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

[DUTRAVEL]

We are off tomorrow for our flight to catch our transatlantic cruise from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale. Looks like no Lutfhansa strike tomorrow so we are good to go.

 

I am hoping that I will hear from CCI about February training when we return.

 

Roz - for some reason I can't see the picture of Horton.

 

Fairbourne - I am sure that you are missing Aruba terribly, but she will be home soon.

 

Dianne

[wizard-of-roz]

We are off tomorrow for our flight to catch our transatlantic cruise from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale. Looks like no Lutfhansa strike tomorrow so we are good to go.

 

I am hoping that I will hear from CCI about February training when we return.

 

Roz - for some reason I can't see the picture of Horton.

 

Fairbourne - I am sure that you are missing Aruba terribly, but she will be home soon.

 

Dianne

 

Dianne, if you don't mind posting your email address I'll be happy to send you pictures of our Horton. He's such a Hunka, Hunka Burning Love!!!♥

[fairbourne]

Horton. He's such a Hunka, Hunka Burning Love!!!♥

 

 

Ooooh ..... I'm all shook up! LOL!

 

I'm fine, I miss tootie fruitie but she's back Friday and it's good for her too!

 

Oh yes I have the album already and have it planned out and have marked the photos for inclusion. I thought I might try and make some sort of audio tape or whatever it is you can do these days explaining the photos - it would have been easy back in the day when you just had cassette tapes and a cassette recorder! Did anyone else have a Dansette record player when they were a teenager with 45 rpm records? I got a bright red one from Santa with two records! Two records which got played over and over again! LOL!

[fairbourne]

We are off tomorrow for our flight to catch our transatlantic cruise from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale. Looks like no Lutfhansa strike tomorrow so we are good to go.

 

I am hoping that I will hear from CCI about February training when we return.

 

Roz - for some reason I can't see the picture of Horton.

 

Fairbourne - I am sure that you are missing Aruba terribly, but she will be home soon.

 

Dianne

 

Dianne - wishing you a truly fabulous cruise - we love transatlantics but no time for one this year. The weather looks really nice in the Mediterranean now - enjoy Rome and your trip. Look forward to hearing all about it when you get back and you will be even closer to having your new doggy companion! :D

[wizard-of-roz]

Dianne,

Have a super, fantabulous cruise. Why wouldn't you!!!! Take us with you! We expect to hear all about it and I know you're going to love every minute of it.

 

Bon~Voyage ♥

 

Roz & Horty

[wizard-of-roz]

Ooooh ..... I'm all shook up! LOL!

 

I'm fine, I miss tootie fruitie but she's back Friday and it's good for her too!

 

Oh yes I have the album already and have it planned out and have marked the photos for inclusion. I thought I might try and make some sort of audio tape or whatever it is you can do these days explaining the photos - it would have been easy back in the day when you just had cassette tapes and a cassette recorder! Did anyone else have a Dansette record player when they were a teenager with 45 rpm records? I got a bright red one from Santa with two records! Two records which got played over and over again! LOL!

 

Why was I even asking.......I'm sure who ever gets Aruba from you will be blessed with so much love and devotion in pictures.

 

Your send-off to this dog should be captured on film! However, I don't think I want to be in the room!!!♥

 

I still have our Telefunken that we played our 98's and 45's on whilest we were entertaining our friends as teens. Wow! That was a lonnnnnng time ago!

[fairbourne]

Wow 98's - I thought I was sounding old talking about 45's!!! LOL! ;)

 

Well the normal routine when the pups leave the puppy walkers is they are collected from the puppy walkers home by the puppy walkers trainer and taken to the training centre, but, I know one puppy walker who refused and wanted to take his pup to the training centre. So I think that's what we would like to do. Mind you either way it's going to be tough.

 

After a few weeks formal training, the puppy walkers are invited to see their pup working, so this usually means following the pup and trainer around the local town, at a distance where the pup would not see you.

 

One experienced puppy walker was invited to see how her pup was doing and was following at the required distance when the trainer and pup went into the local library. So she followed them in and was peeking through the bookshelves, from a distance, at them sitting at a table. Well, all of a sudden said pup suddenly sniffed the air, sat bolt upright and was looking around frantically and a bit confused! She beat a hasty retreat! He had smelt her even though she was maybe 30 feet away! When they returned to the training centre they brought the pup into an area to meet the puppy walker and he jumped for joy and ran into her arms. This pup is now a fully qualified guide dog, happily ensconced with a lovely family and looking after his Guide Dog Owner wonderfully well. But he never forgot his puppy walker "Mum". Aaah! :)

[Caribbean Chris]

Fairbourne, that story just brought tears to my eyes!

 

Diane - have a WONDERFUL time! We took a transatlantic from Rome a few years ago and loved it all.

