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

[trudle]

Hi Everyone,

 

Hopefully those suffering from the storm are getting help and the needed supplies. So sad to see all the damage and the lives lost. My family on Long Island are good. No real damage. Not sure if they all have electric yet. Now another storm coming----sure do hope it fizzles out. We didn't get anything here except some rain and a little wind. We know what Hurricanes are like.:(

 

Got back from my bus trip. Had a good time but no wins. It is always a nice visit for my sister and I.

 

Getting a few things ready for my cruise or at least thinking about it. Not too long now and we will be on that wonderful cruise.

 

Have a Good Sunday everyone.

[trudle]

Yesterday we went to Fenway Park for a thank you from the Red Sox for selling dog cookies. It was so nice to be at the park when no one was there. We had some hors d'oeuvres and a tour of the park. It was great! Wex and I sat in the dugout, it was really special. I'll post a few pics when I get a chance. It was a beautiful day and we were like a bunch of kids in awe of this beautiful historic place. Something I will remember forever.

 

Cindy

 

Sounds wonderful Cindy. Waiting for those pictures.

[rangeley]

Welcome back Trudy! Sorry to hear you didn't win anything but glad you had a good time with your sister.

 

I just started getting out some summer stuff for the cruise today. I packed a few things. Thought about alot more. lol Wexler gets so excited when I get the suitcase out of the closet. He sniffs it and wags his tail. He's such a good traveller. Alot of ships are starting to make their way back to Ft. Lauderdale. The cruise seems to be coming up fast. My head will start spinning around soon. :eek: Gotta get my son moving cuz he is slow moving on getting clothes together.

 

Glad your family are ok. Long Island is where CCI is. The place we got Wexler. They have no power and they are having a class to give people their dogs. The graduation is suppose to be Friday. They are not going to have much of a turnout because there's no hotels or gas!

 

Cindy

[wizard-of-roz]

Yesterday we went to Fenway Park for a thank you from the Red Sox for selling dog cookies. It was so nice to be at the park when no one was there. We had some hors d'oeuvres and a tour of the park. It was great! Wex and I sat in the dugout, it was really special. I'll post a few pics when I get a chance. It was a beautiful day and we were like a bunch of kids in awe of this beautiful historic place. Something I will remember forever.

 

Cindy

 

Cindy, what a great day for you. I'm glad you had such a good time. I would enjoyed that too!

[wizard-of-roz]

Hi Everyone,

 

Hopefully those suffering from the storm are getting help and the needed supplies. So sad to see all the damage and the lives lost. My family on Long Island are good. No real damage. Not sure if they all have electric yet. Now another storm coming----sure do hope it fizzles out. We didn't get anything here except some rain and a little wind. We know what Hurricanes are like.:(

 

Got back from my bus trip. Had a good time but no wins. It is always a nice visit for my sister and I.

 

Getting a few things ready for my cruise or at least thinking about it. Not too long now and we will be on that wonderful cruise.

 

Have a Good Sunday everyone.

 

Trudy, glad you had fun on your bus trip.

 

I'm saying prayers for our friends and family on the east coast.

 

One of my most favorite parts of cruising is the anticipation and all the

"stuff" we have to do to get ready.......and, then the first sight of the ship from the highway.....makes me nuts with goosebumps!

[wizard-of-roz]

Dear DKD and all our friends in "Sandy's" path, I hope this finds you safe and well. I know I'd never do well without all my creature comforts like; heat, water, my bed, and lights. My heart goes out to all of you and I pray that each day gets easier and easier for you.

 

To the class and staff at CCI; you are true heroes. You'll graduate with your dogs on Friday and will have stories and memories that will last a lifetime. Congratulations to all of you! I hope we get to meet one day.

[rangeley]

Wow Where is everyone? I went home yesterdayand I come back and everyones gone. Wahhh John has a nasty test tomorrow so I needed to be here for the before part. yuck :( It's getting close to our trip so I should be in panic mode in a week or two. Now here's my son, I tell him to bring summer clothes so I can wash and start to pack them up. Things I had put aside to save for trip, socks, shirts, shorts, are now all missing. He tells me he wore them during the summer. :( So last night he comes with a bag full of stuff, so I thought. He's got 5 pairs of shorts and thats it! :eek: He claims he can't find anything else! :eek: See what I have to go through. UGH

 

Better news, CCI now has power. I guess all the applicants cheered. What troopers they were, I hear not one of them complained the whole time. Thats awesome!!

