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

wizard-of-roz
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cjborne2

cjborne2

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We had the international health certificate for Ollie when we went to Vancouver last year. I also took copies of his rabies and other shots records just in case. I had a few copies of each even though I didn't need them. You will need to give Disney a copy of the papers when you board the ship. I am pretty sure they just made a copy and gave the originals back to me.

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rangeley

rangeley

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Thanks Cindy for the great information on Cayman.

 

I can't believe how the requirements can be so different from one cruiseline to another.

 

Hastingsmom, call Carnival and tell them what Cindy experienced onboard Celebrity. There should be NO DIFFERENCE from one line to another.

 

The cruiselines are still learning and hopefully, we'll be the teachers!

 

 

Finally a question I had the answer to!!! Yipeee :D

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cjborne2

cjborne2

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I pulled out my travel documents from the Vancouver/Alaska trip. The health certificate is form 7001 (Aug 2009) Is Interstate and International certificate of health examination for small animals from the US Dept of Agriculture. Our vet had them. For the destination we indicated the port of Vancouver. Since you are staying overnight you may need to indicate the hotel. Not sure. Who knows if the form will be updated before you go but at least you have a form reference.

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guitarest

guitarest

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I'm the same way.......so anal but always prepared.....we're good scouts!!!!!

 

 

It's that "ducks in a row" thing!!!! :rolleyes::D

 

Speaking of I am trying to purchase a house now in North Gulfport Ms. Its a brand new construction and with all the programs out there I am hoping and praying I qualify. So far its looking good, I meet the income requirement; my credit score while not the best I have no black marks on it. My problem is besides the car I have no established credit. This is a new construction and the builder is giving a 30k grant and there is another program called My Coast My Home that is also offering 30K grant. The house is at 158k before the grants and the only options I have in the house is a larger front door just in case the wheelchair happens again; a upgraded handicap shower in the master bathroom and finally a fence around the back yard to keep the pups on my property if I get this house. I filled out my original paperwork, then they asked for the SS Card and I also included my citizenship paperwork since I was born in Germany. Then 3 years of taxes and loads of VA paperwork. They requested the paperwork and I submitted it within 30 minutes of the request; all documents were already converted to PDF or adobe format. At the very least the bank was impressed.....

 

Between that and the Patriot Guard I have been very busy; 3 funerals in less than a week. The Westboro Baptist Church was supposed to be at one funeral although they did not show up. I got a small promotion on Saturday in the PGR since it was my fifth funeral and for the funerals I do attend I am the official photographer also. I will not record the actual event just the escort to the grave site from the funeral home.

 

Wish me luck on both; one that I can get the home loan and the other that the big man upstairs will let me leave the cemetery.

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guitarest

guitarest

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Guitarist, if that falls through, I will check to see if my husband's grandfather's house has sold yet. I can't remember if it was sold or rented. It was fully wheelchair accessible. It is in Diamondhead.

 

Thanks for the offer, I cant even afford to spell Diamond head properly. Very rich part of Mississippi for sure.

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Valentine's Mom

Valentine's Mom

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Roz, CArnival does not provide a life vest for your dog at least not in the 12cruises Valentine has been on. Also you have to watch the way you are traveling because if you go to Cayman first you cant take your dog on land in Mexico Even if you don't get off the ship in Mexico. Its a weird law but one you need to know

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wizard-of-roz

wizard-of-roz

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Roz' date=' CArnival does not provide a life vest for your dog at least not in the 12cruises Valentine has been on. Also you have to watch the way you are traveling because if you go to Cayman first you cant take your dog on land in Mexico Even if you don't get off the ship in Mexico. Its a weird law but one you need to know[/quote']

 

It's driving me crazy......I know Princess supplies them, I can't for the life of me remember what other line it was....Maybe it was HAL. No matter, for those of you thinking of cruising with your Service Dog check with the Special Needs Dept. and they'll tell you whether they supply a vest or not!

I know that after the Costa incident, I know that having a vest on my dog would certainly alleviate me worrying about his drowning or not. Although, none of us walk around the ship with our vests on us or our dogs!

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lois1112

lois1112

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It's driving me crazy......I know Princess supplies them, I can't for the life of me remember what other line it was....Maybe it was HAL. No matter, for those of you thinking of cruising with your Service Dog check with the Special Needs Dept. and they'll tell you whether they supply a vest or not!

 

I know that after the Costa incident, I know that having a vest on my dog would certainly alleviate me worrying about his drowning or not. Although, none of us walk around the ship with our vests on us or our dogs!

