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

[rangeley]

Cindy, I absolutely love Wexy's face on your avatar. He's such a smiling boy!!!

 

 

That pic is from the cover of his book. Miss B has been gone 2 years this weekend, and I hated to take her pic off there but it was time for something new.

 

Is your pic Brenny or Horty?

[guitarest]

As this week end draws to its end; lets not forget what this holiday is actually about. When you fire up the BBQ in the backyard and have friends or family over lets remember this holiday is about those Military Members who have given their lives to protect our freedoms. I have been very lucky; with as many members in my family who were military; including those serving now only one friend has lost his life serving. Donavon was a CH-47 Chinook pilot and it took a RPG round in the front of the bird instantly killing him; this was during Desert Storm.

[guitarest]

[ATTACH]234657[/ATTACH]

 

Here is a picture of my daughter and Orson at her college graduation last night. I wish I knew how to put a bigger picture up here.

 

 

Wow small school only one graduate...... lol

 

I can help with the picture if you want to email it to me or it could be thats the size the camera took it as.

 

My daughter has one more class and she will be done with this degree anyways. She will be getting her major in Criminal Justice and minor in French although at the very end they realized she needed a few more hours to graduate so she left for Paris last night to study one month abroad. I still say its a way to have a month long vacation at her scholarship expense yet she says its a real study program and her school agrees..... In less than 4 weeks she will return from France as a graduate.

 

In later July maybe early August Blitz and I are going to Utah to spend a few weeks with Best Friends and work on our training skills and abilities so we can move our program ahead with the VA. Officially the VA has given the green light to provide trained (basic commands and abilities for a C9GC dog) to those veterans with PTSD. The additional training I will be receiving is to assist me with more specific training on dogs so they can tell if their handler is going to have a bad day and how to help their handler.

 

Tonight I am doing another ride along with local PD; I do hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday for those in the US who post here.....

[wizard-of-roz]

That pic is from the cover of his book. Miss B has been gone 2 years this weekend, and I hated to take her pic off there but it was time for something new.

 

Is your pic Brenny or Horty?

 

Awww! Time goes by so quickly. I know how much you loved Bailey and Rangeley.

 

The picture is Brenda staring at a ball in the backyard - She was so obsessed by tennis balls that she wouldn't take her eyes off of it until I picked it up and threw it for her. Now that she's older she doesn't seem to care that much, unless Horty is playing with one, then suddenly, she cares!

[wizard-of-roz]

As this week end draws to its end; lets not forget what this holiday is actually about. When you fire up the BBQ in the backyard and have friends or family over lets remember this holiday is about those Military Members who have given their lives to protect our freedoms. I have been very lucky; with as many members in my family who were military; including those serving now only one friend has lost his life serving. Donavon was a CH-47 Chinook pilot and it took a RPG round in the front of the bird instantly killing him; this was during Desert Storm.

 

Thank You ~ To YOU and all those who served so honorably!

[wizard-of-roz]

I'm getting so "yancy" waiting for our upcoming cruise in October. Waiting through the hot, valley weather for our ocean voyage seems like forever.

Horton is becoming more and more responsive. He still walks around my office with his leash attached [to remind him that he's semi-tethered], it's hard to run away with a thick/long leash attached to you. He's more willing to come when he's called and to pick up his leash when asked. :)

He's not giving any refusal's and ignoring me like he used to do and actually looks for me when he comes out of his crate.

I love this dog, he's so, so sweet with a really endearing personality.

[rangeley]

I'm getting so "yancy" waiting for our upcoming cruise in October. Waiting through the hot, valley weather for our ocean voyage seems like forever.

 

Horton is becoming more and more responsive. He still walks around my office with his leash attached [to remind him that he's semi-tethered], it's hard to run away with a thick/long leash attached to you. He's more willing to come when he's called and to pick up his leash when asked. :)

 

He's not giving any refusal's and ignoring me like he used to do and actually looks for me when he comes out of his crate.

 

I love this dog, he's so, so sweet with a really endearing personality.