[wizard-of-roz]

Wow Where is everyone? I went home yesterdayand I come back and everyones gone. Wahhh John has a nasty test tomorrow so I needed to be here for the before part. yuck :( It's getting close to our trip so I should be in panic mode in a week or two. Now here's my son, I tell him to bring summer clothes so I can wash and start to pack them up. Things I had put aside to save for trip, socks, shirts, shorts, are now all missing. He tells me he wore them during the summer. :( So last night he comes with a bag full of stuff, so I thought. He's got 5 pairs of shorts and thats it! :eek: He claims he can't find anything else! :eek: See what I have to go through. UGH

 

Better news, CCI now has power. I guess all the applicants cheered. What troopers they were, I hear not one of them complained the whole time. Thats awesome!!

 

Your son has it sooooooo easy! You are "super Mom" to him! I know if you don't stay on top of it, nothing will get done! Boys!!!! :rolleyes: You're going on your cruise, try to enjoy the anticipation moments without "sonny boy's" antics! Such a character! :o

I'm so glad to hear about CCI....They really were brave. And, I know if it were me and I'd finally been called off the "Wait List" and I was in Team Training, I'd do anything they say to get my dog. I'm not so sure I'd be willing to go without lights/heat, etc., etc. But at the end of it, they'll have their dog and all the memories to go with it. They'll always be remembered as; "the class who did it in the dark!" I'm so proud of all of them! I can't wait to see their pictures.

[wizard-of-roz]

You know how you go on a cruise and you're nervous about who'll be cruising with you [i mean the other passengers onboard] who, sometimes, can make or break the cruising experience, in general-Well, this last cruise, on October 6th, had the most wonderful folks onboard. I cruised with one gal [Robyn] -"Tall Cruiser" - Who I'd cruised with before, and I wished I had seen her more. She bought Horton a bandana, so sweet. And, then there's the family [the Okland's] who I spent a lot of time with. I just loved them. They live in Arizona and are coming to San Diego for Thanksgiving and we'll be driving down to be with them. They're the ones who suggested I try the Ke Flo for Horty's ears.

As I continue to cruise, I find that Cruising With My Service Dog is such a great advantage to meeting some of the most wonderful folks.

Brenda and Horton have opened the door to some treasured friendships! Their assistance is invaluable to me, I really wasn't enjoying my life fully before they came into it.

Oh! There's been the occasional "grouch" who hates or the people who are afraid of dogs, or the gentleman who pushed Horton with his foot so he would move out of the way of the couch he wanted to sit in [the room was full of empty couches], he wanted this particular one. These people are few and far between, thank goodness!

If you've been thinking about looking into a Service Dog for yourself or a loved one.......Please don't hesitate, your life will never be the same, I promise you!

[rangeley]

Your son has it sooooooo easy! You are "super Mom" to him! I know if you don't stay on top of it, nothing will get done! Boys!!!! :rolleyes: You're going on your cruise, try to enjoy the anticipation moments without "sonny boy's" antics! Such a character! :o

 

I'm so glad to hear about CCI....They really were brave. And, I know if it were me and I'd finally been called off the "Wait List" and I was in Team Training, I'd do anything they say to get my dog. I'm not so sure I'd be willing to go without lights/heat, etc., etc. But at the end of it, they'll have their dog and all the memories to go with it. They'll always be remembered as; "the class who did it in the dark!" I'm so proud of all of them! I can't wait to see their pictures.

 

My son knows he's got it made. But at 28 I still have to tell him everything. He keeps me going and even with all his antics, he's my best bud! :D

 

We are getting another storm today and it seems its going to hit in the same place as the last one. Inland there is going to be alittle snow,rain on the coast and high winds. I hope CCI and all the people that finally got power back on do not lose it again.

[rangeley]

[quote name='wizard-of-roz'][COLOR=indigo][B]You know how you go on a cruise and you're nervous about who'll be cruising with you [I mean the other passengers onboard] who, sometimes, can make or break the cruising experience, in general-[/B][/COLOR][COLOR=indigo][B]Well, this last cruise, on October 6th, had the most wonderful folks onboard. I cruised with one gal [Robyn] -"Tall Cruiser" - Who I'd cruised with before, and I wished I had seen her more. She bought Horton a bandana, so sweet. And, then there's the family [the Okland's] who I spent a lot of time with. I just loved them. They live in Arizona and are coming to San Diego for Thanksgiving and we'll be driving down to be with them. They're the ones who suggested I try the Ke Flo for Horty's ears. [/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=indigo][B]As I continue to cruise, I find that Cruising With My Service Dog is such a great advantage to meeting some of the most wonderful folks. [/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=indigo][B]Brenda and Horton have opened the door to some treasured friendships! Their assistance is invaluable to me, I really wasn't enjoying my life fully before they came into it.[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=indigo][B]Oh! There's been the occasional "grouch" who hates or the people who are afraid of dogs, or the gentleman who pushed Horton with his foot so he would move out of the way of the couch he wanted to sit in [the room was full of empty couches], he wanted this particular one. These people are few and far between, thank goodness![/B][/COLOR]

