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

[Caribbean Chris]

9 hours ago, wizard-of-roz said:

....Finding anywhere for a dog to go to the bathroom on my breaks was getting to be not only difficult but actually dangerous in the "big city!" ...

 

Roz, I can only imagine that challenge at your job. The grass delivery service was an amazing solution! There have been a few times we've been in large cities like New York where there was NO grass anywhere except for locked private parks. I just had to look for paved areas with some drainage and give her the command. 

 

We stayed at the downtown Seattle Sheraton on a pre-cruise package before an Alaska cruise, and fortunately found a large public park on Google Street View a few blocks from the hotel for daytime. But there were some questionable-looking characters hanging about and there was no way I would have walked up there in the dark. At first light and for "last call" before bed, Raylene had to use the metal grating around the base of trees along the block in front of the hotel while I tried to look inconspicuous.

Edited June 1, 2019 by Caribbean Chris

[HenryKisor]

Chris, I know that spot . . . Debby, Trooper and I also stayed at the Sheraton during our 2018 cruise to Alaska. We didn't see any rough trade there, but we used it only in the evening (before 8 pm) and the early morning (after 6 am) and nobody was there. Kind of a stiff uphill hike there from the hotel, wasn't it?

 

[rangeley]

1 hour ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

Once we boarded a Holland America ship, went straight to the box, and it was about that size. After we laughed (my dog weighs 70 lbs so is a large girl), we went directly to the front desk and they had a 4X4 box in place by mid-afternoon.

I wish I had taken a pic of it but on one cruise they had a tupperware container for the box. We got a good laugh and then they made us a 4x4.

[Miki_moto]

Before our move to the island, we lived in a neighborhood in the downtown core of Vancouver.  I loved city living and sometimes think having a service dog in the city is easier than having one in the country!  The one thing I always laughed at was the apparent shyness of my dogs when toileting.  If at all possible they faced away from the street and any foot traffic.  They will go on any surface but it’s great when they have grass.  

 

Nico used the pet toilet area in SeaTac without an issue, even though it was filthy and we could smell it from a few hundred yards away.  We’re less than three weeks away from our cruise so I’ll be moving the box into the garage so Nico gets used to toileting inside.

 

A 16” x 16” box?   That wouldn’t do at all!  

[lindaler]

Another dumb question. Do dogs ever get sea sick? For a person you can eat ginger candy, apples, take drugs or get a room low down in the ship. No one has ever mentioned taking something for a sea sick dog. Chavela has flown and never gotten sick, gone on Pirates of the Caribbean and not shown any reaction but Alaska can have some rough seas.

[allies_daphne]

We take a prescription of Cerenia with us just in case, but we were told by our vet it is not common at all for animals to experience seasickness.

[DUTRAVEL]

13 minutes ago, lindaler said:

Another dumb question. Do dogs ever get sea sick? For a person you can eat ginger candy, apples, take drugs or get a room low down in the ship. No one has ever mentioned taking something for a sea sick dog. Chavela has flown and never gotten sick, gone on Pirates of the Caribbean and not shown any reaction but Alaska can have some rough seas.

My dog has never gotten seasick, but I do take Bonine for her just in case. I got the correct dosage for her weight from my vet. 

 

Dianne

[rpclmc]

So, here was my tragically humorous night last night.

 

So just got done with digestive issues out of both ends. Feeling VERY cold, guessing I have a fever. Overall feel like crap. Settling back in bed, moved a pillow and my finger feels like something but it HARD. So I scream and sit up and there is a scorpion on my bed. Not bitten stung. Hurts like nothing I have felt before. Being 3:00 am and sick, not thinking and I flick it off the bed. Getting up to kill it and I have to do a bathroom run - no waiting. Came back out and I can’t find the scorpion. So I get ice and the flashlight. In between bathroom runs, I tear apart the bedroom trying to find the thing. No luck, hopefully it is back outside where it belongs. Ice, Benadryl and essential lavender oil, the pain is gone, no swelling and it doesn’t seem to be affecting me. Of course, how would I know since I am sick. Researched Florida scorpions, they are not poisonous and don’t come in the houses. I beg to disagree. I will be doing DIY, scorpion repellent around the outside and inside if the house and getting lavender plants for inside the house.

 

Halo, just looked at me like it was far to early to be up and doing anything.  He did look concerned at first and followed me into the bathroom a couple times, but for the most part just kept watch from the bed.

 

Linda and Halo

[lindaler]

So sorry about your night. Scorpions sound scary especially in your bed. Glad Halo didn’t go to check it out and get stung too. 

[Plant]

22 hours ago, Plant said:

Hi Miki, just search on Facebook, Woodford the Service Dog.  I've enjoyed following him and his Mom.

Sorry, its Woodford the Service Golden, not Dog.