[Caribbean Chris]

When Horton and I fly 4 hours or more.....no water before we fly and breakfast as usual [he only likes water in the afternoon or evening anyway so it works out good for morning flights]. I will offer him ice chips on board [just ask the flight attendant for some]. I have a collapsible water bowl in my purse at all times. If I'm flying under 4 hours I give him everything [except treats that may cause thirst] as usual and make taking him potty a priority the second I land.

 

If you ever get stuck in an airplane on the tarmack [it happened with Brenda twice] you can ask the flight attendant to take your dog potty for you. However, they don't have to and may refuse. I got lucky both times with attendants who were very happy to help!

 

PLEASE REMEMBER TO POTTY YOUR DOG BEFORE YOU BOARD THE PLANE.

 

I'm not sure if Raylene's trainer fed her the morning they traveled all one long day from Oregon to the North Carolina coast with three different planes - I kind of think she said she did not. (Poor hungry pup!) I definitely remember she only gave the ice chips.

 

I have one of those collapsible bowls too that I carry everywhere - Raylene seems to love it, as if the water tastes better in it than in the stainless steel bowl at home:confused:

 

Poor Horty, having to go out to the tarmac with a stranger and potty on the pavement (nice of the flight attendant, though, who probably loved taking him out.) It reminds me of our visit to New York city back in July, trying to find the slightest blade of grass for Raylene. She finally had to use pavement out of desperation.

[wizard-of-roz]

Wow 98's - I thought I was sounding old talking about 45's!!! LOL! ;)

 

Well the normal routine when the pups leave the puppy walkers is they are collected from the puppy walkers home by the puppy walkers trainer and taken to the training centre, but, I know one puppy walker who refused and wanted to take his pup to the training centre. So I think that's what we would like to do. Mind you either way it's going to be tough.

 

After a few weeks formal training, the puppy walkers are invited to see their pup working, so this usually means following the pup and trainer around the local town, at a distance where the pup would not see you.

 

One experienced puppy walker was invited to see how her pup was doing and was following at the required distance when the trainer and pup went into the local library. So she followed them in and was peeking through the bookshelves, from a distance, at them sitting at a table. Well, all of a sudden said pup suddenly sniffed the air, sat bolt upright and was looking around frantically and a bit confused! She beat a hasty retreat! He had smelt her even though she was maybe 30 feet away! When they returned to the training centre they brought the pup into an area to meet the puppy walker and he jumped for joy and ran into her arms. This pup is now a fully qualified guide dog, happily ensconced with a lovely family and looking after his Guide Dog Owner wonderfully well. But he never forgot his puppy walker "Mum". Aaah! :)

 

After the two weeks of Team Training at CCI and when you're ready to graduate with your miraculous gift, the Puppy Raisers are invited to come to the graduation ceremony and hand the dog off to you. They get to say their goodbye's. To see some of the dogs with the Puppy Raisers can be the most emotional sight. The dogs are hanging close to their friends of more than a year and the PR's are sniffling like they're giving up their children, it's quite a sight to see. I cried like a baby and Brenda wanted to walk away with her PR. Your feeling so insecure as it is and to see your new best friend looking so sad to part from their old friends can be very difficult.

 

You're going to be so proud of Aruba......bring lots of tissue! ♥

 

But that journey home with her in my back seat, coming home with me, to be by my side always, well that just can't be beat! I get shivers just remembering the feeling.

 

Horton's PR's live in North Carolina, I never got to meet them and Horton had a wonderful gal who donates a lot of her time to CCI, hand Horton's leash off to me. I got the dog and he's a gem, that's all that counts!

 

The records were 78's not 98's [i don't think there is such a thing!]

[rangeley]

See if this is any better.

 

Roz he looks awesome!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

I'm not sure if Raylene's trainer fed her the morning they traveled all one long day from Oregon to the North Carolina coast with three different planes - I kind of think she said she did not. (Poor hungry pup!) I definitely remember she only gave the ice chips.

 

I have one of those collapsible bowls too that I carry everywhere - Raylene seems to love it, as if the water tastes better in it than in the stainless steel bowl at home:confused:

 

Poor Horty, having to go out to the tarmac with a stranger and potty on the pavement (nice of the flight attendant, though, who probably loved taking him out.) It reminds me of our visit to New York city back in July, trying to find the slightest blade of grass for Raylene. She finally had to use pavement out of desperation.

 

Don't you just love the big cities......I must look like a mad woman trying to hunt down any area that my dog will go potty on! Crazy!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

See if this is any better.

 

Roz he looks awesome!!!

 

I added a different picture for everyone to see. It looks smaller but clearer on Cindy's page.

[dobiemom]

Okay you guys asked for it.......HERE'S ELVIS..............................

Let's see if this works:

Ta da! :D

[wizard-of-roz]

Let's see if this works:

Ta da! :D

 

Oh! My! That's friggen scary! Thanks Marcia, you are a genius!!!!

 

Seriously, you gotta love a dog that lets you do this to him! :p

[Quampapetet]

You know she's NEVER stared down the nose of an Immigration Official in Hawaii.

