Cruising With A Service Dog....everything You Ever Wanted To Know!

[wizard-of-roz]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement for helping Sassy.

 

TV, your cruise sounds wonderful. You will NOT be allowed to leave your dog in your cabin.......no one ever should. If a specific country won't allow your dog in for some reason or another ALWAYS make it a long standing rule for both of you that if your dog isn't welcome either are you or your traveling dollars!

 

You can visit the island one at a time with someone staying behind with your dog, if it's that important to you.

 

Onboard a Celebrity cruise there were several crew members who offered to dog sit Brenda while Morey and I went ashore. I never left her behind, ever! They would offer to walk her and to take her into an empty lounge to play ball with her and that was fun for her and fun to watch. I allow for such "down time" for her and also for Horton. The dogs love it and it takes the boredom out of the "same old, same old!"

 

To all you brilliant "lurkers" THANK YOU for caring and occasionally sharing.

 

Edited December 7, 2014 by wizard-of-roz

[Caribbean Chris]

With over 500 posts on this thread, please forgive me if I am repeating a previous question.

 

We will be traveling with our new service dog for the first time in February. The cruise line has just approved his sailing. They have referred us to pettravels.com for information on port requirements. Our ports will be Aruba, Colombia, Costa Rica and Jamaica. I have read that each requires a health certificate and some a microchip. Does each country require a separate health certificate or will they all accept the same one? Also, I already know that Jamaica is a no go, as the dog was not born in the UK, which is a requirement there. The cruise line stated in a letter that we cannot leave the dog in our cabin alone...yet we can ask the crew for assistance. Can the dog be kept in a kennel in the cabin? Do we hire a dog sitter? Or, does my husband have to stay on board for that port? Has anyone had experience with these issues? Thanks for your any help you can offer.

 

TV

 

I posted some info on this forum a few pages earlier (November 19) that you may find useful. It is a recent email from the USDA that lists all the regional offices.

 

I've been dealing with this for a cruise leaving next Saturday. The following is my experience - and your experience may vary. The basic gameplan is you need a USDA APHIS form 7001 health certificate (form available online) which, once issued, is valid for 30 days, so don't get it yet for a February cruise. I was able to fill in the blanks on the PDF document and print it out (instead of hand printing my name, address, etc.) to take to the USDA certified vet in my area.

 

It was somewhat difficult for me to find out what each country requires beyond the 7001 health certificate and we were referred by USDA offices and vets to "call the embassy." There may or may not be additional country-specific forms to fill out. Service dogs seem to be grouped with pets in terms of requirements.

 

You need to have your dog examined by a USDA Certified vet. Bring all your dog's health records with you. The vet will read the microchip.(see Quam's info about ISO standard.) That vet will sign the 7001 form. (Maybe you are lucky and your regular vet is USDA certified ...ours is not, but there is one 20 minutes away.) She mentioned to me that they look in the exam for skin problems, by the way, I guess a signal of potential health issues to investigate.

 

Then you have to have the 7001 form endorsed by the regional office. The USDA waives the endorsing fee for Service Dogs, so include some proof. Our regional office is a 6-hour round trip drive, so I mailed it by overnight UPS letter (with a pre-paid return overnight letter folded inside.) TRACK the letter. Call to follow up. Our form was sitting in a file the other day, because USDA had a question, until we called. They wanted a "consignee" destination on the form, even though we are not exporting her and leaving her in the Caribbean, and I had given them the itinerary. So they wrote "Celebrity Cruise" and entered a couple of the ports on the form.

 

The form is now back with a raised seal and signature. I am going to make a copy for the ship and for each port, but will hang on to the original. I hope all goes well but, if not, we'll take turns ashore. I'll report back after 12/22.

[wizard-of-roz]

Chris thanks for the great info.

 

Well, I wrote on Happy Tails to inform them of the hitting incident with their team of Fred and Sassy. And, it took one hour and it was removed.

 

They obviously didn't like what I wrote! Too bad!

