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

[wizard-of-roz]

Hi,

 

First off, this thread is HUGE! I have been googling, and researching, and have even found some of the I need to know about traveling with my husbands SD.

 

We are in the liberty on Dec 6th:

Barbados

St Thomas

St Kitts

St Lucia

St Maarten

 

Can anyone help me out with requirements to these ports?

 

I am pretty sure we are too late in the game, but all the info I have found is so mind bogling.

 

THanks

 

First, welcome to probably the biggest thread on Cruise Critic. It just goes to prove how much Service Dogs are loved and respected, as well they should be!

 

You will need to visit a Vet who can fill out an Aphis 7001 form for you [your Vet may already be certified or ask their office for the closest one to you.]

 

The form will be needed for the cruise ship and the Immigration authorities. If the various ports require anything more than this form, such as further testing or immunization [than your Vet recommends] don't go into that port with your dog. Take turns visiting any port that require over immunizing or requires you to give them money to enter with your dog. Simply refuse and stay onboard.

 

NEVER leave your dog in the cabin alone. Be prepared to be asked dozens of questions by your fellow passengers, plan your activities accordingly, giving yourselves lots of time to go from venue to venue. Allow for patting of your dog, if you can. Remember; You are an ambassador for all of us who travel with our dogs and we love the support that the general public offers us!

 

Check where the pottybox has been placed and if you're not happy where it is ask that it be moved [either your cabin Steward or the Purser's desk will help with this.] The box can be moved to a location closer to your cabin [usually in a crew working closet or even a stairwell.] The stairwell's are great if you can handle the heavy doors. If you have a large veranda they can put it there too. You need to be proactive with the cruise crew and don't forget they love to be tipped for the extra special care they give you and your dog!

 

If you have any more questions please ask. A lot of us have been on many cruises with our dogs, including airplane travel and more.

 

Most importantly, have fun!

Edited October 6, 2015 by wizard-of-roz

[bannerboxer]

Thanks for the info. We really really enjoy going to port. Maybe cruising isn't the best option for us then if we shouldn't visit them if they require more than the health cert only.

From my research every single port we have they all require more so I don't think the service dog is an option at all then this time and maybe we will have to stick to land vacations.

Edited October 6, 2015 by bannerboxer

[Caribbean Chris]

So who's ready for the Adventures of Bonnie, the Guide Dog Puppy in training? I know I am! :D

 

 

I'm ready! She is a precious, irresistible pup! Wish I could drop in for a cuddle, but alas, Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean. :D She is a lucky girl to land with the Fairbourne family, and to have three pals to keep her from missing her litter mates. Bring on those photos and adventures!

 

I think it's a wonderful idea to investigate a career change into Therapy Dog work for Aruba! My Raylene had a tiny cataract and high energy personality that caused her to be dropped from Guide Dog work but did not prevent her from becoming a great success as a Hearing Dog.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Caribbean Chris

[alexspepa]

I

I think it's a wonderful idea to investigate a career change into Therapy Dog work for Aruba! My Raylene had a tiny cataract and high energy personality that caused her to be dropped from Guide Dog work but did not prevent her from becoming a great success as a Hearing Dog.

 

Hey Chris - isn't it true that Hearing Dogs need to have a somewhat different personality than other Service Dogs - that they need to be more independent thinkers?

 

Hope you guys are doing well in Florida!

Edited October 6, 2015 by alexspepa

[Caribbean Chris]

Thanks for the info. We really really enjoy going to port. Maybe cruising isn't the best option for us then if we shouldn't visit them if they require more than the health cert only.

From my research every single port we have they all require more so I don't think the service dog is an option at all then this time and maybe we will have to stick to land vacations.

 

If you are cruising primarily for the port visits, you may be right, and there are great places in the U.S. to visit with your dog. But we do enjoy cruising with my dog.