[Miki_moto]

15 minutes ago, Plant said:

Sorry, its Woodford the Service Golden, not Dog.

Found them, thanks!

[wizard-of-roz]

Tupperware!  Are you kidding us?????  What a bunch of moron's!!!!  Welcome home from Oakland's first cruise.

 

Scorpion's in bed......I'd be on the roof!

 

I've had Service Dog's for a long time and have yet to get one of them to pee on a grate around a tree.....Brilliant!

 

Bonine for dogs who get seasick is good.  Call your Vet and they'll give you dosage.  Make sure to bring some Benadryl capsules or liquid for bee stings or allergies.  It's a great go-to med. for emergencies.......again, ask your Vet for your dogs dosage. 

[lindaler]

We are practicing but she is content to just sit there. She knows there is a whole lot of grass just beyond the carport. But at least she doesn’t hate the box.  I have 58 days to convince her to use it for its purpose. 

[wizard-of-roz]

1 hour ago, lindaler said:

We are practicing but she is content to just sit there. She knows there is a whole lot of grass just beyond the carport. But at least she doesn’t hate the box.  I have 58 days to convince her to use it for its purpose. 

Sweet baby, you can do it!  We're all rooting for you!

[wizard-of-roz]

[wizard-of-roz]

4 minutes ago, wizard-of-roz said:

 

Brenda-Potty Box-2007.AVI 22.04 MB · 1 download

I don't know if you guys can open this video of Brenda using her potty box located in the stairwell of the Sapphire Princess.  It was our first cruise on board Princess, I asked for it to be placed here and they used wood shavings as the filler.

[Caribbean Chris]

21 hours ago, HenryKisor said:

Chris, I know that spot . . . Debby, Trooper and I also stayed at the Sheraton during our 2018 cruise to Alaska. We didn't see any rough trade there, but we used it only in the evening (before 8 pm) and the early morning (after 6 am) and nobody was there. Kind of a stiff uphill hike there from the hotel, wasn't it?

 

 

Yep, that’s the place!

[Caribbean Chris]

8 hours ago, wizard-of-roz said:

I don't know if you guys can open this video of Brenda using her potty box located in the stairwell of the Sapphire Princess.  It was our first cruise on board Princess, I asked for it to be placed here and they used wood shavings as the filler.

 

Amazing!! I loved seeing Brenda in action, the dog who started this whole thread! What a sweet girl she was.

[wizard-of-roz]

7 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

Amazing!! I loved seeing Brenda in action, the dog who started this whole thread! What a sweet girl she was.

Thank you!  She just needed to be shown once where the box was and she would take me to it.  As you can see the stairwell is huge, the box would never be in the way, it was close to our cabin, away from the elements and other passengers.  The most difficult part would be opening the heavy door.

 

I loved her so much and miss her every day.  She was my hero!!!!! ♥️

[Algebralovr]

Scooter has done his business all over!

 

We live in a small town with lots of grass.  From the start, he went in the yard, on gravel, and on mulch because all three were handy.

Our first trip, we went to see family outside of Las Vegas.  December 2016, they had not yet installed their relief areas after TSA.  The designated place was outside, a pile of mulch, in a fence, that smelled and had cigarette butts all over.  Right under the tram.  Loud, stinky. We walked a short way away and he went on some gravel.  Same trip, he went on fake grass outside by my in-laws house.  

Next trip, my first alone with him, he went on a metal grate around a tree in downtown Atlanta.  That was just a couple of weeks later.  I tried to get him to go in the inside relief area in STL and ATL, but he would not.  Neither stunk, just inside.

 

We kept working at it.  July 2017, he still would not go inside the airport, but in Orlando they simply escort you outside.  He went in command great by then.

 

January 2018 he went with me to San Diego for a conference.  He still would not use the inside relief area at the airport.  The ones in St Louis are nice and don’t stink.  The one at Phoenix was very small.  We never did locate the one at San Diego, but he went outside as soon as we got off the plane and got stuff.  Hubby was with me, and got bags while I took Scooter outside.

 

May 2018, we had a cruise to Alaska booked fairly last minute.  We trained for the 8 weeks to use a box.  He finally did go.  We had a long wait in StL at the airport before the flight, but an inside relief area was fairly close to our gate.  So, I took him to it and gave the command every 20 -30 minutes while we waited.  Once he went there, we had a party and he got TREATS!  He finally got it.  Made it much easier, particularly since we got to the airport way too early.  Anyway, he went there a couple of times before the flight of 4.5 hours to Seattle.  Upon boarding the ship, we found the relief area, and it was a metal box of about 4x4, but had other stuff in it, and was crammed under a shelf so that only part of it was available.