Hi Roz...saw you posted on the Princess main board and wanted to say hello and see how you and Horton are getting along? How is Brenda? is she enjoying retirement? give her a kiss for me. (and if Karen is out there HI!)

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rangeley

rangeley

Posted
Posted (edited)
It's driving me crazy......I know Princess supplies them, I can't for the life of me remember what other line it was....Maybe it was HAL. No matter, for those of you thinking of cruising with your Service Dog check with the Special Needs Dept. and they'll tell you whether they supply a vest or not!

 

I know that after the Costa incident, I know that having a vest on my dog would certainly alleviate me worrying about his drowning or not. Although, none of us walk around the ship with our vests on us or our dogs!

 

It's not HAL or Celebrity. Since Wex can't swim (an embarrassment in the lab community) we bring our own life vest.

Edited by rangeley
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S.S. Cruisers

S.S. Cruisers

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Mornin' all:

Jocko, looked it up, she lived in Lumberton. I would so love to get back there and just poke around where she lived. I guess they were, (key word, were) well off. She recalls having a wrap around porch that she loved to play on. They had (I hate to use this word) slaves and she just couldn't really understand why she couldn't play with their kids. The beauty of it was, she didn't see any difference between them.

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NicoleLJ

NicoleLJ

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Hi all. Hope you don't mind me joining in. My spouse and I are new to cruising. We are hoping to go on our first cruise in January/February of 2014. We have never really gone on a vacation so it feels a bit overwhelming. My current Service dog is retiring in the next year and a half and I am getting my new one in June to start training. By 2014 she will be 2-3 months shy of her 2nd b-day so we figure that is the perfect time to go then. Would love to go sooner but don't want to interupt the new girls training or stress out my current girl since she is over 8yrs old and slowing down.

 

We are considering Royal Caribean Cruise Lines since it has a lot of the onboard actitives that we are looking for. The potty box will be no issue because I always train my dogs to use a similar box, just bigger, in our yard so we can always have a nice yard to walk bare foot in with no worries. My concerns are making sure I have all my ducks in a row for the shore excursions. I know I need to do a lot of stuff months in advance so that my Service Dog can join me.

 

Even with 2yrs to plan and prepare it feels very overwhelming for me. Hope to get tons of great info here and help in planning our first ever real vacation.

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NicoleLJ

NicoleLJ

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Posted (edited)
You are our next big Hero. Thank you for all that you're doing for people with Autisim and their ability to have the use of a Service Dog. I have seen the light in children's eyes [who have autisim] shine so much brighter with a dog by their side.

 

Victoria, BC was the only place that gave us a difficult time with Brenda. We could not enter a restaurant, a gift shop and the floral gardens with her. They don't abide by our ADA Laws and don't have to. Of course, they want our business and usually know we've come off a cruise ship so one proprietor made an "exception" [as he told me] and allowed us to bring Brenda in to eat with the rest of the group we were with.

 

So, be careful about your plans in Victoria with your dog. Maybe someone can stay onboard with him while you take turns visiting places. The rest of the ports were very gracious and didn't stop us from doing anything with Brenda right by my side!!!!!

 

Have fun! Enjoy Alaska!

 

I know this post is a few days old but I wanted to respond since I reside in Canada and am very familiar with the Service Dog laws here. There is no federal law that oversees all of Canada like the ADA. The Human Rights laws can help but there can be very time consuming and difficult to deal with. The government basically leaves it up to the province to dictate how each province deals with Service Dogs and their handlers.

 

BC unfortunately is well known in Canada as the most dificult province to deal with for Service Dog users. Anyone using a service dog, visitor or resident must have a Service Dog ID issued from the government to get the protection under the law. And to get said ID you have to prove the dog was trained by certian accredited programs. If your dog is owner trained it is almost impossible to get an ID card issued.

 

I reside in Alberta and we have a fairly new Service Dog Act. Alberta is much more Servcie Dog friendly then BC. You can train your Service Dog yourself but if you want a governement issued ID then the dog must come from an accredited trainer or facility. If it is owner trained and you are denied access you do have rights under the Human Rights code. My Service Dog is owner trained and I have only ever been refused once access and that was to a Walmart who had a new manager. It was quickly corrected with a phone call.

 

Ontario you need at the very least a Dr.'s Note stating your need of a Service Dog. Governement ID is not nessary. The other provinces vary inbetween the BC's and the Ontario rules but none as stricked as BC. If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask. If I can I will answer.