 

Remember even if you comply with complicated import requirements for the dog, the ADA law permitting public access for service dogs does not apply ashore unless you are in American ports like Key West, the US Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico. (If you go to rabies-free Hawaii, as you may know, special advance blood testing is mandatory to enter whether you arrive by plane or ship with a dog.)

 

So you can't assume a non-U.S. tour operator, taxi or restaurant will allow your dog access. We were denied entry to a famous bar (half empty at the time) on St. Barth last December - their loss. Some people make private tour arrangements ashore in advance that are confirmed to include the dog. Another thing to be aware of is the need to keep an eye out for wild dogs and other critters roaming free on some islands.

 

I agree with Roz 100% - I will not over-inoculate my dog beyond what my vet recommends and I won't pay a fee to go ashore. Glad to say that on our two cruises in the past year to the Caribbean and Central American ports, we never were asked to appear before local authorities, pay a fee, provide anything other than Form 7001, or have any unusual inoculations to go ashore despite advance bureaucratic info to the contrary. It was much simpler than I expected.

 

My dog gets three-year rabies, and even though some countries say the vaccination needs to be less than a year old, the three-year expiration date was never questioned.

 

My theory is that a key to minimal hassle is to give the ship a very complete set of official "papers" - Besides the 7001, I bring copies of rabies and other inoculation records, microchip documentation, copies of the dog's photo ID from the training organization, and a sheet I prepare detailing the dog's training and services she performs, recent flea & tick control record, name and address of vet(s), my name, contact info and passport number, etc.etc. The ship provides a copy of the "papers" to each port, and all involved officials perceive the truth - the dog is a valid service dog with all bases covered - so their bureaucratic minds are at ease when the ship is cleared into port. Just my theory.

 

I also theorize that most of the islands' policies were really created for and aimed at people importing a pet animal for permanent residence or longer vacations than a few hours ashore.

 

I would certainly prepare carefully and comply with all requirements for a transatlantic flight or crossing for a European vacation, but a Caribbean cruise is a different scenario. If I ever run into a problem, I will either take turns with my spouse going ashore or just stay on board with my dog because for me, the ship is the destination.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Caribbean Chris

[Caribbean Chris]

Hey Chris - isn't it true that Hearing Dogs need to have a somewhat different personality than other Service Dogs - that they need to be more independent thinkers?

 

Hope you guys are doing well in Florida!

 

Hi Keith - You are right - hearing dog trainers look for high energy personalities to choose dogs that choose to "investigate" any sound, and will awaken out of a sound sleep to alert their partner for an alarm clock or smoke detector. The trainers get in bed and even stay overnight at the training apartment to observe and train for those sounds. Hearing Dogs are never off duty after their jackets come off, and they learn to work sounds on their own without receiving a command.

 

Deaf people with dogs learn to read the dog's body language - for example, I can tell if Raylene has just heard a garage door open behind me when we are out for a walk, so I stop, turn and look in the same direction to avoid stepping in front of a car backing out. At home, she nudges me with her nose for sounds she's trained for, like doorbell, my name called or microwave beeps.

 

We love Florida and so do our friends & relatives. We had five sets of house guests in a month! Now we're getting a little breather and the weather is great.

 

Speaking of which - glad you didn't get the catastrophic rains that SC received. It's an unbelievable disaster, isn't it? It reminded me that it's good to keep an extra bag of dog food and plenty of water, meds, etc. on hand for Raylene in case we ever had to evacuate.

[Caribbean Chris]

Yes, we booked that cruise but just because Horton will be on board. ;) We really want to see that legendary pooch and to see him curl up into a "pill bug," (whatever that is).

 

[/b]Looking forward to meeting them in the flesh as well.[/color]

 

Wow, Host Walt + Roz + Horton on the same cruise!

 

Darn, if we weren't booked on a canal cruise out of Florida in April 2016, I'd sure be looking into joining the fun.