 

They are so intense and so very clear about the law and the rules of entry into Hawaii by plane or boat, with a dog......Service Dog or not!!!! I would love to be the fly on the wall when that woman comes through with "Fi-Fi!" :rolleyes:

 

It wasn't even a cute Fi-Fi type dog, but a scrunched-face bulldog type (which I think are pretty ugly - no offense to those who like them!). She talked about how she loved taking it to bars when she got drunk. :rolleyes:

 

Yeah, I doubt she actually had the guts to try Hawaii without paperwork, but if she had, I would have loved to have seen that, too! :p

[Quampapetet]

Okay you guys asked for it.......HERE'S ELVIS..............................

 

Can barely see it :( but what I can see looks cute!

[Quampapetet]

There must be variations. Raylene's last USDA Health Certificate from February of this year issued in Oregon says "Certificate is valid 30 days from date of inspection."

 

You're right, it does say that. I forgot it is the regulations in most places that need the certificate not older than ten days (some places shorter, not sure if any international places are longer). I believe interstate use is the reason they are valid for thirty days.

[Quampapetet]

I know there's a way to post the pictures larger but I don't know how!!!! I confess that I'm illiterate when it comes to posting pictures!

 

You have to put the photo up on the Web somewhere, such as Instagram or Photobucket or your own Web site. Then you copy the URL (the http thingy) of the photo itself (not the page it is on; it will end with .jpg or .gift or whatever file format your photo is in). Then you come on here to write your post in Advanced Mode, click on the icon of the mountain-and-sun picture, and paste the URL into the pop-up box. Then you post the pic so we can all see Hortvis (or Elvton). ;)

[Quampapetet]

See if this is any better.

 

Roz he looks awesome!!!

 

That's great!! Cute costume!

[Quampapetet]

Roz,

 

What about a flight that is an one hour and 40/50 minutes long and then a 3 hour and 40 minute layover? The way my flights are schedule is to board then an hour and 40 minute flight, layover for 3 hours and 40 minutes and then another hour and 40 minute flight.

 

It is that way heading back except for the layover. We have a layover in atlanta on the way back of an hour and 20 minutes.

 

With that 3+ hour layover, you will have time to potty the dog, if need be. On the shorter one, you won't have time to get to the area, go back through security, and get back to the gate. Your dog should be able to "hold it" through both travels, though. My service dog has "held it" for over twelve hours due to flying. (I don't feed her that morning, for flights before noon, and take her water away hours before we leave. For afternoon/evening flights, I feed her super early in the morning, like 5:00a, so she has time to poop it out before we leave for the airport. I normally book morning flights for ease, especially for long travels.)

 

Remember that you need to get to the airport earlier than you would if you didn't have the dog, as check-in (if your airline doesn't allow online/kiosk check-in for people with service dogs) and security (especially waiting for someone to pat down the dog and do the explosives swab test) can take a long time.

[Sarachan74]

Thanks everybody!! I've decided to just give him water this evening and a few kibbles on the plane. I will take the opportunity to relieve him in altanta though. Even though it is a terribly long and difficult airport!!

[Caribbean Chris]

The Celebrity/RCCL private port of Labadee is on the coast of Haiti, which is a country on the USDA APHIS list for Screwworm. So officials could choose to require the specified paperwork from a Haiti vet before allowing an animal to re-enter the US.

 

Has anyone ever taken their service dog ashore in Labadee? Or more to the point, had any issues returning to the US?

 

I had not made plans there other than to give Raylene a chance to stretch her legs, sniff, and do her thing on some real vegetation instead of on mulch. But I'm now re-thinking even taking her off the ship.

 

Poor Raylene. I don't actually care whether I get off. But I sure hope she likes that mulch box on board.

[wizard-of-roz]

Thanks everybody!! I've decided to just give him water this evening and a few kibbles on the plane. I will take the opportunity to relieve him in altanta though. Even though it is a terribly long and difficult airport!!

 

Good plan!

[wizard-of-roz]

The Celebrity/RCCL private port of Labadee is on the coast of Haiti, which is a country on the USDA APHIS list for Screwworm. So officials could choose to require the specified paperwork from a Haiti vet before allowing an animal to re-enter the US.

 

Has anyone ever taken their service dog ashore in Labadee? Or more to the point, had any issues returning to the US?

 

I had not made plans there other than to give Raylene a chance to stretch her legs, sniff, and do her thing on some real vegetation instead of on mulch. But I'm now re-thinking even taking her off the ship.

 

Poor Raylene. I don't actually care whether I get off. But I sure hope she likes that mulch box on board.

 

Stop!!!! Don't feel sorry for her! She'll have enough attention from thousands of her closest friends, she won't need to stretch or go potty off the ship.

 

I promise, you won't be missing much in Haiti and you might avoid the unleashed dog and the unleashed parasite on the land.

 

Long walks on deck, exploration of the ship and an empty lounge where you can throw a ball for her will fill her world just perfectly! And, once she's gotten used to going in the box it will be no big deal, I promise you!