 

I'm so happy that Horty is working out for you. I can see he is getting more and more comfortable with you every day. You are getting some wicked heat out there! Yuck! We have only had a few hot days so far. We have another game tonight to sell dog cookies. Wex is home with me today so he can sleep all day. He needs his naps so he will be good for the game, otherwise he will drive us nuts all night. I think this will probably be our last one. It will be to hot for the dog (and me) during the summer. We also can't wait for our cruise. We already have our flight and I'm so excited to be staying in this awesome suite on the ship. It will be very strange for us going in December, but I think we can handle it ;)

[wizard-of-roz]

I'm so happy that Horty is working out for you. I can see he is getting more and more comfortable with you every day. You are getting some wicked heat out there! Yuck! We have only had a few hot days so far. We have another game tonight to sell dog cookies. Wex is home with me today so he can sleep all day. He needs his naps so he will be good for the game, otherwise he will drive us nuts all night. I think this will probably be our last one. It will be to hot for the dog (and me) during the summer. We also can't wait for our cruise. We already have our flight and I'm so excited to be staying in this awesome suite on the ship. It will be very strange for us going in December, but I think we can handle it ;)

 

Cindy, I think you're going to love cruising in December. The weather is so nice in the Caribbean & South America that time of year [you're not fighting the humidity as much.] And, the decorations onboard are so much fun.

Actually, any weather onboard a cruise ship is better than on land. ;) :p

[wizard-of-roz]

Okay, for all you who lurk but don't write in and even those of you who have written in.....this is your golden opportunity to give us your thoughts or opinions on what you think when you see a perfectly healthy looking woman walking [obviously] not blind, with a Service Dog, onboard a cruise ship.

Is your first thought; how'd she get her pet onboard the ship? - She must be training the dog; I wonder if I can ask her some questions - Most importantly - WHERE DOES THE DOG GO TO THE BATHROOM?

And, are you shocked when you find out what my dog does for me and how amazing and brilliantly smart she/he is? :)

[Valentine's Mom]

Okay, for all you who lurk but don't write in and even those of you who have written in.....this is your golden opportunity to give us your thoughts or opinions on what you think when you see a perfectly healthy looking woman walking [obviously] not blind, with a Service Dog, onboard a cruise ship.

Is your first thought; how'd she get her pet onboard the ship? - She must be training the dog; I wonder if I can ask her some questions - Most importantly - WHERE DOES THE DOG GO TO THE BATHROOM?

And, are you shocked when you find out what my dog does for me and how amazing and brilliantly smart she/he is? :)

 

Roz,I had to laugh when I read your question. If you think they look at you and wonder can you imagine what they think when they see Valentine all of 10 pounds and riding in a buggy!:eek:: Really, if I. Didn,t know about these dogs I would certainly wonder, especially the little ones.

[wizard-of-roz]

Roz' date='I had to laugh when I read your question. If you think they look at you and wonder can you imagine what they think when they see Valentine all of 10 pounds and riding in a buggy!:eek:: Really, if I. Didn,t know about these dogs I would certainly wonder, especially the little ones.[/quote']

 

Barbara, exactly my point. When we were onboard the Sapphire this past March and there was a husband and wife with a "yippy/yappy" Shi-zsu who sat on the husbands lap but walked around and was held by the woman mostly, it sure got my curiosity up. So, I asked, especially after the dog tried to bite off Horton's nose.

 

The woman's explanation was that the dog alerted her husband when his blood pressure became dangerously low and he should sit down immediately. And, the reason it "yipped and growled" at Horton was because it had been attacked by a large dog once.

I suggested that she try and get it to manage it's aggressive behavior or it wouldn't be able to focus on "alerting" very well!

The woman was certainly nice enough and we became friendly during the week and she went on to explain to me that she suffers from agoraphobia(sp) and panic attacks......whoops! Me thinks she spoke too much. The dog was a "make me feel good dog" and should NEVER have been allowed on the ship. I knew this from the moment I met the dog and her. And, observed that the husband interacted with the dog very little!!!!! She had a vest for the dog and I'm sure got her doctor to write a letter....etc., etc.

You and Valentine are a team and I know she would never mis-behave or growel at another dog for no reason. So rude!

[Latitude 20]

Just in case anyone is feeling too productive--the Shiba Inu Puppy Cam is live again for your time-wasting, puppy-watching pleasure!

 

 

The pups are about 10 days old right now so we'll have them to watch for a few months. Mom is Ayumi who was a member of the original "Puppy Cam" litter from 3-4 years ago.

[wizard-of-roz]

Just in case anyone is feeling too productive--the Shiba Inu Puppy Cam is live again for your time-wasting, puppy-watching pleasure!

 

 

The pups are about 10 days old right now so we'll have them to watch for a few months. Mom is Ayumi who was a member of the original "Puppy Cam" litter from 3-4 years ago.

 

So cute I could watch them all night! Thanks for sharing.

[rangeley]

Barbara, exactly my point. When we were onboard the Sapphire this past March and there was a husband and wife with a "yippy/yappy" Shi-zsu who sat on the husbands lap but walked around and was held by the woman mostly, it sure got my curiosity up. So, I asked, especially after the dog tried to bite off Horton's nose.

