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

[wizard-of-roz]

Happy Weekend Everyone, from very warm L.A.  Now my air conditioning is running day and night.  

 

To everyone who's getting ready for upcoming cruises......happy packing and preparation.  The anticipation of an upcoming cruise is so much fun....almost as much fun as seeing the ship in the distance and watching it get bigger and bigger and bigger.  Love it!!!!!  I'll never get tired of that sight!  🚢 

[mmarq1992]

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all have a great weekend! We'll be spending the weekend packing because our cruise is ONE WEEK from today! Bentley is ready!

[rangeley]

1 hour ago, mmarq1992 said:

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all have a great weekend! We'll be spending the weekend packing because our cruise is ONE WEEK from today! Bentley is ready!

Awesome pic! Have a great cruise. 

[rangeley]

5 hours ago, wizard-of-roz said:

Happy Weekend Everyone, from very warm L.A.  Now my air conditioning is running day and night.  

 

To everyone who's getting ready for upcoming cruises......happy packing and preparation.  The anticipation of an upcoming cruise is so much fun....almost as much fun as seeing the ship in the distance and watching it get bigger and bigger and bigger.  Love it!!!!!  I'll never get tired of that sight!  🚢 

Can't wait for our cruise in May. Love seeing the ship in the distance getting closer and closer.

 

We will be away for the next week but still in communication. 😉

[Caribbean Chris]

mmarq1992, you get the prize for the cutest photo ever of a service dog preparing to go on a cruise! Bentley is so beautiful - a Canine Companions' dog?

[puppycanducruise]

Have a great cruise mmarq1992 and Bentley.

Thanks for posting that wonderful picture.

[mmarq1992]

1 hour ago, rangeley said:

Awesome pic! Have a great cruise. 

 

Thank you!

 

9 minutes ago, puppycanducruise said:

Have a great cruise mmarq1992 and Bentley.

Thanks for posting that wonderful picture.

 

Thanks!

 

11 minutes ago, Caribbean Chris said:

mmarq1992, you get the prize for the cutest photo ever of a service dog preparing to go on a cruise! Bentley is so beautiful - a Canine Companions' dog?

 

Well thank you! He is not, I trained him myself. His behavior is just as good as a program trained dog though, and as it should be!

[DUTRAVEL]

5 hours ago, mmarq1992 said:

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all have a great weekend! We'll be spending the weekend packing because our cruise is ONE WEEK from today! Bentley is ready!

So cute! Have a great time on your cruise.

[wizard-of-roz]

10 hours ago, mmarq1992 said:

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all have a great weekend! We'll be spending the weekend packing because our cruise is ONE WEEK from today! Bentley is ready!

 

5 hours ago, DUTRAVEL said:

So cute! Have a great time on your cruise.

Oh!  Bentley!  Love your "Ship Eating Grin!"  

[S.S. Cruisers]

Roz! BOL, BOL (Bark out loud) Good one.

[wizard-of-roz]

7 minutes ago, S.S. Cruisers said:

8 minutes ago, S.S. Cruisers said:

Roz! BOL, BOL (Bark out loud) Good one.

Thank you so much!👌

 

7 minutes ago, S.S. Cruisers said:

 

 

[HHFamily]

Got the Bahamas Import Permit faxed back today! Only took a couple of business days.  Thank you guys so much for your encouragement and keeping me from letting my fear overwhelm me and take away a huge piece of my independence for this cruise! ❤️

[DUTRAVEL]

3 hours ago, HHFamily said:

Got the Bahamas Import Permit faxed back today! Only took a couple of business days.  Thank you guys so much for your encouragement and keeping me from letting my fear overwhelm me and take away a huge piece of my independence for this cruise! ❤️

We have all been there - the first couple of cruises are nerve-wracking! I hope you have a great time.

 

Dianne

[wizard-of-roz]

4 hours ago, HHFamily said:

Got the Bahamas Import Permit faxed back today! Only took a couple of business days.  Thank you guys so much for your encouragement and keeping me from letting my fear overwhelm me and take away a huge piece of my independence for this cruise! ❤️

See, you did it!  Persistence and courage and you're on your way to cruising with your Service Dog!  Congratulations!  Keep positive and stay strong!  You're going to make all of us very proud and represent us in the best way! 🐾

[rangeley]

On 3/27/2019 at 10:22 PM, Caribbean Chris said:

 

Thanks Roz!❤️

Not long until we cruise, so I really should start thinking about what to pack. We’re sailing on the Nieuw Statendam, Holland America’s new ship. I’ll give a report on how it goes, but HAL has always been easy to work with in my experience. Really looking forward to it.

Chris, We just booked a cruise on her for January. Can't wait to hear all about it. 

Cindy

[rangeley]

Hi All,  Just want everyone to know that we are at team training at CCI for a new dog. John was just matched this morning. Can't say anything more right now. But soon...

[mmarq1992]

6 minutes ago, rangeley said:

Hi All,  Just want everyone to know that we are at team training at CCI for a new dog. John was just matched this morning. Can't say anything more right now. But soon...

 

Congrats! Can't wait to "meet" his new teammate!

[DUTRAVEL]

1 hour ago, rangeley said:

Hi All,  Just want everyone to know that we are at team training at CCI for a new dog. John was just matched this morning. Can't say anything more right now. But soon...

Great news! Can't wait to hear all about him/her!

 

Dianne

[Miki_moto]

Does anyone have any experience regarding people taking photos of you/your dog without your permission?

 

It seems like social media always has photos taken by people who are convinced they are “outing” fake service dogs.  I’m wondering if anyone on this thread has had their photo taken.