[B][COLOR=#4b0082]If you've been thinking about looking into a Service Dog for yourself or a loved one.......Please don't hesitate, your life will never be the same, I promise you![/COLOR][/B][/quote]

We have always found most people love the dog and are happy to see him. We haven't run into to many grouches. Most have a million questions which we are more than happy to answer.

Of course this year we will be meeting Trudy and hubby and another couple that I've been chatting with. I'm very excited to meet all of them. We will all be going on a shore excursion so hopefully we will all like eachother. :eek: Only a month away. WooooHoooo

[trudle]

Good Morning Everyone,

A little cool here this morning. Praying that the new storm doesn't do damage and hopefully it will turn away. Prayers and good thoughts to all of you facing this storm.

Cindy----Yes, only one month till we sail and I can't wait. Looking forward to the tour and meeting all of you. Started taking out a few things yesterday. This month will go fast for me-----I have company coming twice by Thanksgiving. My daughter will be here with her DH, the day before her cruise and then, Thanksgiving-----I think I am cooking but not 100% sure yet :eek:

Roz----think I can get a service dog, just to keep us company on our cruise----they sound like so much fun and a sure thing to meet people.:D Glad you had a great cruise. I know ours will be great also. I just got my cookies for Wex, but tell him. ;)

Trudy and ED

[wizard-of-roz]

[quote name='rangeley']My son knows he's got it made. But at 28 I still have to tell him everything. He keeps me going and even with all his antics, he's my best bud! :D

We are getting another storm today and it seems its going to hit in the same place as the last one. Inland there is going to be alittle snow,rain on the coast and high winds. I hope CCI and all the people that finally got power back on do not lose it again.[/quote]

[COLOR=indigo][B]I love my son and my two daughters but there's something so special about that boy![/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][B]I pray that this upcoming storm leaves all of you safe and sound! [/B][/COLOR]

[wizard-of-roz]

[quote name='trudle']Good Morning Everyone,

A little cool here this morning. Praying that the new storm doesn't do damage and hopefully it will turn away. Prayers and good thoughts to all of you facing this storm.

Cindy----Yes, only one month till we sail and I can't wait. Looking forward to the tour and meeting all of you. Started taking out a few things yesterday. This month will go fast for me-----I have company coming twice by Thanksgiving. My daughter will be here with her DH, the day before her cruise and then, Thanksgiving-----I think I am cooking but not 100% sure yet :eek:

Roz----think I can get a service dog, just to keep us company on our cruise----they sound like so much fun and a sure thing to meet people.:D Glad you had a great cruise. I know ours will be great also. I just got my cookies for Wex, but tell him. ;)

Trudy and ED[/quote]

[COLOR=indigo][B]Trudy, the dogs are fun but they're a lot of work too! For all that they do in making our lives better, they put a lot of demands on us.....I think all the work is so little for what I get back until I get woken up every morning at 4:00am because Hortie has to go potty but not before picking-up a squeaky toy, taking it outside on the patio and watching the sun come up, then he either "squeaks" his toy or barks at the neighbors as they're going to their cars [a low pitched "woof"].........Puleeeeeez! This is his new habit....I go get him and bring him back to bed. I'm exhausted by the time I get back to sleep, then the alarm goes off for work! [/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][B]I MUST keep the bedroom door closed and no water after 8:00pm. Brenda is up on her couch and just watches him perform his antics.....I'm sure she's thinking, "you're such a doh-doh brain, what are you doing?"[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][B]This dog is such a character......he's a ball of energy and reminds me why raising a teenager is [U]not much fun[/U]!!!!! :([/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][B]You and Cindy are going to have a blast on this cruise. I wish I was going with you. I expect lots of great stories when you come home. [/B][/COLOR]

[trudle]

[COLOR=indigo][B]You and Cindy are going to have a blast on this cruise. I wish I was going with you. I expect lots of great stories when you come home. [/B][/COLOR][/quote]

Roz----I am sure we will have fun and hopefully we will have some good stories to tell.