 

The woman's explanation was that the dog alerted her husband when his blood pressure became dangerously low and he should sit down immediately. And, the reason it "yipped and growled" at Horton was because it had been attacked by a large dog once.

 

I suggested that she try and get it to manage it's aggressive behavior or it wouldn't be able to focus on "alerting" very well!

 

The woman was certainly nice enough and we became friendly during the week and she went on to explain to me that she suffers from agoraphobia(sp) and panic attacks......whoops! Me thinks she spoke too much. The dog was a "make me feel good dog" and should NEVER have been allowed on the ship. I knew this from the moment I met the dog and her. And, observed that the husband interacted with the dog very little!!!!! She had a vest for the dog and I'm sure got her doctor to write a letter....etc., etc.

 

You and Valentine are a team and I know she would never mis-behave or growel at another dog for no reason. So rude!

 

The thing is Roz, you don't need a doctors note!! The only forms we filled out was Special requirements form for John and the form with the dog info on it. Like what kind of dog, size, weight, that sort of thing. And HAL also asks for a letter saying what the dog does for John. Everything a regular person can fill out (and easily lie about) for sneaking a dog on a ship. They never ask for any real proof. On the HAL boards there is a big discussion about dogs, cuz so many people are complaining about these dogs running around the ship, swimming in pools and eating off tables, which we all know a real service dog would not be allowed to do. It's really getting out of hand!!!

[rangeley]

Just in case anyone is feeling too productive--the Shiba Inu Puppy Cam is live again for your time-wasting, puppy-watching pleasure!

 

 

The pups are about 10 days old right now so we'll have them to watch for a few months. Mom is Ayumi who was a member of the original "Puppy Cam" litter from 3-4 years ago.

 

OMG Who doesn't love a puppy!!!

[Valentine's Mom]

I can,t imagine dogs in pools dogs eating from plates it,s unimaginable! THEY HAVE TO BE PETS! Pets are a very good thing and can make a person feel loved s are and secure,but, theybelong at home. The funny thing is whenwe started cruising with Valentine both Royal, and Carnival required her deploma! The need to resume that! Also a service dog would never snap at another dog I did see a seeing eye dog growel once when somone was severly istracting him from his person but only enough to alert the person. Thats another thing. Why does every person on that ship feel the need or the right to stop you no matter how fast and direct you are walking. I,ll bet ,those people with pets enjoy this because what they must be looking for is attention. What better way than a dog who most people love and had to leave home

 

It would be nice if they could hand out a pamphlet about what to do when meeting a service dog. Or something like that. On one T/A cruise we did the cd made an anouncement that she was onboard and not to pet her. That little anouncement made a Big difference. It really doesn,t take a lot to hep so much.

[wizard-of-roz]

I always tell folks who are cruising with their SD to give themselves a lot of time to go anywhere because they will be stopped and asked so many questions. Honestly, I don't mind answering the questions for people who are truly concerned and interested in the Service Dog as a worker in the public venue.

 

When Sunshine and I cruised together she handled all the questions and made so many new friends because she was helpful and informative about the Service Dog and all that they can do.

 

When I hear about the people who allow their dogs to swim in the pool or eat off the plates or tables it makes me so angry. I would allow Brenda to sit on a couch next to me for alerting purposes or to keep her from getting trampled. She was the most respectful and wonderful dog to take into the public. Horton is very big so it's a bit more difficult to hide him under a table and when he's lying down he takes up a lot of space.

 

I still have to protect his paws from being stepped on and that tail.......it seems like it's everyhwere. I've heard him yelp twice since I've had him and it's so sad to hear....it literally brings tears to my eyes and anger to my lips when people step on him. :( I know folks are not expecting to have a dog laying around where most dogs don't go and a black dog can meld into the floor so easily. Which is why I really think that a retractable "caution flag" should be made and used when were out in public. Has anyone heard of such a thing....I'll buy one. ;)

Edited June 2, 2012 by wizard-of-roz

[sunshine426]

Hello!!!! I'm still here and taking care of my service dogs in training...just haven't had much time to post lately. I do have some special doggy stories to share when I get a chance. I enjoyed being Roz and Brenny's spokesperson on the cruise. I did come up with varied answers to the potty question...I can see how it would be very tiresome after awhile when you are on vacation always having to stop and speak.

Since I work with dogs in training, I am used to this and it is part of my training to advocate and teach the public about these dogs.

Off to do some yard work...Mr Sunshine is now on supplementa oxygen and it has been a learning curve for us. I'm off to visit the threads that discuss cruising and airtravel with oxygen...

