Dog on ship, continued

[A&L_Ont]

Aw shucks thanks Sam and Andrew. Yeah, I'd like to be one of our dogs. ;) All rescues but as anyone who's done it knows, the dogs really rescue us. Such gratitude and unconditional love can teach us all to be better humans.

 

Ok - Andrew I am counting on another fabulous review from you in a few weeks!

 

My last dog was a stray picked up from the side of the road. We couldn’t find her owner, no chip, no tags, no tattoo, no collar and she had no weight. She was with us on our farm for almost 14 years. She didn’t like the cat, but it worked.

 

As for the review, keep your eyes open. Pooping dogs will be shamed. ;)

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Here is the latest story:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article198971069.html

 

 

This has been all over the news...how cruel can one person be to tell them do flush it down the toilet?

 

***

[SchoolNurseMom]

my family was on Rhapsody of the Seas in February 2017 and saw a very small fluffy dog having pictures made with his family on Formal night. On another day, we saw him riding around the ship in a stroller. I'm not buying that he was a service dog.

[A&L_Ont]

This has been all over the news...how cruel can one person be to tell them do flush it down the toilet?

 

***

 

They also said that she could release it. The young woman chose to flush it, after having an overnight to think about it.

 

She was given a two choices and she should/could have come up with a few of her own if she thought about it for a minute. She had an overnight. Pet shop and Humain Society immediately come to my mind within seconds.

 

It isn’t a king cobra, she could have just let it go. In the grand scheme of things more animals are “freed” daily by people who no longer want to care for their pets. What’s one hamster in the grand scheme of things.

 

Maybe she let it go, but said she flushed it. You never know what people think now adays. If she did flush it how hard was she thinking? People need to think about smart solutions to their problems. If they can’t start making what seems to be the smart decision (sometimes right or wrong) their outcome in the big world could be tough.

 

Edit to Add: It was not very nice of the airline employee, especially after they we first told they could bring it. However, things in life change on the fly and you have to roll with the changes.

Edited February 9, 2018 by A&L_Ont

[coordinator23]

I just wish RCI would just enforce their own rules. Animals left alone in a room are not only not providing support to their human, they are also alone (and probably afraid) in an unfamiliar place. It's not fair for the dog.

As far as pooping anywhere but designated area, $250 cleaning fee mentioned earlier, is more than fair. The rules are there, why aren't they being followed? If the person who can't/won't follow the rules insists on breaking them, put them off at the next port! Just like you say you will in your guidelines/rules!

[grapau27]

I just wish RCI would just enforce their own rules. Animals left alone in a room are not only not providing support to their human, they are also alone (and probably afraid) in an unfamiliar place. It's not fair for the dog.

As far as pooping anywhere but designated area, $250 cleaning fee mentioned earlier, is more than fair. The rules are there, why aren't they being followed? If the person who can't/won't follow the rules insists on breaking them, put them off at the next port! Just like you say you will in your guidelines/rules!

I don't think its fair to put the passenger off the ship but i agree they should be appropriately penalised for the cost of clearing any poop or urine and the deep clean of the cabin.

 

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[finallyonboard]

I have been on 2 cruises on the Anthem. On both this old guy and his "service dog" were onboard. I really think this man does not want to pay for a kennel. He seems to cruise frequently. He should be charged for cleaning the cabin after the cruise has ended and a separate charge applied for everytime the crew has to clean up after the dog, outside of the cabin.

 

This brings to mind, another question, turnaround day is very chaotic for the cabin stewards, trying to get the cabin ready for the new guests. I wonder, how much of a deep cleaning are they actually able to do.

[LMaxwell]

I don't think its fair to put the passenger off the ship but i agree they should be appropriately penalised for the cost of clearing any poop or urine and the deep clean of the cabin.

 

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It's in the rules people agree to and those gaming the system know the companies have no backbone. They violate rules flagrantly because they know at most there will be passive aggressive posts on the internet behind their back, nothing to their face, and certainly zero penalty.

[A&L_Ont]

I don't think its fair to put the passenger off the ship but i agree they should be appropriately penalised for the cost of clearing any poop or urine and the deep clean of the cabin.