I know dogs are a lot of work but worth the reward of their love. I sure do miss mine but we keep putting off getting another one because we always have to put them in a kennel when we are gone, no one really to watch them. I hate to do that and we cruise often and have been gone a lot this past year, we have thought about it but then sayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, no not yet. :( ONE DAY, we will get another. So in the mean time I am going to love up on Wex. And maybe one day, Hortie. Is Brenda company for Hortie or just retired? I still have my two cats, so I am not without an aminal.

Have a great week.

[wizard-of-roz]

[quote name='trudle'][COLOR=indigo][B]You and Cindy are going to have a blast on this cruise. I wish I was going with you. I expect lots of great stories when you come home. [/B][/COLOR][/quote]

Roz----I am sure we will have fun and hopefully we will have some good stories to tell.

I know dogs are a lot of work but worth the reward of their love. I sure do miss mine but we keep putting off getting another one because we always have to put them in a kennel when we are gone, no one really to watch them. I hate to do that and we cruise often and have been gone a lot this past year, we have thought about it but then sayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, no not yet. :( ONE DAY, we will get another. So in the mean time I am going to love up on Wex. And maybe one day, Hortie. Is Brenda company for Hortie or just retired? I still have my two cats, so I am not without an aminal.

Have a great week.[/quote]

[COLOR=indigo][B]Brenda worked for 10 years, by my side every day! She is without a doubt the furry-love-of-my-life! There will NEVER be another dog like her. She's different than Horty in that she would NEVER do anything "silly!" She plays with toys but NEVER for "no reason." The toy had to do something and it had to have a purpose. She's very alpha and very serious but so full of love and so smart.[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][B]When Horton and I come home from work she's waiting by the door or up on [U]her[/U] couch. She runs to him and will play with him, jumping and running in circles for a short bit. Then she lays down and watches him perform his "stunts"; chasing his tail, leaping in the air, rolling over and stretching his legs in the air or teasing her by hitting her with a toy in his mouth. He's very entertaining and so full of "clown-fun!" [/B][/COLOR]

[trudle]

[COLOR=indigo][B]Brenda worked for 10 years, by my side every day! She is without a doubt the furry-love-of-my-life! There will NEVER be another dog like her. She's different than Horty in that she would NEVER do anything "silly!" She plays with toys but NEVER for "no reason." The toy had to do something and it had to have a purpose. She's very alpha and very serious but so full of love and so smart.[/B][/COLOR]

[COLOR=indigo][B]When Horton and I come home from work she's waiting by the door or up on [U]her[/U] couch. She runs to him and will play with him, jumping and running in circles for a short bit. Then she lays down and watches him perform his "stunts"; chasing his tail, leaping in the air, rolling over and stretching his legs in the air or teasing her by hitting her with a toy in his mouth. He's very entertaining and so full of "clown-fun!" [/B][/COLOR][/quote]

I can see it all in my mind. :) What fun. Animals do keep us young we never have a dull moment.

[rangeley]

Well we are back from colonoscopy land. What fun it's been. If you ever think it's horrible, try being a quad and going through it. I'm pooped (pardon the pun) :D Everything is good so he's all set for 10years, or as he says...never again. Wex and I went to the caf for lunch then back to the waiting room. He had plenty of love from all the other people that were waiting. We grabbed some burgers at our fav neighborhood restaurant, since John hadn't eaten since Tuesday morning. That burger didn't stand a chance when he got it. :eek: But he is a happy camper now.

The nor'easter is here and it started out as snow! :mad: It's freezing out there!!!!! And windy. What a change. Makes the cruise sound even better now. I'm not sure what else is in store for us, but I hope it's going to be just rain.

Pesty just ate his rawhide dental chew and now he's gotta go out. Brrrr. I will have to make it quick since I'm wearing shorts cuz it's 90 in our apartment.

Cindy

[wizard-of-roz]

[quote name='rangeley']Well we are back from colonoscopy land. What fun it's been. If you ever think it's horrible, try being a quad and going through it. I'm pooped (pardon the pun) :D Everything is good so he's all set for 10years, or as he says...never again. Wex and I went to the caf for lunch then back to the waiting room. He had plenty of love from all the other people that were waiting. We grabbed some burgers at our fav neighborhood restaurant, since John hadn't eaten since Tuesday morning. That burger didn't stand a chance when he got it. :eek: But he is a happy camper now.

The nor'easter is here and it started out as snow! :mad: It's freezing out there!!!!! And windy. What a change. Makes the cruise sound even better now. I'm not sure what else is in store for us, but I hope it's going to be just rain.

Pesty just ate his rawhide dental chew and now he's gotta go out. Brrrr. I will have to make it quick since I'm wearing shorts cuz it's 90 in our apartment.

