Traveling to Rome with service dog

[Mabbiez]

Hello!

 

I will be traveling from the US to Rome with my service dog. We will be boarding the ship in Rome. It’s a transatlantic cruise so we will be back in the US.

 

Does anyone have any experience will traveling to Rome with their service dog? This is a new experience for me. We have contacted the cruise line and they know about her. We also know we need a vet to sign off on her doggie passport for Europe. Any advice or tips would be appreciated!

 

This will be the first cruise for my service dog. I’m hoping to take her on a short flight before the trip to Italy to see how to handle her on a plane, but any tips for a longer flight would be good too.

My plan is to do a vlog during the trip to see if I can help others, but as of now I need the help! 😜

Thanks in advance!

[Miki_moto]

FYI - The so called ‘pet passports’ you can purchase in the US are not the UK/EU Pet Passports used in Europe and are not acceptable as a travel document for your dog when traveling in those countries.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Edited January 18, 2020 by Miki_moto

[DUTRAVEL]

I just took my service dog on a transatlantic cruise from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale in November. You should be aware that Italian law only officially recognizes guide dogs for the blind as service dogs. It’s a good idea to contact any hotels or transportation providers ahead of time to make sure that they will accept your service dog. Italy is so dog friendly that we had no problem bringing my dog on the train and public buses and into restaurants.

 

Unless you have an EU Pet Passport issued by an EU vet, you will need an EU Health Certificate in English and Italian endorsed by the USDA. The requirements can be found on the APHIS website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/take-pet-to-foreign-country.

 

It would be a good idea to take your dog on a short flight to make sure he/she is ok with flying. You don’t want to find out that he/she is terrified of flying on a 10-hour flight. A lot of people don’t give their dogs food or water before a flight – it really depends on the length of the flight and your dog’s habits. I bring a roll up bed for my dog to lie on and she usually sleeps for most of the flight. I also took my dog on a ferry ride before her first cruise to make sure that she was not prone to seasickness.

 

You can find lots of good information on the Cruising with a Service Dog ….. everything You Ever Wanted to Know thread.

[notentirelynormal]

On 1/20/2020 at 4:49 PM, DUTRAVEL said:

I just took my service dog on a transatlantic cruise from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale in November. You should be aware that Italian law only officially recognizes guide dogs for the blind as service dogs. It’s a good idea to contact any hotels or transportation providers ahead of time to make sure that they will accept your service dog. Italy is so dog friendly that we had no problem bringing my dog on the train and public buses and into restaurants.

 

Unless you have an EU Pet Passport issued by an EU vet, you will need an EU Health Certificate in English and Italian endorsed by the USDA. The requirements can be found on the APHIS website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/take-pet-to-foreign-country.

 

It would be a good idea to take your dog on a short flight to make sure he/she is ok with flying. You don’t want to find out that he/she is terrified of flying on a 10-hour flight. A lot of people don’t give their dogs food or water before a flight – it really depends on the length of the flight and your dog’s habits. I bring a roll up bed for my dog to lie on and she usually sleeps for most of the flight. I also took my dog on a ferry ride before her first cruise to make sure that she was not prone to seasickness.

 

You can find lots of good information on the Cruising with a Service Dog ….. everything You Ever Wanted to Know thread.

 

Thanks for the information on the pet passport.  That tells me I have A LOT of research I need to do. 

 

Directing us to the Cruising with a service dog thread though.....  I went there first.  First, it has regressed to talk about Wizard's dog's health issues and a lot of what I would expect on a roll call but not on a thread that offers specific information.  Granted, I only went back a few pages but there is afterall a LOT of pages and I didn't start at the beginning (around January and page 905 of 924).  I'm sure page 1 back in July '07 is not relevant today.  I know people are upset about cruise cancellations too but again there is little to help me find the information I was hoping to find with the majority of the posts personal rather than information.  I was hoping for more up to date info from experienced cruisers to Europe but....  Off my soapbox now.

 

It sounds like it will be too difficult to bring my dog.  We are going to England, Spain, Italy and France.  If we can't leave our dog alone on the ship then that would mean not going to shore.

 

 

 

 

[DUTRAVEL]

19 hours ago, notentirelynormal said:

It sounds like it will be too difficult to bring my dog.  We are going to England, Spain, Italy and France.  If we can't leave our dog alone on the ship then that would mean not going to shore.