 

i complained, a second box appeared next to that one.  There were two dogs, so that helped.  Scooter would use the metal one for urine and the other one for solids.  I asked for one on my balcony but they claimed not enough lumber.  I believe the other dog was in a suite and got one on their balcony, since I never saw any sign that dog was there after the second day.    It all worked out. 

 

The inside relief area area at SEA was nasty, just a couple of puppy pads with turf over them, and it stunk.

 

We went to a conference at Columbus in June 2018 and they had similar (puppy pad) but it was out of the way in a secure area and you had to be escorted there.  So, only SDs and not shared by pets, and changed/cleaned after each use.   They only have to give inside relief area access to working dogs, not pets under the DOT directive that started in 2016.

 

One note: on Celebrity, my room attendant was responsible for also going and checking the dog’s box in the out of the way wind tunnel they use.  He had to not only do all our rooms, but also remove any solids a couple of times a day.  Not to mention extra cleaning due to fur.  We tried to minimize the work, but there is extra for them.  So, we made sure to give an extra gift to the room steward for the extra passenger that no gratuity was charged for.  

[Plant]

19 hours ago, wizard-of-roz said:

I don't know if you guys can open this video of Brenda using her potty box located in the stairwell of the Sapphire Princess.  It was our first cruise on board Princess, I asked for it to be placed here and they used wood shavings as the filler.

Good girl and so pretty!  Now, that's a box!  

[rpclmc]

Next cruise that Halo will be going on with me, I am going to St Kitts, St Marteen, San Juan and Grand Turk.  I have been to the USDA site.  I could navigate all this all on my own, but everyone is so helpful.  So any help on the requirements for these ports is greatly appreciated.

 

St Kitts look like it requires a lot.  Also, talk to me about the quarantine.  I have to assume this doesn't apply to service dogs with the understanding that all the requirements are met.

 

Grand Turk has a lot of requirements and I have seen everyone talk about not worth jumping through the hoops to get off the ship.

 

St Marteen looked fairly easy.  Am I missing anything?

 

I couldn't find anything on San Juan.

 

Being that we want to get off at all the ports, not fulfilling the requirements is not an option.

 

Linda and Halo

 

 

[rangeley]

14 hours ago, rpclmc said:

Next cruise that Halo will be going on with me, I am going to St Kitts, St Marteen, San Juan and Grand Turk.  I have been to the USDA site.  I could navigate all this all on my own, but everyone is so helpful.  So any help on the requirements for these ports is greatly appreciated.

 

St Kitts look like it requires a lot.  Also, talk to me about the quarantine.  I have to assume this doesn't apply to service dogs with the understanding that all the requirements are met.

 

Grand Turk has a lot of requirements and I have seen everyone talk about not worth jumping through the hoops to get off the ship.

 

St Marteen looked fairly easy.  Am I missing anything?

 

I couldn't find anything on San Juan.

 

Being that we want to get off at all the ports, not fulfilling the requirements is not an option.

 

Linda and Halo

 

 

Last time we went to St Martin I think was easy. San Juan is just the health certificate. Its the US. 

[lindaler]

Took two weeks but I finally got the ok letter from Holland America with another form to get back to them. This one asks what kind of relief area she would like. They wanted all forms by June 29 but we don't even sail until July 29 so I called and said that the 7001 needed to be signed within 30 days of sailing. They said ok, but get it too us as soon as possible so we can get it to the ship. I will be so disappointed if we get there and there is a mix up or paper didn't get sent or . . .  How critical is the 30 days for the 7001? Should I do it sooner or make HAL wait until the right time? I am getting more excited. Since she is hairless I have ordered extra sweaters for her. I have started getting enough food together and will see how it all fits in the suitcase. 

[wizard-of-roz]

1 hour ago, lindaler said:

Took two weeks but I finally got the ok letter from Holland America with another form to get back to them. This one asks what kind of relief area she would like. They wanted all forms by June 29 but we don't even sail until July 29 so I called and said that the 7001 needed to be signed within 30 days of sailing. They said ok, but get it too us as soon as possible so we can get it to the ship. I will be so disappointed if we get there and there is a mix up or paper didn't get sent or . . .  How critical is the 30 days for the 7001? Should I do it sooner or make HAL wait until the right time? I am getting more excited. Since she is hairless I have ordered extra sweaters for her. I have started getting enough food together and will see how it all fits in the suitcase. 

Get the 7001 form within the appropriate time and send it on to the ship [they don't always know the timing on your paperwork.]  Make sure to make at least 3 copies of all the necessary papers and keep it in an envelope in your purse. 

 

Make sure you keep your dogs food/meds in your carry on bag.  You never know when suitcases can be lost or left behind and it's important that your dog have all food and meds. that are necessary to keep him comfortable and well maintained while onboard.  Don't forget dog dishes.  [I once forgot his dog dishes and had to go to the buffet area and get some soup bowls.]  I made sure that I took them with me when I disembarked.