[S.S. Cruisers]

Roz, that is sad that Happy Tails decided to take the info down. Maybe they will still contact you or just handle it. I imagine they didn't want any bad press hanging around. But, like you said, "Too bad." Thank you for trying as hard as you could. ♥

 

[wizard-of-roz]

Roz, that is sad that Happy Tails decided to take the info down. Maybe they will still contact you or just handle it. I imagine they didn't want any bad press hanging around. But, like you said, "Too bad." Thank you for trying as hard as you could. ♥

 

 

And, you think I'm done! Not quite!!! On Happy Tails of Phoenix facebook page are phone numbers and names.......I will be calling them tomorrow. I don't blame them for not wanting people to talk about one of their dogs being abused, which is why they pulled my writing down. I also mentioned that it wouldn't be very easy for them to raise the dollars that they need to stay in business if the public thought they were encouraging one of their teams to mistreat their dog.

 

I won't stop until they promise me that they're going to bring this team in for a refresher course on dog behavior and treatment of their Service Dog from all members of this family.

 

I would expect nothing less from any one of us!

[Quampapetet]

My girl is doing a LOT better and is pretty much back to normal! The lymph nodes are down and she is frisky and eating well and everything. What a difference treating it early makes! (Last time, our regular vet was nonchalant about the enlarged lymph nodes and then was pretty terrible to us. I will never take my new pup there! The only reason I didn't change vets already is we have been going there for so long and it is not the time to go around checking out different vets and all.)

[Quampapetet]

Roz, do keep us updated on the Happy Tails situation!

[fairbourne]

Quam - I'm so happy to read your precious girl is doing so well ..... I've been thinking about her all weekend and sending thoughts your way .... :)

[fairbourne]

And, you think I'm done! Not quite!!! On Happy Tails of Phoenix facebook page are phone numbers and names.......I will be calling them tomorrow. I don't blame them for not wanting people to talk about one of their dogs being abused, which is why they pulled my writing down. I also mentioned that it wouldn't be very easy for them to raise the dollars that they need to stay in business if the public thought they were encouraging one of their teams to mistreat their dog.

 

I won't stop until they promise me that they're going to bring this team in for a refresher course on dog behavior and treatment of their Service Dog from all members of this family.

 

I would expect nothing less from any one of us!

 

Roz - I want you always in my corner ..... You have done a sterling job in tracking this down. I'm sure they will want to sort it out too, well I blooming well hope so!!! I would hate to think that there was even the remotest chance that Aruba would be badly treated by anyone!

[Caribbean Chris]

We talk here sometimes about fake service dogs. Yesterday, someone I know via a younger relative's marriage emailed around some photos of herself and her son at a football stadium with her little family pet wearing a leash that said "service dog."

I do not judge a troubled, unfortunate person who has told people she has emotional problems and sees a therapist. There are many kinds of disabilities and I am sorry for her problems. She decided (apparently after seeing me last summer with my professionally-trained Hearing Dog) that her existing dog would make a good service animal for her panic attacks.

What I do have an issue with is local trainers who charge a lot of money and (if she is truthful) encourage the idea that, with a few lessons, an older pet will be just dandy for public access. For all I know they gave her the leash, or she bought it online.

She mentioned proudly that she and her pooch had had two lessons already during the past month (they have gone every other week and in between she is "working with the dog on her own" because it costs so much for a lesson). She found this trainer through a local dog training company in her city with an impressive-looking website. She says they told her the dog "won't need a lot of lessons."

I hardly knew how to respond because this woman is emotionally fragile but did tell her my dog was required to spend many months of daily training (and forever followup) to be certified for public access, plus intense training and testing with me.

I just think this type of "quick and easy" encouragement (for the right price) is getting very common and will lead to many more incidents in public that cause problems for well-trained service dogs. This is already happening, of course. I think it will lead to state or national certification requirements for public access. Not a problem for most of us.

[DisneyKidsDad]

[quote name='fairbourne']Hi aunty Nancy fancy pants .... I tried to upload some photos of the cutest little pup but cc didn't like me doing it, so when I get a minute I'm going to the DKD route and upload them to photobucket and paste them in!

[COLOR=Red]DKD, how's Davis doing?[/COLOR] We are still working on the noisy traffic, Aruba jumps a little bit behind my legs. We were out the other day walking very nicely - for once - along a busy street when someone toots their car horn as they passed us, and we both jumped! Honestly I couldn't believe it,it was a fellow puppy walker driving past! I could have seen her far enough, she should have known better!