 

 

 

 

In the past two years I have taken my service dog to Italy, Spain, France and England. Its really not that difficult to get the EU Health Certificate (which must be endorsed by the USDA) and once you enter the first EU Country you are free to travel for the next four months to any other EU Country. Be aware that the UK has an additional requirement regarding tapeworm treatment that makes traveling there a little more difficult unless it is the first country you are visiting. Also, I don't know if any of the rules have changed for the UK due to Brexit. It will be more difficult to travel with your dog in Europe if he/she has not been trained by a organization that is a member of Assistance Dogs International since airlines, etc. will ask you for proof of training.

 

I am not aware of any cruise lines that allow you to leave your dog alone in the stateroom. I would be happy to answer any other questions you have.

[notentirelynormal]

 

I am trying to get my personal dog trained.  It is a challenge because it is not for being deaf or blind.  I suffer from a disease that qualifies me because of a Neurocognitive disorder.  What makes it hard (besides finding a trainer) is the judgement of others. 

 

I tried to get info on CC a few months back and was basically attacked and accused of trying to cheat the system and not really needing the dog and they weren’t about to help me if that was the case.  The poster and her friend are big time CC posters in this category and has made me leery to even ask on here but I am struggling to find help so I am trying again.  The poster(s) even went so far as to say anyone that bought their own service dog jacket were fakers until a few others came back at her.

 

I’ll jump through the hoops I need to.  It is finding out the hoops just to get certified in the US.  Even more so to travel.  I’m trying to do it right but like I said, it isn’t easy if you aren’t deaf or blind.  I’m certainly not going to travel across the country or send my dog away for 6 months though.

 

So, please, I’ll take any help you can give me.

[Cruseforme]

9 hours ago, notentirelynormal said:

 

I am trying to get my personal dog trained.  It is a challenge because it is not for being deaf or blind.  I suffer from a disease that qualifies me because of a Neurocognitive disorder.  What makes it hard (besides finding a trainer) is the judgement of others. 

 

 

 

I tried to get info on CC a few months back and was basically attacked and accused of trying to cheat the system and not really needing the dog and they weren’t about to help me if that was the case.  The poster and her friend are big time CC posters in this category and has made me leery to even ask on here but I am struggling to find help so I am trying again.  The poster(s) even went so far as to say anyone that bought their own service dog jacket were fakers until a few others came back at her.

 

 

 

I’ll jump through the hoops I need to.  It is finding out the hoops just to get certified in the US.  Even more so to travel.  I’m trying to do it right but like I said, it isn’t easy if you aren’t deaf or blind.  I’m certainly not going to travel across the country or send my dog away for 6 months though.

 

 

 

So, please, I’ll take any help you can give me.

 

There is no certification.   Just a thought, I googled “training your own service dog”, and came up with 15-20 good articles on it.  Instead of going to a cruise related forum to see how to train your dog, I would go to a local trainer, or google the ins and outs of training your own dog.   Less stress and more rewarding.   

[Cruseforme]

30 minutes ago, Cruseforme said:

There is no certification.   Just a thought, I googled “training your own service dog”, and came up with 15-20 good articles on it.  Instead of going to a cruise related forum to see how to train your dog, I would go to a local trainer, or google the ins and outs of training your own dog.   Less stress and more rewarding.   

And, searching, I find that on page 880 -883 of the service dog thread, your concerns were answered very specifically.   Still the same as last November, and the process is still the same.  I would go back and reread the suggestions made last November for what you need to do.   

 

 

 

 

[DUTRAVEL]

11 hours ago, notentirelynormal said:

 

I’ll jump through the hoops I need to.  It is finding out the hoops just to get certified in the US.  Even more so to travel.  I’m trying to do it right but like I said, it isn’t easy if you aren’t deaf or blind.  I’m certainly not going to travel across the country or send my dog away for 6 months though.

 

So, please, I’ll take any help you can give me.

 

It is correct that there is no certification or registration required in the US for service dogs. I only raised the issue in the context of traveling to Europe. My service dog is professionally trained by a member organization of Assistance Dogs International. When flying to Europe from the US I do not need to provide any paperwork for my dog (because the flight is covered by the ACAA). However, once we get to Europe I have needed to provide my dog's training paperwork to fly between EU countries and to take the Eurostar from Paris and London. I do not know what an airline or other travel provider would accept as proof if your dog is not professionally trained.

 

 

[notentirelynormal]

 

Thanks for your reply.  I have googled for local trainers.  I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I can't find any that seem legit or more specifically, qualified.  Of course I'm having trouble finding out what the qualifications are.