[DisneyKidsDad]

OK...here's my story for today. Being that my daughter is off from college for the summer, her and my wife were looking for stuff to do for the summer. They looked into the "Read To The Dog" program at the local libraries. My wife got a call the other day from a woman that runs the program. She was pretty sure they were not going to be able to use Orson because he was a "Service Dog" and didn't have the training a "Therapy Dog" has. :eek: They also wanted to know if we had a seperate insurance policy on him that specifically covered him around children. :confused: Needless to say my wife said never mind and hung up. :mad:

[wizard-of-roz]

Hello!!!! I'm still here and taking care of my service dogs in training...just haven't had much time to post lately. I do have some special doggy stories to share when I get a chance. I enjoyed being Roz and Brenny's spokesperson on the cruise. I did come up with varied answers to the potty question...I can see how it would be very tiresome after awhile when you are on vacation always having to stop and speak.

 

Since I work with dogs in training, I am used to this and it is part of my training to advocate and teach the public about these dogs.

 

Off to do some yard work...Mr Sunshine is now on supplementa oxygen and it has been a learning curve for us. I'm off to visit the threads that discuss cruising and airtravel with oxygen...

 

Thank you sweet lady for being such a wonderful friend to Brenda and me.

Please give Rich an extra hug from me, Horton and Brenny. And, come back to the boards to share how air travel with oxygen is accomplished. I have a friend, in my office, who's husband will be starting oxygen after suffering from congestive heart failure and they're both affraid they'll NEVER be able to fly again!

And, you owe us a doggy story! ;)

[wizard-of-roz]

OK...here's my story for today. Being that my daughter is off from college for the summer, her and my wife were looking for stuff to do for the summer. They looked into the "Read To The Dog" program at the local libraries. My wife got a call the other day from a woman that runs the program. She was pretty sure they were not going to be able to use Orson because he was a "Service Dog" and didn't have the training a "Therapy Dog" has. :eek: They also wanted to know if we had a seperate insurance policy on him that specifically covered him around children. :confused: Needless to say my wife said never mind and hung up. :mad:

 

You are kidding, you've got to be kidding!!!!! "Doesn't have the training!" What planet is she from? Please don't let her get away with thinking this, you've got to call and inform her of the training that Orson has been through with CCI. And, then come back and tell us what her response was. Didn't this make you nuts??????

She's going to feel like such a "dummy" when she realizes the difference between a "Therapy Dog" [gently mannered knock-off of a pet] and a Service Dog [2 years of being socialized and puppy-raised and then months of intense professional training.] "Insurance to be around children".......Oh! I've got to take more meds......she's making me crazy!!!!!!

[DisneyKidsDad]

You are kidding, you've got to be kidding!!!!! "Doesn't have the training!" What planet is she from? Please don't let her get away with thinking this, you've got to call and inform her of the training that Orson has been through with CCI. And, then come back and tell us what her response was. Didn't this make you nuts??????

 

She's going to feel like such a "dummy" when she realizes the difference between a "Therapy Dog" [gently mannered knock-off of a pet] and a Service Dog [2 years of being socialized and puppy-raised and then months of intense professional training.] "Insurance to be around children".......Oh! I've got to take more meds......she's making me crazy!!!!!!

 

Roz,

This was about the fourth go round about them trying to volunteer for the program. Everything you just said was explained four times, at least. Somehow they got it into their heads that it has to be a therapy dog. So for now it's their loss.

[wizard-of-roz]

Roz,

This was about the fourth go round about them trying to volunteer for the program. Everything you just said was explained four times, at least. Somehow they got it into their heads that it has to be a therapy dog. So for now it's their loss.

 

Wow!!!!! That's it........rather than med's I'm going for the chocolate bar, it won't look good on my double chin but it will satisfy for so much longer!!!!!

It truly is their loss.......big dummies!!!!!!

[Latitude 20]

Josh (second dog from the right) and his human, canine and equine partners held their annual "Capitol K9" fundraiser a couple weeks ago. They take over the whole Capitol grounds and invite all dogs to participate in challenges, a doggie parade and lots of other fun stuff! The money raised goes to paying some of the costs of the K9 program so that taxpayer money can be used for other things.

[wizard-of-roz]

Josh (second dog from the right) and his human, canine and equine partners held their annual "Capitol K9" fundraiser a couple weeks ago. They take over the whole Capitol grounds and invite all dogs to participate in challenges, a doggie parade and lots of other fun stuff! The money raised goes to paying some of the costs of the K9 program so that taxpayer money can be used for other things.

 

Wonderful! Leave it to "dog people" to raise their own money so as not to be a burden on anyone else.