[alexspepa]

Hi Keith - You are right - hearing dog trainers look for high energy personalities to choose dogs that choose to "investigate" any sound, and will awaken out of a sound sleep to alert their partner for an alarm clock or smoke detector. The trainers get in bed and even stay overnight at the training apartment to observe and train for those sounds. Hearing Dogs are never off duty after their jackets come off, and they learn to work sounds on their own without receiving a command.

 

Deaf people with dogs learn to read the dog's body language - for example, I can tell if Raylene has just heard a garage door open behind me when we are out for a walk, so I stop, turn and look in the same direction to avoid stepping in front of a car backing out. At home, she nudges me with her nose for sounds she's trained for, like doorbell, my name called or microwave beeps.

 

We love Florida and so do our friends & relatives. We had five sets of house guests in a month! Now we're getting a little breather and the weather is great.

 

Speaking of which - glad you didn't get the catastrophic rains that SC received. It's an unbelievable disaster, isn't it? It reminded me that it's good to keep an extra bag of dog food and plenty of water, meds, etc. on hand for Raylene in case we ever had to evacuate.

 

What an amazing partnership you two have...

 

We were extremely fortunate here in Charlotte...just 90 miles or so away they got hammered in Columbia and Charleston. I was complaining about staying up all night Friday to monitor my pool level; boy did I feel bad after seeing all the devastation just a little south of us.

Lucy did stay up with me to keep me company!(and to monitor the frog situation).

[DisneyKidsDad]

My family and I were supposed to drive down to visit friends in South Carolina today. They live about 20 minutes from Savannah, GA. We got an e-mail from them yesterday that a big stretch of I95 is still closed. We decided not to go. Today I saw that over 500 bridges and roads are still damaged and 90 miles of I95 is still closed. All in South Carolina. :(

[alexspepa]

My family and I were supposed to drive down to visit friends in South Carolina today. They live about 20 minutes from Savannah, GA. We got an e-mail from them yesterday that a big stretch of I95 is still closed. We decided not to go. Today I saw that over 500 bridges and roads are still damaged and 90 miles of I95 is still closed. All in South Carolina. :(

 

Also - all that water is going to move east towards the Atlantic...so unfortunately some areas that were initially spared may be hit days later.

 

Your decision not to go was definitely the correct one.

[DUTRAVEL]

Hi Keith - You are right - hearing dog trainers look for high energy personalities to choose dogs that choose to "investigate" any sound, and will awaken out of a sound sleep to alert their partner for an alarm clock or smoke detector. The trainers get in bed and even stay overnight at the training apartment to observe and train for those sounds. Hearing Dogs are never off duty after their jackets come off, and they learn to work sounds on their own without receiving a command.

 

Deaf people with dogs learn to read the dog's body language - for example, I can tell if Raylene has just heard a garage door open behind me when we are out for a walk, so I stop, turn and look in the same direction to avoid stepping in front of a car backing out. At home, she nudges me with her nose for sounds she's trained for, like doorbell, my name called or microwave beeps.

 

We love Florida and so do our friends & relatives. We had five sets of house guests in a month! Now we're getting a little breather and the weather is great.

 

Speaking of which - glad you didn't get the catastrophic rains that SC received. It's an unbelievable disaster, isn't it? It reminded me that it's good to keep an extra bag of dog food and plenty of water, meds, etc. on hand for Raylene in case we ever had to evacuate.

 

Raylene sounds amazing, they got it right when they figured out that she should be a hearing dog. My heart goes out to all of those affected by the floods in South Carolina.

 

Here is a picture of Henri at CCI's Dog Fest Walk N' Roll this weekend.

 

Dianne

 

[Caribbean Chris]

Love the latest photo of Henri, Dianne. That's one cute dogtor!

[Peemagg]

I would go to that dogtor in a minute!

[fairbourne]

I've enjoyed catching up with everyone's news and love the photos! Well done those girl dogs, what stars you are Raylene and Henri.