 

I've asked my Vet, the local dog stores, people I come in contact with and I've gone on line to my local neighborhood network.  Most didn't even have a name to give me.  I'm sure PetSmart is not where I want to go for a trainer LOL.  After contacting the different trainer references I only received two calls back.  From those their prices were insane.  They wanted $150 - $250 an hour just to potty train with a minimum of 10 training sessions.  One would be willing to walk my dog twice a week for only $30 an hour, well half hour.  I can't imagine what they would charge to Service Dog train.  Of course when I was shocked at her price chart I guess that she figured I couldn't or wouldn't pay her $3,500 new puppy training and never called me back after her vacation.

 

Going on line there were lots but very few that were within 200 miles of where I live. On on the West Coast and most of the results from organizations were on the East Coast.  I can't believe that in the Los Angeles area you can't find service specific dog trainers.  Then, I don't see how I can get the formal certification needed to present to countries or airlines.  Australia, for example, stated they had to have passed a certain program.  I can't remember specifically but they wanted proof.  I can train my dog or find someone to do what needs to be done on the basics but what can they give me for proof?  She is 2-1/2 years old, potty trained, comes when called etc but for the rest of what I need, that is where I'm struggling.

 

Thank you again. I sincerely appreciate your help.  I will go back and read those pages.  I'm out of the groove of searching this website since most of my searches come up useless.  I wasn't about to read that whole thread since most of it seemed to be off topic. 

 

Right now I'm working on getting all my money back from the South Pacific cruise.  Since Princess cancelled I'm hoping they correctly give me all that money back (over $17,500) but my next biggest challenge is going to be American Airlines.  That alone is $7,000.  Once I get all that money back I'm planning on a Med cruise next July with my four grandkids. 

 

I know I'll need my dog with all that standing and walking.  That's why I'm trying to get the documentation and figure out what needs to be done and how to do it.  Information like what was told about different islands in the Caribbean.  That was awesome help and why I came to CC for guidance.  Specifics like forms that needed to be done, where to find information and how to fill them out.  Originally my questions were about the South Pacific/Australia/New Zealand area.  Now my questions are about Europe.

 

Pain seems to be winning, especially since my condition is getting worse.  The one I'm faking just to get a service dog. Asking me what my condition is before they would answer my questions, frankly, is non of anyone here's business. To demand to know in order to answer my question and help me is hostile because "I'm not going to help people cheat".  I get that people cheat.  I have no doubt they do.  That doesn't mean we all do. I've been on CC for a long time and it would seem that if I was going to cheat I would use a new user name rather then as a long time member.  Sometimes it takes bravery to ask a stranger for help. 

 

When the people you ask want to know your specific disability before they help you they were more than insinuating that I am a liar and a cheat it makes it less likely you will continue on that road so I stopped reading that thread realizing that those two posters had no interest in helping me because I didn't fit into their mold based on their comments.  Funny enough I used to respect that poster and found her to be a great source and help to everyone.  I enjoyed reading her posts.

 

The problem is, my disability doesn't fall in a category that is obvious or easily provable.  There are not enough of us out there that even have this disease so no organization is going to waste their time training a dog just in case.  Half the doctors don't know what it is. I get it.  I need to do my own training.  I just need to know what that training is and how to document it happened.  So, when I come to you and ask for suggestions of where I can get ANY information on how to certify my dog in this training, belittling me doesn't help.

 

So, again, to those that offer help,  I thank you.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by notentirelynormal

[notentirelynormal]

2 hours ago, DUTRAVEL said:

It is correct that there is no certification or registration required in the US for service dogs. I only raised the issue in the context of traveling to Europe. My service dog is professionally trained by a member organization of Assistance Dogs International. When flying to Europe from the US I do not need to provide any paperwork for my dog (because the flight is covered by the ACAA). However, once we get to Europe I have needed to provide my dog's training paperwork to fly between EU countries and to take the Eurostar from Paris and London. I do not know what an airline or other travel provider would accept as proof if your dog is not professionally trained.

 

 

 

 

We are flying from LAX to LHR.  The cruise is round trip Southampton.  We plan on probably flying or going by train from London to Paris after the cruise and flying home to LAX from Paris.

 

[WoodsDrive]

You might reach out to the US Access Board for referral on trainers. They can at least give you an idea where to start and may have info on international travel. 

[notentirelynormal]

I finally found a trainer.  Thanks for all suggestions in that area.  I will check out the US Access Board for international travel info.