Cindy[/quote]

[COLOR=indigo][B]Oh! Cindy! When I finished your note I was laughing so hard I was crying! OMG! What a day you've had. Poor John, please give him my sympathy's, I bet he's glad that's over and your telling of how he loved his burger was so funny![/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][B]Then, the weather front that you're getting.....give-me-a-break! We're still having our heat wave....although, they do say we're going to cool way down by Friday. Yeh! All the way down to 68 degrees.....poor us! Of course, one good earth quake and it's all over![/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][B]Then taking Wexy out and into the frigid snow and then back into your balmy apartment......I'm still laughing. Okay, okay.....not funny![/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][/COLOR]

[rangeley]

We only got a few inches of snow. Wexy was running in it like a mad dog. He loves it. It was in the 20's last night and on Monday it's going to be 70! :eek: Talk about crazy weather. I can't believe you are still getting a heat wave. Poor Ny and NJ, some people that finally got power back have now lost it due to this new storm. We still haven't heard from DKD. I hope him and his family are ok. I hate to think they still have no power.

John is fine and going to work today. He had a good night.

[wizard-of-roz]

[quote name='rangeley']We only got a few inches of snow. Wexy was running in it like a mad dog. He loves it. It was in the 20's last night and on Monday it's going to be 70! :eek: Talk about crazy weather. I can't believe you are still getting a heat wave. Poor Ny and NJ, some people that finally got power back have now lost it due to this new storm. We still haven't heard from DKD. I hope him and his family are ok. I hate to think they still have no power.

John is fine and going to work today. He had a good night.[/quote]

[COLOR=indigo][B]Yeh! For Wexy.....he knows how to turn something bad into something good![/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][B]I am very concerned about DKD........I pray he and his family are okay.[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][B]The East Coast is being hammered! My heart goes out to all of you.[/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][B]Good for John. He picks himself up [with much help] and keeps rolling along. Great guy![/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][/COLOR]

[rangeley]

Here's some pix of us at the Red Sox appreciation day.

[wizard-of-roz]

[quote name='rangeley']Here's some pix of us at the Red Sox appreciation day.[/quote]

[COLOR=indigo][B]Wonderful pictures. That must have been so much fun. Thanks so much for sharing them![/B][/COLOR]

[fairbourne]

[quote name='wizard-of-roz'][COLOR=indigo][B]Wonderful pictures. That must have been so much fun. Thanks so much for sharing them![/B][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

I'm sorry I meant to be back in touch with you all sooner, but have been looking in from time to time to catch up on your news, especially the last week with the awful reports of the storm. I hope you hear from your friend DKD soon.

I love your doggie tales and you guys crack me up sometimes with your stories and your lovely naughtiness! ;):D. I also feel with you during sad times, and the way you support each other is great.

I have just shown the DH your photos and there was a lot of aaaaahing going on and Wex is so handsome and the group photo! I really must try and post photos of our two labs (not service dogs), not very techy minded I'm afraid!

Who was it that said "dogs have masters", well hmmm someone forgot to tell our two that!! :D. We certainly know about the 2am potty breaks!! And rolling around in the snow - they're just plain daft but we love then because they're our "drafties"!

Sending you best wishes from two doggie lovers in Scotland! :D.

[wizard-of-roz]

[quote name='fairbourne']I'm sorry I meant to be back in touch with you all sooner, but have been looking in from time to time to catch up on your news, especially the last week with the awful reports of the storm. I hope you hear from your friend DKD soon.

I love your doggie tales and you guys crack me up sometimes with your stories and your lovely naughtiness! ;):D. I also feel with you during sad times, and the way you support each other is great.

I have just shown the DH your photos and there was a lot of aaaaahing going on and Wex is so handsome and the group photo! I really must try and post photos of our two labs (not service dogs), not very techy minded I'm afraid!

Who was it that said "dogs have masters", well hmmm someone forgot to tell our two that!! :D. We certainly know about the 2am potty breaks!! And rolling around in the snow - they're just plain daft but we love then because they're our "drafties"!

Sending you best wishes from two doggie lovers in Scotland! :D.[/quote]

[COLOR=indigo][B]We do have some fun don't we. You know the very best part of owning a Service Dog........is THEY OWN YOU!!!!! And, I love every minute of it![/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][/COLOR]
[COLOR=indigo][B]Thanks for your kind words, all the way from Scotland. I love reading "Shogun's" writings, he too is from your wonderful country. He usually writes on the Princess boards and has a beautiful Alaskan Husky.[/B][/COLOR]