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

[rangeley]

Hey Chris, Roz, DKD, Rangely, etc.- while flying through Phoenix I went to the men's room and saw a sign that said Service Dog relief area...it was in the restroom and just had the sign and a container of bags - there was nowhere for the dog to go but on the floor. Maybe you ask an attendent and they bring out a mat or something? Have any of you encountered this on your travels? I know the airports are supposed to provide a relief area inside the secure zone but this seemed a little sparse? or are you OK with it? just curious...

Wow never seen that before. Very strange.

 

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[rangeley]

Chris - I was stunned to be honest - and my wife actually saw it first in her bathroom and told me about it. She has heard me talk about this thread and said "hey guess what I just saw?". I wish I had taken a picture but trust me when it was just a bare place to go inside the restroom. My dog is not a Service Dog - but if I tried to get her to go there she would look at me like I was an idiot. I guess I could say small steps - but to me that is not a small step foward. If you can tell me who to email or call I will tell them that is not progress.

 

by the way Phoenix is like the top 4 biggest airport in the US...so it should be in the vangard of getting in step with the ADA.

 

Keith

Keith service dogs are trained to go on any surface. I have never seen Wexler do it but I'm sure people that live in the city have no choice.

 

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Edited November 22, 2016 by rangeley

[alexspepa]

Keith service dogs are trained to go on any surface. I have never seen Wexler do it but I'm sure people that live in the city have no choice.

 

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thanks...that is what I was wondering about.

[rangeley]

Happy Thanksgiving All!!!!!

 

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[Millerck]

A year ago this week we went on a family reunion cruise. Dobby did well, but neither of us were terribly happy with the "Litter box" that they gave her. She refused to use it, an ended up holding her bladder for almost 27 hours. I was stressing bad by the time we hit the first port. My dog hadn't gone to the bathroom in over a day, I think anyone would be stressed. At the first port, she went potty off the ship right away, and I picked up a pack of adult leak pads that you spread over the bed, and put them on the deck. I also picked up some spare cleaner and towels just in case. The crew gave me a waste bin and biohazard bags, and all of that worked really well. I refused to let the cabin attendant mess with her waste. I made sure everything was cleaned up extremely well and the only thing she had to do was take the double bagged waste (she wouldn't let me take it down for her. I tried really hard).

 

Other than that, I would only cruise with my dog again if I didn't have my son, and I would pick up some sod squares before heading to the shipyard. Although, I was with my family, it was difficult asking them to help me with my son (he's autistic) even though, they would have kept him occupied in a heartbeat.

 

Dobby liked the islands and I don't think either of us wanted to leave St. Maarten. :) We did have one nasty lady on the ship who made horrible comments about Dobby being on the ship, but I just responded with, "Wow, I'm surprised that they allowed a b**** on the ship, but here you are." Then, there was the guy who told his son that she was a seeing eye dog. Right then, the ship rocked and I got knocked into a door frame. I looked at Dobby and said, "You are the worst seeing eye dog ever. I said through the doorway, not into the door," and winked at the guy. We just laughed, and I explained to his son that she was a medical dog for non-visible disabilities, and told him the various things dogs can be trained to do. The son started talking about being a dog trainer for service dogs when he grows up. :D He was a cute kid.

 

Sadly, Dobby is being retired as my SD. She was attacked by another dog while working earlier this year, and I just haven't been able to get her over the trauma. I'm still using her while I train her replacement. She will still get to work in a limited capacity as my son's anchor dog, though. He doesn't go to as many crowded places as I do. Her replacement is Asha aka Moose, a Newfoundland. Dobby and her are pictured here: https://flic.kr/p/NZNj1s

 

Here is the video of Dobby's first cruise:

Edited November 24, 2016 by Millerck

[Harleythegolden]

Have you ever done the princess cruise in Alaska with the 3-day train prior to boarding...? We just booked to go and I'm trying to make sure Harley (my sd) and I are as prepared as possible before we go. We will be doing the 4x4 box to get her better at that. Is the box 4 ft x 4 ft? Just want to be sure I do the best I can to get her ready.

[DUTRAVEL]

Sadly, Dobby is being retired as my SD. She was attacked by another dog while working earlier this year, and I just haven't been able to get her over the trauma. I'm still using her while I train her replacement. She will still get to work in a limited capacity as my son's anchor dog, though. He doesn't go to as many crowded places as I do. Her replacement is Asha aka Moose, a Newfoundland. Dobby and her are pictured here: https://flic.kr/p/NZNj1s

 

Here is the video of Dobby's first cruise:

 

That is so sad about Dobby, I hope she eventually gets over her trauma. Good luck with the new dog. I am lucky that my dog will go just about anywhere and is very good about being around a lot of people.

