Opinion---Dogs on Board?

[AZAficionado]

Service dogs? Absolutely allowed. Pets? Sorry, no. Anything that isn't a trained service dog is a pet in my mind, no matter what it does for someone.

 

On my last cruise there was a service dog on board - a small Jack Russell. I'm guessing it was some kind of early detection service dog (seizures?). It was one of the best behaved and well trained dogs I've ever seen and posed absolutely no problems - I didn't ever hear it bark, growl, or make a sound of any kind. However, I think the other passengers were causing problems for the dog - he was trying to "work" and all they wanted to do was try to "play" with him. It didn't help that his owner put a tuxedo-like collar/bib on him for formal night.

 

Every service dog I've ever seen was always the best behaved creature in the room. Pets are often a different story.

[iheartbda]

Nothing wrong with service dogs on board.Service dogs come in all types.

Who are we to judge????

:cj

Did you read post #18? It pretty much explains what truly is a service/guide dog and this comes from someone who trains them.

[Illyria]

We were waiting at a gate at the airport.

 

There was a young girl with an emotional support dog. Every time we walked pass the area the little dog growled and yipped. Took me out because I thought these service dogs are supposed to be well trained in situations especially with crowds.

I don't particularly like dogs but over the years I realized...it's as much the fault of a badly behaved dog as it is of a stupid inconsiderate owner! Emotional support dogs are not ADA certified - the official position is that "Animals whose sole function is to provide emotional support, comfort, therapy, companionship, therapeutic benefits, or to promote emotional well-being are not service animals." So there's no official training for them, which means there are plenty of scam outlets out there that "train" a dog for emotional support and the owner then gets a letter from their doctor so that they can drag the dog with them on a plane or a cruise ship.

 

No legitimate service dog will ever growl at a passer-by (that's the very first thing that would disqualify it from graduating!)

 

Even though dogs for epilepsy and diabetes are still a somewhat unproven commodity, there's a ton of anecdotal evidence that they are legitimately helpful, so I wouldn't have a problem with them on a cruise ship.

 

P.S. I saw a headline in the news just recently, about a hotel canceling a family's reservations when they found out that the family travels with an epilepsy service dog. http://gawker.com/hotel-cancels-reservation-because-of-epileptic-sons-ser-1592995913

[PuterMonkey]

Hmm I personally do not mind a nice, well-behaved poochie sleeping under the table, but we are leaving some important considerations unanswered here, should the practice become commonplace. Like:

 

- Is doggie allowed in the Solarium pool, or only the kiddie ones?

- What happens when I need to start making sure I get the people cookies at the dessert bar, and not the cleverly disguised doggie one?

- Does parking your dog on a pool chair count as reserving it?

[toxicfairy]

I'll probably get flame to all heck but that's fine...I'm so sick and tired of all the political correctness BS!!

 

If you're that emotionally impaired that you need a dog to make you feel better stay the heck away from the railings!! I can totally understand a dog for the blind but I think it has just become a game of sorts for some people to take advantage. My dog is extremely well trained! you can tell her to sit , then you put a steak down and tell her to stay, you walk out of the room and go back 20 minutes later and she is still sitting staring at the steak ( I know this because my DH did it once when I first met him to prove to me how well behaved she is. I thought he was kidding but he wasn't). She knows how to listen !!! She very rarely barks, the only time I really remember her going off barking was a few years ago. She was barking and growling at the side door and my wonderful husband told her to stop and lay down, so she did. It wasn't until the morning that we realized some one had been out by the side of our house and drained desil fuel out of our truck. As much as I love her I don't let her on my bed and she does not come in the kitchen except to ring the bell on the back door to go out ( yes lol she actually rings a bell to go out).

The point is no matter how well trained a dog is it still is going to smell like dog , it is still going to pant when it is hot and it is still going to need to "do it's business" a few times a day at least. I just would not want to be on a doggy cruise or an any pet cruise.

Edited June 30, 2014 by toxicfairy

[m*u*g*]

A picture of my companion dog on Allure

 

 

[time4u2go]

I'd be OK with any dogs on board as long as they were quiet and were cleaned up after.

[Fergus]

Qualified service animals, under the ADA, are completely appropriate and necessary for people that rely on them. It is up to Royal Caribbean to determine the validity of the accommodation required by the cruisers. It is not up to fellow cruisers.

 

Some people will claim that companion animals are service animals, however, the ADA is quite clear. Trained service animals must be accommodated. Companion animals need not be. I would trust the cruise line Special Needs Department to make the correct decision.