The Christmas tree and all the decorations will be going up some time in the next week, so that's going to be fun! LOL! I can't wait for Aruba to see and play in snow. Maybe Santa Paws will bring some!m:eek:[/quote]

[COLOR=Blue][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Sorry I haven't been around much lately. Between work, the holidays and CCI fundraising, I've been pretty busy. Davis is doing well fairborne. It seems the closer it gets to his turn-in (May 15, 2015), the more affectionate he is getting. Especially to my wife.
If he wasn't already promised to someone if he doesn't graduate, I think I would be having a hard time telling my wife we can't keep him. We put our tree up yesterday and still have to decorate the rest of the inside.
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[wizard-of-roz]

[quote name='Quampapetet']My girl is doing a LOT better and is pretty much back to normal! The lymph nodes are down and she is frisky and eating well and everything. What a difference treating it early makes! (Last time, our regular vet was nonchalant about the enlarged lymph nodes and then was pretty terrible to us. I will never take my new pup there! The only reason I didn't change vets already is we have been going there for so long and it is not the time to go around checking out different vets and all.)[/QUOTE]

[COLOR="Indigo"][B]Quam, this is the perfect Christmas present for all of us. ♥ You know that your girl is rallying for you, for the love of YOU! It never ceases to amaze me how these wonderful beings devote their life and love to us. We owe them nothing less!

Enjoy her, love her and spend as much time as you can with her. This certainly put a smile on my face today![/B][/COLOR]

[wizard-of-roz]

[quote name='Quampapetet']Roz, do keep us updated on the Happy Tails situation![/QUOTE]

[COLOR="Indigo"][B]I put a call in and waiting for a call back. We'll see! [/B][/COLOR]

[wizard-of-roz]

[quote name='fairbourne']Roz - I want you always in my corner ..... You have done a sterling job in tracking this down. I'm sure they will want to sort it out too, well I blooming well hope so!!! I would hate to think that there was even the remotest chance that Aruba would be badly treated by anyone![/QUOTE]

[COLOR="Indigo"][B]I am in your corner and ALWAYS will be! We may live thousands of miles away but I'm here for you, any time!

Doesn't it just make you sick when you think that these lovely dogs only want the very best for us and then someone hits them because they act like a dog!!!! Beasts, that's what that woman was a BEAST!!!! :mad:[/B][/COLOR]

[wizard-of-roz]

[quote name='DisneyKidsDad'][COLOR=Blue][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Sorry I haven't been around much lately. Between work, the holidays and CCI fundraising, I've been pretty busy. Davis is doing well fairborne. It seems the closer it gets to his turn-in (May 15, 2015), the more affectionate he is getting. Especially to my wife.
If he wasn't already promised to someone if he doesn't graduate, I think I would be having a hard time telling my wife we can't keep him. We put our tree up yesterday and still have to decorate the rest of the inside.
[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[COLOR="Indigo"][B]Awwwww DKD......It's quite a conundrum isn't it!!!! We want them to do well but we hate to see them go......just like our kids, these dogs are!

I'm sure Davis, just like the pups before him, will do very well and you'll be on your way to PuppyRaising a new being for the world to see and for someone to count on!!!!

You're a big Santa Claus, aren't you!!!! Love you!!!![/B][/COLOR]

[dobiemom]

[quote name='Quampapetet'][COLOR=Red]My girl is doing a LOT better and is pretty much back to normal! [/COLOR]The lymph nodes are down and she is frisky and eating well and everything. What a difference treating it early makes! (Last time, our regular vet was nonchalant about the enlarged lymph nodes and then was pretty terrible to us. I will never take my new pup there! The only reason I didn't change vets already is we have been going there for so long and it is not the time to go around checking out different vets and all.) [/quote]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo] This is the BEST news I've heard today! :):) [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[S.S. Cruisers]

[COLOR=Red][SIZE=3]H[COLOR=MediumTurquoise]A[COLOR=DarkOrchid]P[COLOR=RoyalBlue]P[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][SIZE=3][COLOR=YellowGreen]Y [COLOR=Magenta]D[COLOR=Blue]A[COLOR=Red]N[COLOR=Cyan]C[COLOR=DarkOrange]E[COLOR=Blue]! [COLOR=Purple]! [COLOR=PaleGreen]! [COLOR=SeaGreen]Quam! :D[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[tvaud]

[quote name='Caribbean Chris']I posted some info on this forum a few pages earlier (November 19) that you may find useful. It is a recent email from the USDA that lists all the regional offices.