 

Dianne

[DUTRAVEL]

Have you ever done the princess cruise in Alaska with the 3-day train prior to boarding...? We just booked to go and I'm trying to make sure Harley (my sd) and I are as prepared as possible before we go. We will be doing the 4x4 box to get her better at that. Is the box 4 ft x 4 ft? Just want to be sure I do the best I can to get her ready.

 

I have not sailed on Princess. We just got back from a Celebrity cruise and here is a picture of the box that they provided. Celebrity says that they provide a 4 x 4 box, but I think its actually smaller that that. My dog has a 5 x 5 box that she uses at home in our backyard - she was fine with the smaller box.

 

[rpclmc]

My trainer for my sd said I need to be taking him on my cruises. My first cruise with him will be on Carnival Victory, October 2017.

 

We will be going to Key West and Cozumel. Can I get off the ship with him in both ports?

 

What advice for cruising with an sd? I have been on many cruises, but none with my service dog.

 

What advice for the ports?

 

TIA

 

Linda

[Caribbean Chris]

My trainer for my sd said I need to be taking him on my cruises. My first cruise with him will be on Carnival Victory, October 2017.

We will be going to Key West and Cozumel. Can I get off the ship with him in both ports?

What advice for cruising with an sd? I have been on many cruises, but none with my service dog.

What advice for the ports?

TIA

Linda

 

You first need to contact your vet for information on traveling internationally with your dog. Ideally, your vet is USDA-certified and can advise on and issue paperwork you will need, including the USDA 7001 health certificate, before you sail. If not, you'll need to contact a vet that is.

 

This website has more information on country requirements for exporting your dog from the US and importing to a foreign country (see section on pets since these are usually the same rules that apply even to service dogs).

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel

 

Also you need to contact the cruise line's special needs department more than a month in advance to obtain their paperwork to fill out and to be sure they provide a relief area. (You mentioned your dog's trainer - cruise lines generally do not permit service dogs in training on board.)

[rpclmc]

You first need to contact your vet for information on traveling internationally with your dog. Ideally, your vet is USDA-certified and can advise on and issue paperwork you will need, including the USDA 7001 health certificate, before you sail. If not, you'll need to contact a vet that is.

 

This website has more information on country requirements for exporting your dog from the US and importing to a foreign country (see section on pets since these are usually the same rules that apply even to service dogs).

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel

 

Also you need to contact the cruise line's special needs department more than a month in advance to obtain their paperwork to fill out and to be sure they provide a relief area. (You mentioned your dog's trainer - cruise lines generally do not permit service dogs in training on board.)

 

He will be fully trained in a couple of months, the cruise is almost a year away.

 

Thanks for the information.

 

Linda

[fairbourne]

Hear Ye oh Hear Ye The Royal Court of Puppy walkers, puppy raisers, life changing partnerships and the odd lurker - I think it's time for a nice heartwarming story!

 

Our wonderful puppy boarder - who is "Aunty" to all our pups - takes our pups when we go on holiday and is a legend in her own lifetime as all the pups just love going to her house - they are spoilt rotten as you can imagine and get one-to-one loving which is great for Bonnie as she's always part of a pack at home! And I only have to ask "where's Aunty" and they all run to the back door looking for her! She always brings them yummy treats so that's another reason for puppy devotion!

 

So a little while ago Aunty was on holiday with her lovely husband at another Scottish city and as you do on holiday, popped into a local hostelry for a wee beverage! They had just settled down and were enjoying having a chat and in walked a guide dog owner with a beautiful black working guide dog. Aunty had goosebumps and told me she knew right away who the working dog was! She had boarded him when he was being puppy walked in our area.

 

Aunty waited till the small group with the guide dog sat themselves down and got organised. As she says she waited with all the barely concealed excitement of a three year old waiting for Father Christmas to come, and then approached the group. (We would never approach a working partnership until an appropriate time such as this.)

 

Was it the dog she thought it was? YES! I'm not going to name the dog but he recognised Aunty immediately as she approached their table, jumping up to greet her and he was so excited he forgot himself and his front paws were up on her shoulders before anyone could do anything - a true tail wagging the bottom welcome! His new guide dog owner could not believe how the dog reacted and was quite overwhelmed. It was quite the encounter and when Aunty was telling me, I felt very emotional - ok I had a wee blub! Apparently two ladies watching this encounter were also close to tears!

