Passenger with a white fluffy dog so called " service dog"

[phillipahain]

Anyone recently got off the Norway /Baltic Seabourn Odyssey       cruise and know who this person was ? 

 

Friends were on it and really could not believe how any passenger could bring on a dog claiming it was a   service dog       yet also had a maid 

It was assumed they were ultra rich long time Seabourn member in a top suite who could do as they liked apparently not from USA 

 

They wondered how the ship catered for its " doings"   as everywhere seemed to whiff of it 

 

As the friends have 2 lovely dogs of their own they are not anti dogs but even I understood that you had mountains of paperwork etc to jump through before a dog was allowed on board 

[hoosier74]

What in the world would a maid do on a Seabourn ship?  

[Utopia1]

The objection I have to service dogs is when the owner does not keep the dog on a proper leash, leaves the dog in the suite to cry or bark because it is unattended, and when the service animal occupies a chair in a public area or dining room. It makes me wonder if the owners of these dogs have them properly trained as service dogs.

.

The person in need of a service dog is NOT the problem for me.

The problem is lack of respect and  consideration on both sides. 

 

  .

 

[lincslady]

But this sort of dog is not a true assistance dog, as might be the case for a blind person, or for various other important issues.  It is a pet dog, quite simply.   And therefore should not be allowed on a cruise ship, but sadly probably has managed to get what appears to be an official certificate stating it is a genuine  assistance dog, which the cruise line apparently have to accept.

[Utopia1]

You are correct EXCEPT these dogs are permitted when the owner does the paperwork and receives permission to bring the dog aboard.

The only remedy I can see is that the owner of the so called service dogs agree in writing to follow the rules set down by Seabourn  in order to stay aboard.  Owners of "real" service dogs will not have a problem following the rules because the dogs are trained and the owners care and need their dog.

 

Passengers are expected to follow rules-- that includes the owners of the service dogs

[lincslady]

You seem to be saying that anyone can self-certify that they have an 'assistance' or 'service' dog and be permitted to take it on a cruise ship.  That really opens up what one might call a can of worms!

[markham]

Is Seabourn really going to the dogs? Does Seabourn disclose how many “service dogs” it accommodates in the past quarter and how many it will accommodate on future near term cruises including those you happen to have reserved?

I ask on the basis that while Seabourn may not know what it is allowing on board and/or care how that effects you, well, you may. Seabourn may have to start paying attention - at the risk of compromising their brand and their future bookings. (This is a topic for the newish president Natalya Leahy to pick up).

 

Which leads me to ask alongside what other luxury cruise lines are doing to discourage this fad for badly managed pet dogs doing what dogs do in passenger areas, irritating or downright annoying as it may be.

 

Who needs these dogs on board when their owners care more about their “service dogs” than what others think? And who needs to sail with their owners? There are other lines and ways of travel, after all.

 

Here we go.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[SDuckers]

Is there really any indication that this is a pervasive problem?  I think I have read about it occurring twice (and some indication both occasions are the same person).  If not, then it shouldn't be that hard for Seabourn to deal with this one outlier.  Passengers get "evicted" from ships for failing to comply with ship policies all the time.  Seabourn just needs to publish that anyone who boards with a purported "service" animal who does not comply with all requirements for such an animal will be disembarked at the next port.  And then do that.

[FlyerTalker]

4 hours ago, hoosier74 said:

What in the world would a maid do on a Seabourn ship?  

 

Some folks just need to have their "people" be with them at all times.

 

And besides, doesn't everyone need someone to pick up the used socks and throw them in the hamper?

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

4 hours ago, lincslady said:

But this sort of dog is not a true assistance dog, as might be the case for a blind person, or for various other important issues.  It is a pet dog, quite simply.

 

No...to these folks they are not pets.

 

They are members of the family.  They are their "fur babies" or "children" or any number of projections where the dog (or cat or whatever) takes on human characteristics and is filling the place of a real person.

 

 

[MBP&O2/O]

1 hour ago, SDuckers said:

Seabourn just needs to publish that anyone who boards with a purported "service" animal who does not comply with all requirements for such an animal will be disembarked at the next port.  And then do that.

