Those "service" animals

[denas]

I would be in total support of any legitimate service animal. We saw one on a Panama Canal trip (19 nights) and the tiny dog was always appropriately dressed in foofoo clothing. It was supposedly for their diabetes (two very obese people) but we would see them giving licks of their ice cream cones to their dog in the buffet. So, it was like "wait a minute...you have diabetes and need that dog to warn you about your sugars being off yet you AND the dog are eating ice cream? (feeding dogs people food on a cruise ship is supposed to be against the rules). Egads.

 

As an owner of a service dog, this makes me cringe. However, there are tons of people breaking the rules all the time on a cruise ship. People smuggle on alcohol then get drunk and disruptive or worse vomit in the pool. Or they don't smuggle on alcohol and simply drink too much and do the same. People put kids in diapers in the pools. People lie on those forms designed to prevent illnesses from spreading on the ship and travel when ill. Basically, when you choose to be around people at all, you will always find a few who think their wants/needs/whatever are so important they should be exempt from the rules.

[sparks1093]

As an owner of a service dog, this makes me cringe. However, there are tons of people breaking the rules all the time on a cruise ship. People smuggle on alcohol then get drunk and disruptive or worse vomit in the pool. Or they don't smuggle on alcohol and simply drink too much and do the same. People put kids in diapers in the pools. People lie on those forms designed to prevent illnesses from spreading on the ship and travel when ill. Basically, when you choose to be around people at all, you will always find a few who think their wants/needs/whatever are so important they should be exempt from the rules.

 

Yep, and when the cruise line(s) don't enforce the rules it can leave bitterness in the wake. Unfortunately those that don't know the difference end up lumping service animals in with emotional support animals which is a huge disservice to the service animals.

Edited March 17, 2016 by sparks1093

[NLH Arizona]

I work at an information desk at a National Conservation Area. You would be amazed how many people have "service" chihuahuas. I wish that I could get a large service snake and train it to eat service chihuahuas.

 

DON

Some time back, a lady took her emotional support/comfort pig on an airplay, but after it was defecating aisle, they threw the lady and her pig off the plane.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/30/travel/emotional-support-pig-booted-flight/

[NLH Arizona]

What service can a Chihuahua perform.

If it were a true service dog, it could alert the owner of seizures or low blood sugar, both are approved reasons under the ADA.

[denas]

Thanks, I have seen some dogs on board (that were not guide dogs) and was wondering if they may have been service dogs or ESA. Apparently they must perform some sort of function (have training for assistance) to get aboard.

 

A service dog is task-trained with specific tasks to help one individual. The individual must have a disability that this dog provides a task for. For example, my son has a genetic condition and this impacts his mobility. His service dog is trained to wear a harness and my son uses the dog like a cane almost to help his balance. The dog is also trained to detect seizures before they happen and bark during a seizure to get help. There are a number of other smaller tasks as well but these are the biggies.

 

Service dogs can be trained to alert to highs and lows for diabetes, trained to pull wheel chairs and open doors, trained to bring items to someone in a wheel chair, trained as hearing-ear dogs to alert their owners to phones/doorbells/sirens/their name being called, etc, or trained to assist with anxiety attacks and PTSD. For example, some veterans may react to a strong noise and start having flashbacks. The dog can sense this and will begin licking hands or getting the owners attention in some other way to help calm them and bring them back to the present. Children with autism can also have service dogs. One biggie with these types of dogs is that kids with autism "elope". The dogs can bark to alert an adult if the child attempts to leave the house/school and many are trained in search and rescue in order to track their child if he/she does leave without an adult realizing it.

[NLH Arizona]

A service dog is task-trained with specific tasks to help one individual. The individual must have a disability that this dog provides a task for. For example, my son has a genetic condition and this impacts his mobility. His service dog is trained to wear a harness and my son uses the dog like a cane almost to help his balance. The dog is also trained to detect seizures before they happen and bark during a seizure to get help. There are a number of other smaller tasks as well but these are the biggies.

 

Service dogs can be trained to alert to highs and lows for diabetes, trained to pull wheel chairs and open doors, trained to bring items to someone in a wheel chair, trained as hearing-ear dogs to alert their owners to phones/doorbells/sirens/their name being called, etc, or trained to assist with anxiety attacks and PTSD. For example, some veterans may react to a strong noise and start having flashbacks. The dog can sense this and will begin licking hands or getting the owners attention in some other way to help calm them and bring them back to the present. Children with autism can also have service dogs. One biggie with these types of dogs is that kids with autism "elope". The dogs can bark to alert an adult if the child attempts to leave the house/school and many are trained in search and rescue in order to track their child if he/she does leave without an adult realizing it.

I'm a big advocate for getting rid of these poser service dogs (I've actually turned in a person in my community who brought her dog, sitting it on a chair, at our meetings - she is now no longer allowed to bring her emotional support dog now), as I call them, (emotional support/comfort dogs) being treated by businesses like true service dogs. I know that there are some that want service dogs registered, which could eliminate the posers, but there are those with service animals that feel this will pose a threat to the confidentially of those with service animals with regard to their disability. What are your feelings on registering service dogs?