 

Anyway, there is another twist to this tail .... The guide dog owner had lost the puppy walker contact details, so Aunty was able to put him in touch with his dog's puppy walkers! When she got home Aunty rang the puppy walkers with a "you'll never guess who I met at the weekend" story. They had been wondering how he was doing but sometimes news can take a while to filter through - so they were absolutely thrilled to bits to know how well he was and are delighted to be in touch with his new partner.

 

So what were the chances of that meeting happening? Who knows! But everyone was so thrilled it did - as puppy walkers, we rarely get to see the results of our volunteer puppy walking after the dogs have left us and head on to their next life adventure at school and then placement with a guide dog owner, so it was a true delight for Aunty.

 

When the dogs leave us, we are asked if we would like the guide dog owners to contact us, but the onus is purely on them to do so - so we have to wait and hope that they do. Puppy walkers who have had several pups have had situations where they've heard almost immediately from guide dogs owners and other times they never hear anything. Some of us make an album of the pups "growing up" adventures for the eventual guide dog owner to have the story from the beginning of their new pal. That was something I had learnt from the great folk on here with their wonderful working life-changing partners that knowing what their dog was like as a puppy growing up would be of huge interest. But the closest we come to a cruise is a training visit to the local ferry, and that's another story ...... :)

 

So this week Bonnie and me have been invited for a play date with two other guide dog puppies. I'm so happy it's not in our house!

 

Edited to add: I forgot to say this chap told Aunty that having this dog now in his life has made a difference that simply can not be measured - by any means. Just wonderful hearing this. It's what it's all about. A true life-changer. Oh oh tears again ......

Edited November 28, 2016 by fairbourne

[alexspepa]

Fairbourne what a truly heart-warming story and perfect for Thanksgiving. I have to admit I blubbered up a bit myself reading it.

 

Thanks for sharing and thanks for all you do.

[Caribbean Chris]

Great story, Fairbourne! I shared it with Bob on our morning daily walk with Raylene. Doggies never forget their good people.

[Host Walt]

A few posts that make unsupported allegations have been removed as they were contrary to our posting guidelines. Please, if you choose to post allegation(s) of inappropriate behavior, you can cite specifics supporting your allegation(s).

 

Thanks.

[DUTRAVEL]

Hear Ye oh Hear Ye The Royal Court of Puppy walkers, puppy raisers, life changing partnerships and the odd lurker - I think it's time for a nice heartwarming story!

 

....

 

Thanks for sharing Fairbourne - it was heartwarming! We hope to be able to work in a visit to Henri's puppy raiser when we cruise to Alaska next year.

 

Dianne

[S.S. Cruisers]

Thank you, Walt! :)

[Insuregal]

A few posts that make unsupported allegations have been removed as they were contrary to our posting guidelines. Please, if you choose to post allegation(s) of inappropriate behavior, you can cite specifics supporting your allegation(s).

 

Thanks.

 

Very much appreciate your support and monitoring! So glad that you have our backs on this forum. Thank you Walt!

[rangeley]

What a great story Fairbourne!!

 

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[alexspepa]

Since the Queen and her Prince are still out sailing - Lucy and I will wish everyone a

 

Happy Weekend!

[Caribbean Chris]

Since the Queen and her Prince are still out sailing - Lucy and I will wish everyone a

 

Happy Weekend!

 

Yay, happy weekend to you, too, Keith. And to everyone!

[DUTRAVEL]

FYI - new ADA Final Rule

 

On November 21, 2016, Attorney General Loretta Lynch signed a Final Rule revising the Justice Department’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) title III regulation to further clarify a public accommodation’s obligation to provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services for people with disabilities. The Final Rule requires require movie theaters to: (1) have and maintain the equipment necessary to provide closed movie captioning and audio description at a movie patron’s seat whenever showing a digital movie produced, distributed, or otherwise made available with these features; (2) provide notice to the public about the availability of these features; and (3) ensure that theater staff is available to assist patrons with the equipment before, during, and after the showing of a movie with these features.

 

Title III of the ADA requires public accommodations, including movie theaters, to provide effective communication through the use of auxiliary aids and services. This rulemaking specifies requirements that movie theaters must meet to satisfy their effective communication obligations to people with hearing and vision disabilities unless compliance results in an undue burden or a fundamental alteration. For a summary of the Final Rule and its requirements, see the “Final Rule Questions & Answers” on the ADA website.