 

Welcome to the new folk too. :)

 

 

Bonnie has been with us for one whole week now .... there's not much to tell you yet as it has been a continuous round of, eh well, DKD will know exactly what I'm going to say! The four essentials in a puppy's life! LOL!

 

The first night we had a Gustav Holst symphony going on downstairs and we are told to ignore, ignore, ignore, so as not to create a response to cries which would certainly not stand us in good stead for future nights' sleep!

We were taking it in turn to have sneaky peeks to see everything was in order, and it was, apart from the yelling. I finally gave up at 4am, having had little or no sleep with Teeny Madame's operatic range putting Maria Callas's to shame! I had quite forgotten this part! Aruba arrived at 12 weeks old and slept through the night from day one, and it's a long time since Poppy was teeny!

 

So I hauled myself out of my lovely warm bed leaving the DH to catch up on some snoring and "we" did the first wee run of the day (excuse the pun!) Then we both cuddled down into a favourite armchair of mine with Bonnie snuggled into my cosy dressing gown. I tried to put her back into her crate, but the yelling started instantly and I did want the DH to get some sleep before he had to get up and go to work. Bonnie and I fell instantly asleep which is exactly how the DH found us a couple of hours later!

 

Since then Bonnie has slept for about 5 hours each night, going to bed at 1030 and waking up around 3.30-4, so not too bad, she says writing this fast so I don't realise how much sleep deprivation we are having right now! It's so important to get some sort of routine established and we are getting there - slowly. I think the second day Bonnie was here, I was still in my dressing gown when the DH came home from work! Shocking I know :rolleyes:, but there just was not time between the four essentials and the cuddling of course!

 

The other dogs have been very good, with Aruba taking charge and playing with Bonnie and taking all the heat off Max with much chewing of legs, ears and tail with sharp little puppy teeth and occasional Aruba cries of "Ow" are heard! Poppy just made it very clear to Bonnie that she would not be entertaining any of this puppy nonsense whatsoever! She was the same with Aruba, becoming great pals with her once she was past the annoying puppy stage.

 

Bonnie is a little smartie pants - she knows exactly where to go for the four essentials and "asks" to go out the back door to her potty spot, so we haven't had many accidents at all. I'm not sure if it was by default, or by copying the big dogs, but she does a lovely "sit" for her afternoon teeny treat! We tried her collar on and it was scratchy, scratchy, scratchy, so this will take a few days of gentle practise to get her used to it, but when I put it on her when she was about to have her meal, funnily enough she didn't notice it!

 

She is a "Named sponsored puppy" - lots of the puppies are and this is when people raise enough money so they can actually choose the name for a puppy, as this local company have done with her - I will take her in for a special visit to meet them and they will receive regular updates from Guide Dogs with her progress. I'm excited for them and hope we can visit while she is still the cutest little pup.

 

Here is a collection of photos from the last few days. Enjoy!

[fairbourne]

[fairbourne]

[fairbourne]

[fairbourne]

[fairbourne]

 

 

They really are good pals! :D

[alexspepa]

Thanks Fairbourne for the update...those pics are priceless and it is so good to see Aruba again!

[wizard-of-roz]

Hey Chris - isn't it true that Hearing Dogs need to have a somewhat different personality than other Service Dogs - that they need to be more independent thinkers?

 

Hope you guys are doing well in Florida!

 

They need to be very alert and ready to "alert" and "release" at a moments notice!

 

A sleepy, lazy "could care less" dog would NOT be a very good Hearing Dog!

[wizard-of-roz]

If you are cruising primarily for the port visits, you may be right, and there are great places in the U.S. to visit with your dog. But we do enjoy cruising with my dog.

 

Remember even if you comply with complicated import requirements for the dog, the ADA law permitting public access for service dogs does not apply ashore unless you are in American ports like Key West, the US Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico. (If you go to rabies-free Hawaii, as you may know, special advance blood testing is mandatory to enter whether you arrive by plane or ship with a dog.)