[navybankerteacher]

I'm a big advocate for getting rid of these poser service dogs (I've actually turned in a person in my community who brought her dog, sitting it on a chair, at our meetings - she is now no longer allowed to bring her emotional support dog now), as I call them, (emotional support/comfort dogs) being treated by businesses like true service dogs. I know that there are some that want service dogs registered, which could eliminate the posers, but there are those with service animals that feel this will pose a threat to the confidentially of those with service animals with regard to their disability. What are your feelings on registering service dogs?

 

If someone appears with a legitimate service animal, haven't they also gone public concerning the fact that they need a service animal? The evidence of registration, which they could properly be required to show the airline or cruise line, would not have to show anything more than the fact that they have an approved service animal - and not disclose any other information.

[DocF]

I guess some of the poster here would be suspicious if I fasten a really long handle to our dachshund and claim she is my guide dog.:p

 

Seriously, she can sense my highs and lows and acts upon them, but I would no more take her along as a support beast than I would an alligator.

 

Doc

 

NOTE: The dog in my sig cut is Elmo, the uber dachshund. He is no longer with us as all 46 pounds of him had to go back to the weenie dog ranch as he continually misbehaved.

[NLH Arizona]

If someone appears with a legitimate service animal, haven't they also gone public concerning the fact that they need a service animal? The evidence of registration, which they could properly be required to show the airline or cruise line, would not have to show anything more than the fact that they have an approved service animal - and not disclose any other information.

I understand that, but there are those who have service animals who are strongly against any kind of national registry for their animals. If there was one national registry, then that would cut down drastically on the poser dogs who are pretty much everywhere now and many give true service dogs a bad rap, because of their behavior or the behavior of their owners.

[denas]

I'm a big advocate for getting rid of these poser service dogs (I've actually turned in a person in my community who brought her dog, sitting it on a chair, at our meetings - she is now no longer allowed to bring her emotional support dog now), as I call them, (emotional support/comfort dogs) being treated by businesses like true service dogs. I know that there are some that want service dogs registered, which could eliminate the posers, but there are those with service animals that feel this will pose a threat to the confidentially of those with service animals with regard to their disability. What are your feelings on registering service dogs?

 

I'm a big fan of it, but we went through an agency who has been placing dogs for 20 years. In fact this agency will place their 1000th dog sometime this month. There are lots of people who "private train" their dogs and they aren't a fan of it because they don't want to go through an agency to verify that the dog is trained. Most of the service dog agencies are pushing for some type of certification standard/process.

 

But there are lots of people who recently created service dog agencies that are also taking advantage of people desperate for help who think a service dog might be the answer (parents of kids with autism are a huge group). They either promise a trained dog for an exorbitant fee that they often don't deliver or promise that they can train a pet to be a service dog (possible but generally not likely). So some people are hesitant to get agencies involved because no one is really policing the agencies. There are horror stories every month or so about someone who paid tens of thousands of dollars for a service dog who couldn't even walk at a heel let alone do the tasks they were supposedly trained for. I can see some of these supposed agencies signing off on paperwork for a large fee and you are no different than people ordering ESA kits online.

 

Most reputable agencies do require proof of a disability (ours required a doctors prescription for a dog). Most reputable agencies also re-certify their dogs and handlers every year for public access to make sure that the dogs aren't disruptive in public.

 

It's complicated. I suppose its kind of like "innocent until proven guilty" which means that it is better to let a criminal go free than to wrongly convict someone. I guess it is better to have a few cheaters game the system with their pets than to have someone denied access with a legitimate dog.

[NLH Arizona]

I'm a big fan of it, but we went through an agency who has been placing dogs for 20 years. In fact this agency will place their 1000th dog sometime this month. There are lots of people who "private train" their dogs and they aren't a fan of it because they don't want to go through an agency to verify that the dog is trained. Most of the service dog agencies are pushing for some type of certification standard/process.

 

But there are lots of people who recently created service dog agencies that are also taking advantage of people desperate for help who think a service dog might be the answer (parents of kids with autism are a huge group). They either promise a trained dog for an exorbitant fee that they often don't deliver or promise that they can train a pet to be a service dog (possible but generally not likely). So some people are hesitant to get agencies involved because no one is really policing the agencies. There are horror stories every month or so about someone who paid tens of thousands of dollars for a service dog who couldn't even walk at a heel let alone do the tasks they were supposedly trained for. I can see some of these supposed agencies signing off on paperwork for a large fee and you are no different than people ordering ESA kits online.

 

Most reputable agencies do require proof of a disability (ours required a doctors prescription for a dog). Most reputable agencies also re-certify their dogs and handlers every year for public access to make sure that the dogs aren't disruptive in public.

 

It's complicated. I suppose its kind of like "innocent until proven guilty" which means that it is better to let a criminal go free than to wrongly convict someone. I guess it is better to have a few cheaters game the system with their pets than to have someone denied access with a legitimate dog.

Thanks for your input. I would think that if everything is up and up at a company or with an owner, they would have no issues with one national registry, but that is how I think.