Ah ... define Requirements.... the ships are registered in Nassau ...

Do they / can they invoke USA laws on a 'foreign flagged' ship? 

T&C's of carriage need to be updated accordingly then it's a civil matter?

 

[SDuckers]

26 minutes ago, MBP&O2/O said:

Ah ... define Requirements.... the ships are registered in Nassau ...

Do they / can they invoke USA laws on a 'foreign flagged' ship? 

T&C's of carriage need to be updated accordingly then it's a civil matter?

 

Requirements:  Service dog must be on leash at all times.  Service dog is to be with its assigned owner at all times and not left alone in a cabin.  Service dog will not be permitted to sit on furniture in the common/public areas of the ship.  Service dog will not be permitted to eat food off plates in the public dining areas or be fed "under the table" with guests' food in the public dining areas.

 

Isn't the failure to comply with some or all of these pretty basic things the gist of people's irritation with the alleged service dog on a couple of recent cruises?  This isn't about invoking US laws.  Ships can establish their own rules of behavior, and enforce them, so long as they don't conflict with ADA rules and regs.  None of the above requirements would have any such conflict.

[markham]

Apparently the conflict resides within Seabourn which has yet to take action against abuse of their shipboard hospitality and passengers’ patience. How so? Seabourn has yet to codify the rules of behavior you listed and has yet to enforce them.

So what is Seabourn afraid of? Are HD instructed to leave these owners to do what they like? Does it take convening a committee in Seattle a week to hear the facts on board and rule on a finding? Common sense on a perpetual vacation? Maybe Staff Captains are all afraid of poodles and Maltese dogs?

 

…some public relations and disinterest for public hygiene in the ships’ common areas. Truly sad.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

 

 

[lincslady]

Please correct me if you think I am wrong, but I have the feeling that there is just one person (possibly more, I hope not) who is allowed to get away with this by Seabourn,  for some reason, and the crew and staff and passengers just have to put up with it.  Hopefully someone new at the top might be able to do something about it.

[Cantara24]

19 hours ago, hoosier74 said:

What in the world would a maid do on a Seabourn ship?  

A "service" person!

[commodoredave]

19 hours ago, lincslady said:

You seem to be saying that anyone can self-certify that they have an 'assistance' or 'service' dog and be permitted to take it on a cruise ship.  That really opens up what one might call a can of worms!

I think you meant to say a can of "service" worms!

[MBP&O2/O]

Well, there is one solution ...

[CalTexCruiser]

2 hours ago, MBP&O2/O said:

Well, there is one solution ...

 

Except the sign would be revised on a Seabourn ship to state:

 

If your DOG 

does a POO

Please throw it overboard.

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

4 hours ago, CalTexCruiser said:

Except the sign would be revised on a Seabourn ship to state:

 

If your DOG 

does a POO

Please throw it overboard.

 

Nope.

 

If your DOG

does a POO

All is well if you keep booking expensive suites

 

 

[Mr Luxury]

On 7/25/2023 at 4:32 PM, hoosier74 said:

What in the world would a maid do on a Seabourn ship?  

Tidy up after a dog?

[bitob]

On 7/25/2023 at 8:15 PM, FlyerTalker said:

 

Some folks just need to have their "people" be with them at all times.

 

And besides, doesn't everyone need someone to pick up the used socks and throw them in the hamper?

 

 

I need to borrow that person. My husband doesn’t know what a hamper is. 

[bitob]

I have seen small dogs on ships before. The claim of service dog is impossible to disprove. In the us eg there is no certification process. Put a coat on the dog that says service dog and it’s a service dog 

[lincslady]

Does this small white fluffy thing wear a coat?  I had the impression that it did not.

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, lincslady said:

Does this small white fluffy thing wear a coat?  I had the impression that it did not.

The dog did not wear a service dog coat.  The dog was sometimes wearing a light blue somewhat sparkly coat. 

[Cantara24]

♫ and diamonds on the pads of her paws   ♫