 

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I vote yes for the cleaning fee, for in their cabin or caught in the public areas. Maybe $250 each time. Owners will/should become more responsible and quickly. In reality RC doesn’t follow their own rules now, so I doubt they will changes. That is, unless they stop allowing any ESA animals altogether.

[chengkp75]

I vote yes for the cleaning fee, for in their cabin or caught in the public areas. Maybe $250 each time. Owners will/should become more responsible and quickly. In reality RC doesn’t follow their own rules now, so I doubt they will changes. That is, unless they stop allowing any ESA animals altogether.

 

All this would do is drive these people further into claiming a "service animal" rather than a "support animal", since it is illegal to charge extra for cleaning after a service animal. All the line can do is to ask what task the animal is trained to perform, they cannot ask that it be proved. This requires a revamp of cruise line policies, and enforcement, and also a change to the ADA that would require training and certification regulations and penalties.

[spicygirl]

My dog is my best friend. I've told him things I haven't told my husband but I've never told him I'd take him cruising. He's big & loving but he gets crated when an old aunt who is unstable on her feet comes to visit or a teenaged nephew who has a fear of dogs. Even a small dog on a leash could upset the old aunt's apple cart just darting in front of her, tangling her in his leash, or some other distractions.

 

If you truly love him and want to spend a week with your dog, take him camping and let him run free in the woods. He'd like that a whole lot better than a busy cruise ship. Don't bring him on a cruise where others don't want him, are afraid of him, or are afraid of any little distraction. It's too busy a place and if he's on a leash -- he's fair game to be stepped on by a distracted passenger.

 

RC should really re-assess their policies. Perhaps a simple survey of C&A members would make them reconsider only allowing ADA dogs. I personally feel that these ES dogs with their internet certificate should not be in the dining area. I don't want one at my table. How about a dog deck RC? They can have run of that deck. Give new meaning to poop deck.

[JodiBB]

All this would do is drive these people further into claiming a "service animal" rather than a "support animal", since it is illegal to charge extra for cleaning after a service animal. All the line can do is to ask what task the animal is trained to perform, they cannot ask that it be proved. This requires a revamp of cruise line policies, and enforcement, and also a change to the ADA that would require training and certification regulations and penalties.

 

 

 

Per ADA, there is a $1000 fine for falsifying information about claiming a dog is a service dog when in fact it isn’t.

 

 

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[chengkp75]

Per ADA, there is a $1000 fine for falsifying information about claiming a dog is a service dog when in fact it isn’t.

 

 

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I know about that penalty, but there needs to be one for proper training and certification of behavior, which is not required under the current act. So, I could have a dog that is able to detect blood sugar irregularities and lick or whine to notify (therefore a legitimate service dog), but that was not trained to disregard other dogs and people, not to bark or jump, or not trained to relieve itself on command.

[JodiBB]

I know about that penalty, but there needs to be one for proper training and certification of behavior, which is not required under the current act. So, I could have a dog that is able to detect blood sugar irregularities and lick or whine to notify (therefore a legitimate service dog), but that was not trained to disregard other dogs and people, not to bark or jump, or not trained to relieve itself on command.

 

 

 

I understand that conundrum, especially since the ADA doesn’t require certification, nor does it require the dog is professionally trained, versus the owner training the dog themselves for a specific task. At some point, the ADA law is going to have to include something (a registry...something) to indicate it’s a real service dog.

 

Unfortunately, the way our government is set up right now, I’m sure it’s not a priority. So until it becomes a priority, it’s going to have to sit upon the shoulders of business to be diligent in following the law.

 

 

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[tbillcruising]

An "emotional support dog" pooped yesterday at Guest Services. Emotionally dependent owner just walked away.

 

That is horrible. Don't they consider others on board that might have allergies to these dogs? What about their rights?

[tbillcruising]

So how would an animal relieve his/herself on a cruise ship? There is no "outside", "tree", "bush", etc. How is it even possible to bring a pet onboard at all? Pee Wee pads in the cabin? That means the next group of passengers in that cabin have to be subject to the remnant smells, germs, etc?

[tbillcruising]

IF and I do mean IF this actually happened, and the guest was AWARE that it happened, I would have simply said "Excuse me, do you need help cleaning this up?" If that did not get their attention, I would have simply acted like an adult, asked guest services for a paper towel, and helped dispose of it, because I would not want anyone to accidentally step in it, and spread it around.