 

Eric

 

Unfortunately, it is hard for them to make the correct decision, because a previous poster is right - there are companies out there who will sell you a vest that clearly says "Service Dog" and an ID for it.

 

My daughter uses a service dog and our dog trainer had to provide the vest, and her ID is issued by the Dept. of Justice. I take issue with people who try to pass their pets off as service dogs.

 

And, relating to the original post, I would never presume to take our service dog on a cruise - it would be as miserable for the dog as for the human.

[squadron]

I would certainly have no problem with any dog that provides an actual service. I wish there were some type of national association (or is there one???) that recognizes actual service animals, and supplies the owners with a certification card for the owner, and some type of ID that the service animal wears on his collar.

 

There is in Canada and I feel that the USA would have similar rules. I live in a military town and there are three Post Traumatic Stress dogs I have seen - coats that have service dog PTS on them. They are rescue dogs so don"t have the usual look or breed that one thinks of about service dogs. I have no objections to service dogs on board - better behaved than some passengers-that should cause a fuss!

[squadron]

I have cruised on a ship where a passenger had a yellow Labrador service dog. She would lead the way from pool to glass doors - then to elevator. Stayed under table in bars and dining room. Even saw her lead her owner to guest services where owner paid a bill. A bathroom area is provided with shavings such as you see at dog shows. It was in a rather remote area - saw it only by accident.

[swsfrail]

I have a bad back. Been that way most of my life. Many years ago my doctor prescribed a service python for me. She is 9 feet long now and gently wraps herself around my torso. When my back begins to hurt, she tightens ever so slightly giving my back the added support needed. Without her I often can barely walk. With her help, I can continue to Samba, Tango, and Boogie the night away. She is so well behaved in the MDR that she is barely noticeable.

 

Here is a photo of us on a ship excursion years ago when we were both much younger.

 

Edited June 30, 2014 by swsfrail

[swsfrail]

I'll probably get flame to all heck but that's fine...I'm so sick and tired of all the political correctness BS!!My dog is extremely well trained! you can tell her to sit , then you put a steak down and tell her to stay, you walk out of the room and go back 20 minutes later and she is still sitting staring at the steak ( I know this because my DH did it once when I first met him to prove to me how well behaved she is. I thought he was kidding but he wasn't).

 

Why would anyone torment a pet like that! That borders on animal cruelty. Oh, right! I'm being too "politically correct" for you!

[navybankerteacher]

I personally feel that a fair number of "service" animals are so designated simply because their owners can afford to get the appropriate documentation of necessity from a psychiatrist or whoever. In life the rule frequently is: "You are entitled to whatever it is that you can pay for."

 

In any event, it is up to the line to approve/disapprove of who/what gets aboard - when we book a cruise, we are essentially agreeing to the terms of passage of the line - if they believe a passenger is entitled to a service animal, it is their call - other passengers have little grounds to complain unless their safety/health is involved.

[Desertbelle]

It's so sad that people abuse a valid system and turn it into a joke. Ruins it for those people who have real needs.

[PH8]

No sarcasm at all. If you let your dog make its business in the ships interior and have a crew member clean it up I have no respect for that person. If it is a service animal they know where to go. In the event a true service animal has an accident, that is understandable.

 

I am talking about the self-entitled do what they want type. The same ones that let the dogs drive the Mercedes and go their business in the produce section of Publix.

I see them in Publix all the time here........and yes,this was in the produce section.

 

 

I have seen dogs in Walmart.......one was riding in the cart and snapping at people and barking........

 

In all above situations,the managers could not do a darn thing..

[cruisegirl1]

We’ve been on several cruises where there have been service dogs. Yes, there is an area on an open deck for the dogs to “do their business” No, it is not on the poop deck!

 

The dogs we’ve seen have been extremely well behaved and are with folks who (obviously) needed assistance with mobility or sight. I know that many have a need that is not as obvious .

 

m

Edited June 30, 2014 by cruisegirl1

[clackey]

Its none of our business:rolleyes:

 

If I am paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a quite, relaxing cruise, it "IS" my business. I love a well trained service animal. They are smart and do a great service, but the emotional excuse doesn't cut it.

 

Last month at the airport there was a lady with a yapping hairball in a carrier. She was a little indignant when I told her that we used to eat those things in Vietnam Nam.;)

[donaldsc]

When they start letting non-service dogs on board a ship is the day that I stop cruising. Most of they people who do bring service dogs on board are just cheating the system so there should be some way of separating the cheaters from the people who really need the dog.