[DDWW]

My dogs would love the buffet.

 

Then the pool.

 

Then back to the buffet. :)

[ozarkmama]

i work at an information desk at a national conservation area. You would be amazed how many people have "service" chihuahuas. I wish that i could get a large service snake and train it to eat service chihuahuas.

 

Don

 

:d:d

[MJSailors]

"Fur babies"or working,service dogs- big difference!

[CPT Trips]

I work at an information desk at a National Conservation Area. You would be amazed how many people have "service" chihuahuas. I wish that I could get a large service snake and train it to eat service chihuahuas.

 

DON

 

What task is the little yappie dog trained to perform?

Service raptors may prove better.

Edited March 17, 2016 by CPT Trips

[CPT Trips]

While not allowed under law, as I an others who have posted can attest, the cruise lines take a "I'm not going to make waves" policy. Bolster this by the lack of training for shoreside and shipboard personnel on the aspects of the ADA, and you have an environment ripe for abuse.

 

I'm with you, that there should be a state or federal standard of training for service animals and their registration, and the ADA should be tightened up , but this last is a political minefield.

 

It's really more of an organizational (I'd say "bureaucratic" but too any people turn that into a pejorative) rulemaking issue. The entities that train service animals are all very turf protective. Trying to define how, who and what constitutes appropriate training proved to be an overwhelming task that would have unnecessarily delayed ADA implementation. Add to this, a number of service animals are "home schooled" by the person with the service need. Also you can be certain that the shysters profiting from the bogus credentials would be in the thick of the rulemaking and implementation processes.

 

ETA: I see I could have quoted several other posters . . . this was simply the first one I read.

Edited March 17, 2016 by CPT Trips

[Bizmark'sMom]

I saw a huge 4 foot by 5 foot square litter box on my last Cruise. I asked an employee about it and he said it was for the service dog. A doggie litter box and it was blocking the walkway on the deck

Where is a service dog supposed to relieve itself? People with service dogs train the dogs to relieve themselves on command and in designated spaces.

[MicCanberra]

A Chihuahua or any other small dog could be a "hearing ear" dog for the deaf - size doesn't matter for that. There are also dogs that can sense if their person is about to have a seizure.

 

Thanks,

[MicCanberra]

Some time back, a lady took her emotional support/comfort pig on an airplay, but after it was defecating aisle, they threw the lady and her pig off the plane.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/30/travel/emotional-support-pig-booted-flight/

 

I hope they landed first.:eek:

[MicCanberra]

A service dog is task-trained with specific tasks to help one individual. The individual must have a disability that this dog provides a task for. For example, my son has a genetic condition and this impacts his mobility. His service dog is trained to wear a harness and my son uses the dog like a cane almost to help his balance. The dog is also trained to detect seizures before they happen and bark during a seizure to get help. There are a number of other smaller tasks as well but these are the biggies.

 

Service dogs can be trained to alert to highs and lows for diabetes, trained to pull wheel chairs and open doors, trained to bring items to someone in a wheel chair, trained as hearing-ear dogs to alert their owners to phones/doorbells/sirens/their name being called, etc, or trained to assist with anxiety attacks and PTSD. For example, some veterans may react to a strong noise and start having flashbacks. The dog can sense this and will begin licking hands or getting the owners attention in some other way to help calm them and bring them back to the present. Children with autism can also have service dogs. One biggie with these types of dogs is that kids with autism "elope". The dogs can bark to alert an adult if the child attempts to leave the house/school and many are trained in search and rescue in order to track their child if he/she does leave without an adult realizing it.

 

Thanks for the explanation.

[donaldsc]

I hope they landed first.:eek:

 

I disagree. I would hope that they tossed the both of them off when the plane was at 30,000 feet. I realize that this would not be possible because of depressurization issues but they should design airplanes so that problem passengers could be ejected from the plane w/o depressurizing the plane.

 

DON

[CPT Trips]

[MicCanberra]

LOl, :D

[calliopecruiser]

Why is this such a concern? Is someone jealous because they can't bring their own fur baby on a cruise?

 

It's a concern because true service animals are properly trained, properly mannered, and properly controlled. Fake service animals (including support animals) most usually are not. In my experience, 98% of the time they are not.

 

Service animals are not "fur babies" or any manner of substitution for a family member. They are more like a cross between a friend, an employee, and a tool. They have rules, are held to strict standards, and are well taken care of but not indulged.

[sparks1093]

It's a concern because true service animals are properly trained, properly mannered, and properly controlled. Fake service animals (including support animals) most usually are not. In my experience, 98% of the time they are not.

 

Service animals are not "fur babies" or any manner of substitution for a family member. They are more like a cross between a friend, an employee, and a tool. They have rules, are held to strict standards, and are well taken care of but not indulged.

 

Let's face it- it is a concern because most of us get ticked off to see the system get abused. I know that it doesn't do my psyche any good to see the system being abused, but at the same time I realize that I am in no position to change it, either. So as long as Fluffy is not being overly intrusive I am just going to ignore it. Should Fluffy be in the cabin next door barking all night that will be a different story.