I've been dealing with this for a cruise leaving next Saturday. The following is my experience - and your experience may vary. The basic gameplan is you need a USDA APHIS form 7001 health certificate (form available online) which, once issued, is valid for 30 days, so don't get it yet for a February cruise. I was able to fill in the blanks on the PDF document and print it out (instead of hand printing my name, address, etc.) to take to the USDA certified vet in my area.

It was somewhat difficult for me to find out what each country requires beyond the 7001 health certificate and we were referred by USDA offices and vets to "call the embassy." There may or may not be additional country-specific forms to fill out. Service dogs seem to be grouped with pets in terms of requirements.

You need to have your dog examined by a USDA Certified vet. Bring all your dog's health records with you. The vet will read the microchip.(see Quam's info about ISO standard.) That vet will sign the 7001 form. (Maybe you are lucky and your regular vet is USDA certified ...ours is not, but there is one 20 minutes away.) She mentioned to me that they look in the exam for skin problems, by the way, I guess a signal of potential health issues to investigate.

Then you have to have the 7001 form endorsed by the regional office. The USDA waives the endorsing fee for Service Dogs, so include some proof. Our regional office is a 6-hour round trip drive, so I mailed it by overnight UPS letter (with a pre-paid return overnight letter folded inside.) TRACK the letter. Call to follow up. Our form was sitting in a file the other day, because USDA had a question, until we called. They wanted a "consignee" destination on the form, even though we are not exporting her and leaving her in the Caribbean, and I had given them the itinerary. So they wrote "Celebrity Cruise" and entered a couple of the ports on the form.

The form is now back with a raised seal and signature. I am going to make a copy for the ship and for each port, but will hang on to the original. I hope all goes well but, if not, we'll take turns ashore. I'll report back after 12/22.[/QUOTE]


[B]I just finished reading your previous post on "the process." I'm already exhausted just reading it.:p I'm so confused too. Now, not only do I have to get the international health certificate from the vet, but it has to be sent in to the local USDA office for the official seal. Then I have to get import forms filled out for each port. Do those have to get sent in to for a seal? How long does this usually take and when should I start for our 2/16/15 cruise? I'm starting to get overwhelmed. Each country's embassy should be able to provide these import forms? Do I need anything to get the dog back into the US when we return?

Thanks in advance for your help.

TV[/B]

[Caribbean Chris]

[quote name='tvaud'][B]I just finished reading your previous post on "the process." I'm already exhausted just reading it.:p I'm so confused too. Now, not only do I have to get the international health certificate from the vet, but it has to be sent in to the local USDA office for the official seal. Then I have to get import forms filled out for each port. Do those have to get sent in to for a seal? How long does this usually take and when should I start for our 2/16/15 cruise? I'm starting to get overwhelmed. Each country's embassy should be able to provide these import forms? Do I need anything to get the dog back into the US when we return?
Thanks in advance for your help.
TV[/B][/QUOTE]
I haven't traveled by ship with the dog yet, and am no authority but I am willing to share my current experience.

Yes, it is confusing. The paperwork has little to do with service dogs but everything to do with exporting and importing a live animal. That's the reason for the health requirements and US Dept. of Agriculture involvement.

I would start right now by calling the embassies and asking their requirements and forms, if any. Some forms have a place for signature and official stamp. For entry they all seem to usually want at minimum a health certificate with proof of the current rabies vaccination.

I took forms with a line for an official signature & stamp with me when we went for the exam to get a USDA Certified vet for the 7001 Health Certificate. (I also took along a copy for that vet of my dog's key health records.) I asked her to sign it all, as the examining vet. I left her office with the signed forms.

(My appointment was just under two weeks before sailing to allow extra time for potential delays and overnight mailing both ways. Close to departure is important to some countries. The 7001 health certificate is valid for 30 days.)

Then the same day, I sent all the documents to be stamped officially by my state USDA. (You can walk it in, apparently, if you live near the state office, but call to verify.) I have made a copy for the ship and each port.

For returning to the US, I plan to have the original 7001 health certificate ready to provide along with a copy of her vaccination records.