 

DON

[spookwife]

The Brilliance cruise from Tampa to Harwich April 30 had two small dogs in a stroller on board. The passenger said they were service dogs for an emotional condition. Passenger and dogs had a handicap cabin and they all ate in the MDR.

 

 

officially emotional support animals ARE NOT SERVICE ANIMALS and DO NOT fall under the protected category of the ADA.

 

problem is no one wants to push the issue or cause a ruckus.

 

and yes lap dogs CAN be trained as true service animals.. they can detect seizures and sudden drops in blood sugar

 

their cabin category is irrelevant as is where they ate.

[iheartbda]

I see them in Publix all the time here........and yes,this was in the produce section.

 

 

I have seen dogs in Walmart.......one was riding in the cart and snapping at people and barking........

 

In all above situations,the managers could not do a darn thing..

Yes, and one in a mesh shopping cart that someone else is going to put their clothes in. Did that previous dog do an undetected little pee pee in the cart before I get to use it? What about people who are highly allergic to animal dander getting it next? Why people have to bring dogs along that you can bet your bottom dollar are no kind of service dog is beyond me.

[wolfganghowell]

But let's be clear. A trained dog that is used to detect epilepsy, seizures, blood sugar and other medical needs are not yappy little lap dogs that misbehave. Or sit at the table or on Mommy's lap.

 

And the dog in the carrier at the airport, while yapping, was not breaking any rules. Dogs are allowed on planes in carriers and most pay fees for it. So I wouldn't have liked the "eat them" comment either. If I ever had to fly with my dogs, no way would they ride in the luggage hold. Too many dogs die each year in those. They would be in a carrier - and just as I have to listen to wailing babies, somebody might have to listen to a whimpering chihuahua. There's a big difference between airline travel and a cruise vacation. And no, I don't plan to have to fly with the dogs! ;)

[Aquahound]

People do fake it. Unfortunately, I know someone who took their yippie little shih tzu on a Holland America cruise and pretended it was a service dog, so I know it does happen. These were her own words..."it's a Jersey thing. You ain't livin' if you ain't scammin'." (Insert accent)

 

:rolleyes:

Edited June 30, 2014 by Aquahound

[kitty9]

Its none of our business:rolleyes:

 

YES it is our business. Those selfish bozos who bring their little pooches on ships and call them support animals do all of us who are disabled, myself included, a disservice because they could very well ruin things for those who have real service animals. They provide no support other than saving these individuals the cost of animal care while they're gone.

 

As a contributor to the original bill, written in the early 1970's, and known then as PL94-142, emotional support animals are NOT covered under any form of the ADA, and until cruise ships grow the cojones needed to stop these people from bringing pets on board, nothing will stop them.

 

One thing we can do is file complaints with the CDC whenever we see one of these faux service dogs behaving badly. On my most recent cruise a woman brought her little Shi Tzu with her. You cannot believe how horribly this dog behaved, from pooping in the hallways and dining room, to howling at all hours of the night (if this animal was a support dog, the owner would never leave it alone for hours on end, like she was prone to do). A passenger took photos of this dog, spoke to the captain, threatened action (got no response) and mailed the photos to the CDC. Don't know what their response was, but if we all took a stance, perhaps this stuff would stop.

[slidergirl]

I work in the hotel industry. Before we went "pet friendly", we were schooled in service animals and what we could and could not do. It was basically, if someone said it was a "service dog" we had to let it stay. The word was "service". If they said anything else - support, therapy, etc. - we didn't have to have it in the hotel. Only dogs, no service monkeys (although there ARE some).

Some of my favorite guests are a gay couple who are deaf. They each have a little service dog to alert them to sounds they need to know about. Yes, they are of a "rat dog" type, but cute and well behaved.

There is no official documentation needed - and we are not allowed to ask. As soon as they say those magic words "service dog", they are in.

BTW, I LOVE that my hotel now allows dogs. They always make me smile when they walk by...

Edited June 30, 2014 by slidergirl

[Velvetwater]

What was great was the dog had its own Sea Pass card hanging around his neck attached to his collar. The Dog was Diamond :eek: But the owners were not. When we asked how this was possible They told us for every one dog day at sea the dog got 7 days. We found that so great. Way to Go Royal Caribbean.

 

This post made me smile a lot.

 

We would love to take our dog but he is a fluffy Cavalier King Charles that is useless in any working role but adorable. My hubby has diabetes but if he was having a hypo our dog would probably go and nuzzle him rather than bark for help...lol.