me, no my "therapy dog" is not a service dog.. that's a complete other more advanced course! Lacie is having fun doing what she's doing. And I did not mean to imply Honey wasn't a legitimate service dog.. sheesh..:rolleyes::confused:

 

No, NCarolina, I'm sorry if that was perceived as directed at you. It was not!

It was meant as a distinction between service dogs and therapy and/or 'comfort' dogs. Many people do not know the difference. A while back there was a story of Carrie Fisher on a cruise ship and her 'service' dog on stage and all over the place--literally. While she may have been 'anxious' and sought comfort from her dog, her dog was not a service dog. It was a pet and showed none of the standards that service dogs are trained to---many people left that situation believing if they had a pocket dog they could call it their service dog because it comforts them! And, with service dogs trained to invisible disabilities....such as seizures and blood sugar levels, people may think a dog is not a service dog because they don't see the disability. Watch the dog's behavior....not necessarily alerting, but it's behavior in general. They are trained to be as non-detectable and well mannered as possible. As some people bend the system (and they DO!) it becomes more difficult for REAL service dogs and their owners to travel.

NCarolina I commend you for your therapy work and this was not directed at you........YOU know this stuff!!:)

Edited November 7, 2013 by thyme2go
clarification