 

So you can't assume a non-U.S. tour operator, taxi or restaurant will allow your dog access. We were denied entry to a famous bar (half empty at the time) on St. Barth last December - their loss. Some people make private tour arrangements ashore in advance that are confirmed to include the dog. Another thing to be aware of is the need to keep an eye out for wild dogs and other critters roaming free on some islands.

 

I agree with Roz 100% - I will not over-inoculate my dog beyond what my vet recommends and I won't pay a fee to go ashore. Glad to say that on our two cruises in the past year to the Caribbean and Central American ports, we never were asked to appear before local authorities, pay a fee, provide anything other than Form 7001, or have any unusual inoculations to go ashore despite advance bureaucratic info to the contrary. It was much simpler than I expected.

 

My dog gets three-year rabies, and even though some countries say the vaccination needs to be less than a year old, the three-year expiration date was never questioned.

 

My theory is that a key to minimal hassle is to give the ship a very complete set of official "papers" - Besides the 7001, I bring copies of rabies and other inoculation records, microchip documentation, copies of the dog's photo ID from the training organization, and a sheet I prepare detailing the dog's training and services she performs, recent flea & tick control record, name and address of vet(s), my name, contact info and passport number, etc.etc. The ship provides a copy of the "papers" to each port, and all involved officials perceive the truth - the dog is a valid service dog with all bases covered - so their bureaucratic minds are at ease when the ship is cleared into port. Just my theory.

 

I also theorize that most of the islands' policies were really created for and aimed at people importing a pet animal for permanent residence or longer vacations than a few hours ashore.

 

I would certainly prepare carefully and comply with all requirements for a transatlantic flight or crossing for a European vacation, but a Caribbean cruise is a different scenario. If I ever run into a problem, I will either take turns with my spouse going ashore or just stay on board with my dog because for me, the ship is the destination.

 

BRILLIANTLY SAID! You, went to the ROZ'S SCHOOL of "Travels With a Service Dog!!!!!

 

Simply said and perfect! Thank you Chris! Having ALL the paperwork in order, with a copy already to hand the cruise ship and one for yourself, along with the originals, will make traveling so much easier with your dog!!!

 

We did travel, with Brenda, to Switzerland, Germany, Italy and France. We rented a car in Zurich and drove through all of the above countries it was amazingly wonderful. I never told the rental car company that I had a dog and NEVER pre-warned the hotels about her. We NEVER had a problem and only once in Italy did a restaurant owner have a problem with her eating inside. Once they witnessed how well behaved she was they backed right down.

 

We had more problems in Canada than any other place in all of our travel with Brenda.

[Caribbean Chris]

News from the Fairbourne household is, as always, so delightful to read. A new chapter for the book I've been suggesting that you write!

 

Little Bonnie is capturing my heart already, at such a tender age, even if she does keep Mum and Dad up all night. Her photos curled up with "our" Aruba are especially cute.

[Caribbean Chris]

Yes indeed, I am a proud alumni of ROZ's SCHOOL of Service Dog Travel! Could not have done it without you!

 

P.S. I LOVE seeing the animated yellow lab back on your signature in honor of Little Miss Bonnie!

Edited October 7, 2015 by Caribbean Chris

[wizard-of-roz]

Wow, Host Walt + Roz + Horton on the same cruise!

 

Darn, if we weren't booked on a canal cruise out of Florida in April 2016, I'd sure be looking into joining the fun.

 

We'd love that too!

 

It's so much fun to meet people who read our thread everyday but don't write. They'll come up to me and introduce themselves as a "lurker" and will tell me how much they love reading about and seeing pictures of our dogs.

 

On my last cruise in June, people were asking me about Aruba. Imagine that; Fairbourne lives in Scotland, this family was from Arizona, they run into Horton and me and ask about Fairbourne. Our world is made so much smaller by our writings. It's incredible!!!!

Edited October 7, 2015 by wizard-of-roz