[wizard-of-roz]

Hi Honey's, we're home!!!!! What an amazing 19 day journey through the Panama Canal. Simply gorgeous scenery, warm and welcoming people and beautiful, wet, hot and humid environs.

 

The journey began in L.A. and took us through some of the most beautiful visuals that I have seen onboard a cruise.

 

We were welcomed by Princess hostesses and hurried through crowds of people to board the Island Princess ahead of the maddening crowds. There are Princess Reps. who recognize me and Horton and help us through the registration madness. This ship was full of senior citizens with walkers, wheelchairs and canes......Mind you, I'm one of them but OMG....there was more gray hair than a Florida rest home!!!!

 

Our cabin was one that was added to the Promenade Deck. PR702, allowing a potty box to be placed on it with ease. We also had a "touch and feel" relationship with the Canal that was unquestionably the highlight of our journey.

 

Since there was another dog onboard who was working with a gentleman who was an Iraqi War Vet., we had another box placed on a deck below, in a stairwell. The other dog's name was Rex and he and Horton had their very own potty box's with their names over them. Rex was trained to scope out his handlers room before he entered it to make sure that no one was hiding in it to attack him. Rex also kept him calm in large crowds and on elevators.......He said that Rex actually helped him to get out of his wheelchair, walk again, and go back into society.....Amazing story, for sure!!!! I was honored to meet them both! He also said that he liked to cruise because, "it's like a small village of people who are accountable for their actions!" I hugged him and thanked him for his service to our country! Princess gives a large discount to these war heroes so they can enjoy travel again!

 

Our CD was Richard Joseph......the best! He had signs made reserving Horton's and my seats in the Princess Theatre. We NEVER had to scurry or worry about where we were going to sit during the many shows onboard. Which I must add were the best I've ever seen, on any cruise!!!!! Princess Theatres are notorious for being too small to handle the crowd onboard!

 

I missed you all and am glad to be back at work after a much needed respite.

 

I enjoyed reading Fairbourne's story and hearing from our many new writers, and thank you Walt for taking care of us.

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as Horty and I did.

 

I'm booked to Hawaii next December and Alaska in 2018. We made so many more friends who want to travel with Horty again. And, went to visit the FCC Desk to book their cruises, assuring that they'd be with us again!!!

 

I have to thank our Servers; Bernard and Wilbert and the most amazing Room Steward; Rodolfo and Housekeeping Manager; Carmen for making this cruise such a joy and so much fun!!!!!

 

To the Immigration Officials who thought that calling my cabin at 6:00am every time we came into another port, and picked up Horton for another exam......well, I wish you SLEEPLESS NIGHTS!!!! So annoying!!!!

Edited December 6, 2016 by wizard-of-roz

[DUTRAVEL]

Hi Honey's, we're home!!!!! What an amazing 19 day journey through the Panama Canal. Simply gorgeous scenery, warm and welcoming people and beautiful, wet, hot and humid environs.

 

Welcome back Roz! It sounds like you had an amazing time and so good to hear that you and Horton were treated well by Princess.

 

Dianne

[Caribbean Chris]

FYI - new ADA Final Rule

 

On November 21, 2016, Attorney General Loretta Lynch signed a Final Rule revising the Justice Department’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) title III regulation to further clarify a public accommodation’s obligation to provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services for people with disabilities. The Final Rule requires require movie theaters to: (1) have and maintain the equipment necessary to provide closed movie captioning and audio description at a movie patron’s seat whenever showing a digital movie produced, distributed, or otherwise made available with these features; (2) provide notice to the public about the availability of these features; and (3) ensure that theater staff is available to assist patrons with the equipment before, during, and after the showing of a movie with these features.

 

Title III of the ADA requires public accommodations, including movie theaters, to provide effective communication through the use of auxiliary aids and services. This rulemaking specifies requirements that movie theaters must meet to satisfy their effective communication obligations to people with hearing and vision disabilities unless compliance results in an undue burden or a fundamental alteration. For a summary of the Final Rule and its requirements, see the “Final Rule Questions & Answers” on the ADA website.

 

Thanks for posting! This is really significant news and I was so pleased that the Hearing Loss Association of America lobbied for it. I haven't been to a movie in a theater in so long I can't remember when because there are no captions (other than at National Park visitor centers or museums which are sometimes captioned). I'm always disappointed to be on ships that don't have captioning in the movie theaters or stateroom TVs. Technology now makes CART (communication access real-time translation) much more feasible, too, for live performances and lectures but very rarely is it provided.