 

Just because some seem to find it hard to adult, (person not picking up after their dog) does not mean it has to rub off on me.

 

No way I'm cleaning up after someone else's dog. How is that rubbing off on you? It is not your responsibility at all. Definitely the owner cleans it up and if they don't make that happen then it is the cruise staff's job to do it. After all the chose to let the animal on in the first place.

[A&L_Ont]

All this would do is drive these people further into claiming a "service animal" rather than a "support animal", since it is illegal to charge extra for cleaning after a service animal. All the line can do is to ask what task the animal is trained to perform, they cannot ask that it be proved. This requires a revamp of cruise line policies, and enforcement, and also a change to the ADA that would require training and certification regulations and penalties.

 

You are 100% correct. It was really just my wish.:)

[chengkp75]

So how would an animal relieve his/herself on a cruise ship? There is no "outside", "tree", "bush", etc. How is it even possible to bring a pet onboard at all? Pee Wee pads in the cabin? That means the next group of passengers in that cabin have to be subject to the remnant smells, germs, etc?

 

When the ship is notified that a "service animal" will be onboard, they set up a tray (4' x 4') on an open deck area, out of the way, and fill it with a variety of litter material (kitty litter, wood shavings, shredded newspaper, etc). True service animals are trained to only relieve themselves on command, and some are trained to only relieve themselves on certain types of materials. We had a last minute notification, and we used shredded paper, but the dog was trained only to go on kitty litter, so it had a difficult night until we could get to Walmart the next day for litter. A crew member is assigned to clean up the tray, and "red bag" (biohazard) it for disposal in the incinerator.

[Merion_Mom]

So how would an animal relieve his/herself on a cruise ship? There is no "outside", "tree", "bush", etc. How is it even possible to bring a pet onboard at all? Pee Wee pads in the cabin? That means the next group of passengers in that cabin have to be subject to the remnant smells, germs, etc?

Despite the fact that you thought you should call out the "rudeness" of others on *your* thread, I will gently point out to you that if you had read this thread before commenting, you would have read a discussion of that and would have seen that there is even a picture in post #42.

[tbillcruising]

When the ship is notified that a "service animal" will be onboard, they set up a tray (4' x 4') on an open deck area, out of the way, and fill it with a variety of litter material (kitty litter, wood shavings, shredded newspaper, etc). True service animals are trained to only relieve themselves on command, and some are trained to only relieve themselves on certain types of materials. We had a last minute notification, and we used shredded paper, but the dog was trained only to go on kitty litter, so it had a difficult night until we could get to Walmart the next day for litter. A crew member is assigned to clean up the tray, and "red bag" (biohazard) it for disposal in the incinerator.

 

So glad to here that! Thank you so much for answering my question.

Edited February 10, 2018 by tbillcruising

[chengkp75]

That is horrible. Don't they consider others on board that might have allergies to these dogs? What about their rights?

 

Per the ADA, service animals can only be denied access to areas if the presence of the animal "fundamentally changes the nature of the business/service provided". Examples given on the ADA website are limiting dogs from certain areas of zoos, if they would disturb the zoo animals, or boarding schools limiting public areas due to other people's allergies. This is something that cruise lines need to address, and set aside defined zones for service animals in lounges, restaurants, and theaters.

[tbillcruising]

Despite the fact that you thought you should call out the "rudeness" of others on *your* thread, I will gently point out to you that if you had read this thread before commenting, you would have read a discussion of that and would have seen that there is even a picture in post #42.

 

Sorry, its a long thread and frankly most of it is boring. Thanks for the slap on the wrist though. I'll now refer to post #42 with pictures. SMH!

[tbillcruising]

Despite the fact that you thought you should call out the "rudeness" of others on *your* thread, I will gently point out to you that if you had read this thread before commenting, you would have read a discussion of that and would have seen that there is even a picture in post #42.

 

So, do I just count the posts until I reach #42? You left that part of the instructions out of your reply. Thank you.

[tbillcruising]

On Harmony it is on the jogging track, starboard aft, under the stairs that come down the deck above. It is a box filled with wood chips. Not sure if there is more than 1, but that was the one I saw.

 

I just found the picture I took of it.

 

 

Ah... Look at me! I found it all on my own. It's a pretty small area.