I am bringing proof of her certification as a service dog by her training organization and state SD registration paper for the ship. Edited December 9, 2014 by Caribbean Chris

[rangeley]

Hi All, just letting you know that I'm still alive and kicking. We still have no computer. John brings home his school laptop but it seems I never get a chance to get on it. For some reason this site is really hard to navigate on my tiny phone. Our cruise is in 2 months and I dont even know whats going on on the HAL boards. I love you all and miss all this. Hopefully I will be back someday.
Cindy

[DisneyKidsDad]

[quote name='rangeley']Hi All, just letting you know that I'm still alive and kicking. We still have no computer. John brings home his school laptop but it seems I never get a chance to get on it. For some reason this site is really hard to navigate on my tiny phone. Our cruise is in 2 months and I dont even know whats going on on the HAL boards. I love you all and miss all this. Hopefully I will be back someday.
Cindy[/quote]

[COLOR=Blue][SIZE=3][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Maybe [COLOR=Red]S[COLOR=Lime]A[COLOR=Red]N[COLOR=Lime]T[COLOR=Red]A [COLOR=Blue]will bring you a new one!![/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[wizard-of-roz]

[quote name='rangeley']Hi All, just letting you know that I'm still alive and kicking. We still have no computer. John brings home his school laptop but it seems I never get a chance to get on it. For some reason this site is really hard to navigate on my tiny phone. Our cruise is in 2 months and I dont even know whats going on on the HAL boards. I love you all and miss all this. Hopefully I will be back someday.
Cindy[/QUOTE]

[COLOR="Indigo"][B]Cindy, we do miss you. ♥ I love your input. You're such a help with all the Caribbean ports and what papers are needed.

I haven't done the Caribbean since 2005 with Brenda and Morey. It all seemed so much simpler. I got the 7001 Health Certificate from my USDA Vet, I had all the paperwork from CCI, the local city license [Brenda wasn't chipped] all was within two weeks of travel and was sent to the cruise line with no further problem or requests. It seems the various ports are asking for so much more now.

We took Brenda to Europe with us and didn't have so many hoops and whistles as folks are having today.

I hope your Thanksgiving was good and that the weather is not too cold for you. We're having a warm spell here in CA. But, they say we're in for a very cold storm by Thursday eve. We'll see!

Take care and come home soon![/B][/COLOR]

[tvaud]

[quote name='Caribbean Chris']I haven't traveled by ship with the dog yet, and am no authority but I am willing to share my current experience.

Yes, it is confusing. The paperwork has little to do with service dogs but everything to do with exporting and importing a live animal. That's the reason for the health requirements and US Dept. of Agriculture involvement.

I would start right now by calling the embassies and asking their requirements and forms, if any. Some forms have a place for signature and official stamp. For entry they all seem to usually want at minimum a health certificate with proof of the current rabies vaccination.

I took forms with a line for an official signature & stamp with me when we went for the exam to get a USDA Certified vet for the 7001 Health Certificate. (I also took along a copy for that vet of my dog's key health records.) I asked her to sign it all, as the examining vet. I left her office with the signed forms.

(My appointment was just under two weeks before sailing to allow extra time for potential delays and overnight mailing both ways. Close to departure is important to some countries. The 7001 health certificate is valid for 30 days.)

Then the same day, I sent all the documents to be stamped officially by my state USDA. (You can walk it in, apparently, if you live near the state office, but call to verify.) I have made a copy for the ship and each port.

For returning to the US, I plan to have the original 7001 health certificate ready to provide along with a copy of her vaccination records.

I am bringing proof of her certification as a service dog by her training organization and state SD registration paper for the ship.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for the info... So, should I wait to start the process toward the end of January or should I start the ball rolling now? Should I, at least, order the forms now? I don't want to get stuck or run around like a chicken with its head cut off the week before we leave.

Cindra

[Caribbean Chris]

[quote name='tvaud']Thank you for the info... So, should I wait to start the process toward the end of January or should I start the ball rolling now? Should I, at least, order the forms now? I don't want to get stuck or run around like a chicken with its head cut off the week before we leave.

Cindra[/QUOTE]

Now.

[Caribbean Chris]

[quote name='Quampapetet']My girl is doing a LOT better and is pretty much back to normal! The lymph nodes are down and she is frisky and eating well and everything. What a difference treating it early makes! (Last time, our regular vet was nonchalant about the enlarged lymph nodes and then was pretty terrible to us. I will never take my new pup there! The only reason I didn't change vets already is we have been going there for so long and it is not the time to go around checking out different vets and all.)[/QUOTE]

So glad she's doing better! I thought of you yesterday when I was reading "Your Dog," the newsletter from Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. There was a good article about palliative care for dogs with cancer. The January issue will have an article about nutrition, feeding dogs with cancer.