Edited by NicoleLJ
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NicoleLJ

NicoleLJ

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Posted (edited)
We have had a service dog in Ontario for 2 years. We have never been asked to show any doctor's note or anything like that. The vest isn't required, but it does make it easier for other people to understand why the dog is walking into stores with you, etc.

 

You may not be asked for it but the law in Ontario states that if denied access a Dr.'s note is all you need to allow access and that the business owner has to accept this. Like you stated a vest and other gear is not needed either but it does make it easier, though other provinces differ in this requirement as well. Ontario is the most Service Dog friendly province in all of Canada. I have been there with my Service Dog and was very impressed.

 

It is very imporant when you travel even in your own country to know the laws of the places you will be visiting. When my doctor first suggested a Service Dog to me I did a lot of research on the laws in Canada. Now I have done presentations for businesses teaching them their rights and what the laws are for Service Dog users and for businesses as well.

 

Here is the information regaurding Ontario:

http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/source/regs/english/2007/elaws_src_regs_r07429_e.htm

 

"(8) In this section,

 

“guide dog” means a guide dog as defined in section 1 of the Blind Persons Rights’ Act; (“chien-guide”)

 

“service animal” means an animal described in subsection (9); (“animal d’assistance”)

 

“support person” means, in relation to a person with a disability, another person who accompanies him or her in order to help with communication, mobility, personal care or medical needs or with access to goods or services. (“personne de soutien”)

 

(9) For the purposes of this section, an animal is a service animal for a person with a disability,

 

(a) if it is readily apparent that the animal is used by the person for reasons relating to his or her disability; or

 

(b) if the person provides a letter from a physician or nurse confirming that the person requires the animal for reasons relating to the disability."

Edited by NicoleLJ
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hastingsmom

hastingsmom

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Our cruise is only 3 weeks away...I can't wait!

What do other people do about water for their dogs? I am planning on taking a water bottle along and filling it on the ship, then taking it ashore. Is there anywhere to buy bottled or purified water while in ports? Or should we be taking multiple bottles from the ship?

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wizard-of-roz

wizard-of-roz

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Speaking of I am trying to purchase a house now in North Gulfport Ms. Its a brand new construction and with all the programs out there I am hoping and praying I qualify. So far its looking good, I meet the income requirement; my credit score while not the best I have no black marks on it. My problem is besides the car I have no established credit. This is a new construction and the builder is giving a 30k grant and there is another program called My Coast My Home that is also offering 30K grant. The house is at 158k before the grants and the only options I have in the house is a larger front door just in case the wheelchair happens again; a upgraded handicap shower in the master bathroom and finally a fence around the back yard to keep the pups on my property if I get this house. I filled out my original paperwork, then they asked for the SS Card and I also included my citizenship paperwork since I was born in Germany. Then 3 years of taxes and loads of VA paperwork. They requested the paperwork and I submitted it within 30 minutes of the request; all documents were already converted to PDF or adobe format. At the very least the bank was impressed.....

 

Between that and the Patriot Guard I have been very busy; 3 funerals in less than a week. The Westboro Baptist Church was supposed to be at one funeral although they did not show up. I got a small promotion on Saturday in the PGR since it was my fifth funeral and for the funerals I do attend I am the official photographer also. I will not record the actual event just the escort to the grave site from the funeral home.

 

Wish me luck on both; one that I can get the home loan and the other that the big man upstairs will let me leave the cemetery.

 

Good luck in all that you're doing. I hope you get the house, that would be a great morale booster for you.

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wizard-of-roz

wizard-of-roz

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Hi Roz...saw you posted on the Princess main board and wanted to say hello and see how you and Horton are getting along? How is Brenda? is she enjoying retirement? give her a kiss for me. (and if Karen is out there HI!)

 

Hi Lois, it's nice to hear from you. Horton is such a wonderful dog. He's a bit quirky because he doesn't like me going anywhere in my office and leaving him behind.

 

I have a gate at my office door and sometimes I forget to close it when I walk out and I'll turn around and he's right there. He'll follow me around; to the mail room, to the lunch room, etc., etc. Sometimes I'm just taking a quick trip to pick up a package or some stationery and I don't need him, he wants to go "everywhere." I forget to give him a command [stay, wait] when I walk away and if I've left the gate open he's right behind me.

 

I know, in time, he'll be more secure and he won't care when I leave.

 

He's a great dog and I'm enjoying him completely.

 

Brenda is doing well, thanks so much for asking, she really likes Horton, they're so cute together.

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