 

Even though I use a wheelchair many people ask me what kind of dog I have - I tell them I have a black Lab!  😉   Both my previous service dog and my current dog were trained by a well known school and - in keeping with BC legislation - is always vested.  Having a ‘visible disability’ is no guarantee people won’t ask questions.  I usually don’t mind and I know that in a fairly small closed community like a cruise ship - Cunard’s Queen Mary - the questions should deminish fairly quickly as either direct questioning or word-of-mouth spreads the news.

 

But that doesn’t mean I want my photo on social media.  The dog I don’t mind.  

[alexspepa]

Hey Everyone…just back from a week at Folly Beach, SC. Our daughter teaches school in Bangledesh and she flew in to celebrate her birthday with us and her best friend. They were born a day apart and met in the hospital and have been best friends their entire lives. We had a great time and we took Lucy with us – she loves the beach. For those of you that don’t know, Lucy is our 11 year old chocolate lab and she is not a Service Dog.

The trip almost ended in tragedy due to my stupidity. We drove up to Southport, NC before heading home to look at a 34’ trawler I was thinking about buying. Dottie, Lucy and I met the broker at the dock and as I did not think it appropriate to take her on board the boat, I tied her with her leash to a post. I did not think about the fact that she has never been tied up before.

We had been inside the cabin a couple of minutes and Dottie suggested I check on Lucy – I looked at the door to only see the end of her leash disappearing over the side of the dock and no sign of her. I could only think she had fallen and was trapped under the dock. I jumped over the side of the boat onto the dock and then into the water. She was hanging off the side with just her head out of water and was struggling to get free. I swam to her and was able to unhook the leash, and the broker helped get her out of the water and onto the dock where she seemed OK. I could not get out however as I could not get any leverage to lift myself out and boy was that water cold. Luckily the broker was able to find a portable ladder on the boat and he used it as a sling to pull me up enough so I could haul myself onto the dock. In the process I lost both my regular prescription glasses and my prescription sunglasses, luckily I had a backup pair of the sunglasses in the car.

Lucy is fine but I have to admit I am still a little shook up about what would have happened if Dottie had not asked me to check on her.

[HenryKisor]

Miki Moto, it happens to me and Trooper all the time. All I can do is offer a friendly wave and grin. Can't speak to Canadian law, but in the U.S. nobody owns one's own image captured in public (unless it's used for commercial purposes). Even though my disability is invisible and Trooper is a rather photogenic fuzzy puppy, I doubt that anybody's ever posted a photo of us claiming we're fakes. And if so, so what? We know the truth about ourselves. Smiling and being cooperative with photographers might even make new friends for service dogs. That's how I deal with it, but I respect that other PWSDs may have different opinions.

 

[HenryKisor]

Addendum: Some folks just do not like to be photographed, and polite photographers respect that. I've seen people shake their heads, hold up their palms and say with a polite smile, "Please. I'd rather not be photographed." Politeness often begets politeness.

 

[wizard-of-roz]

3 hours ago, rangeley said:

Hi All,  Just want everyone to know that we are at team training at CCI for a new dog. John was just matched this morning. Can't say anything more right now. But soon...

Congratulations!  This is the very best news!   Wexy is truly smiling down on all of you! 

 

We can't wait to see pictures and wish you much love in your new journey! 

[Miki_moto]

42 minutes ago, HenryKisor said:

Miki Moto, it happens to me and Trooper all the time. All I can do is offer a friendly wave and grin. Can't speak to Canadian law, but in the U.S. nobody owns one's own image captured in public (unless it's used for commercial purposes). Even though my disability is invisible and Trooper is a rather photogenic fuzzy puppy, I doubt that anybody's ever posted a photo of us claiming we're fakes. And if so, so what? We know the truth about ourselves. Smiling and being cooperative with photographers might even make new friends for service dogs. That's how I deal with it, but I respect that other PWSDs may have different opinions.

 

 

I don't care if anyone thinks we're fake (although if we don't cut the mustard I don't know who does!) and I don't care if my dog is photographed.  In fact, if I'm asked if someone can take a photo of us, I suggest they just take the dog's, since he's much more photogenic than I am!  🙂 

However, I have a rather determined stalker who has hired at least one private investigator and tracked me to another country.  

 

I'd just as soon skip having my photo put anywhere online.

[wizard-of-roz]

2 hours ago, Miki_moto said:

Does anyone have any experience regarding people taking photos of you/your dog without your permission?

 

It seems like social media always has photos taken by people who are convinced they are “outing” fake service dogs.  I’m wondering if anyone on this thread has had their photo taken.

 

Even though I use a wheelchair many people ask me what kind of dog I have - I tell them I have a black Lab!  😉   Both my previous service dog and my current dog were trained by a well known school and - in keeping with BC legislation - is always vested.  Having a ‘visible disability’ is no guarantee people won’t ask questions.  I usually don’t mind and I know that in a fairly small closed community like a cruise ship - Cunard’s Queen Mary - the questions should deminish fairly quickly as either direct questioning or word-of-mouth spreads the news.

 

But that doesn’t mean I want my photo on social media.  The dog I don’t mind.  

Unfortunately, it does go with the territory.  It is very rude to take a picture without asking permission but it is NOT unusual for someone to do so.

 

It happens to us all the time and I don't like it either.  Some folks will ask permission and others will just click away. 

 

I have even had people buy Horton's pictures from the display in the professional photography area.  The photographers have told me and show me pictures that have already been purchased. 

 

It just blows my mind that someone would want a picture of a stranger with her dog in their family albums!!!?!!