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

[wizard-of-roz]

Kimberly & Rufus: Welcome to the most amazing "learning site" about Service Dogs and all that, that encompasse's. I'm sorry to hear about your experience on one of the islands in the Caribbean....it seems that if some people can take advantage other people, they will.

Rufus is quite the handsome boy!

Please tell us about what "paper work" was required for Rufus and the cruise, as this is the most asked question.

And, since Brenda is now 9 years old and will be going for re-certification, next month [at CCI, it could be from 1 to 3 years], depending on her behavior. I'm curious [as is Cari] as to why you'll be retiring him at 7.5.

Cari: Good to hear from you. I'd love to go to Ambers shower [for those of you who don't know Amber; she and her husband Rick are both blind and have one child with one on the way. They have one SD and, [i think they're going for another.]

Cari, let me know when you'll be in the Northridge area.

Nancy: I'm sorry to hear about your job loss......I hope that you'll find something that suits you and can keep you busy. You have way too much energy to not share some of yourself with others.

Sunshine: You really got your hands full with these pups......and, don't you just love [NOT!] those ignorant folks who work in the public arena and have no idea [still] about Service Dogs and the puppies who become them!!!!!!

Cindy: It's so true how we've included so much about ourselves in this thread of Cruising with a Service Dog.

I consider all of your friendships so important.....and, am grateful for the wonderful advice.

We've definitely been "there" for each other!!!! ;)

 

A very special THANK YOU to the moderator of this board, who keeps our thread on the front page.......We, all, truly appreciate it!!!!!

[1 Huskerfan]

Hi Kimberly and Rufus. That will be an easy name for me to remember.

 

I read all of the pages too. It was very informative and enjoyable reading. There are many different perspectives from varying issues and experiences. Everybody loves these fabulous dogs that have changed someone's life.

 

Now that school is out I can focus again on cruise plans.

 

Darcie, we used to live in Elk Grove. Thanks for the info on the TA. I assume they are local?

 

Cindy, I hope the wait won't be too much longer. I was talking to a mom this morning and encouraged her to go ahead and apply for her child since they would have a wait no matter how fast it went.

 

Nancy, sorry to hear about the job. The schools really need people like you!

 

Sunshine, thanks for sharing those puppy stories. There is truly a place in heaven for those who raise and train these dogs.

 

Roz, glad you and Brenda had a good trip. Those darn sidewalks and pavement do get really hot for their feet!

 

Does the cruise ship make an effort to put the potty box somewhere close to your cabin, i.e. in the back if you are in the back?

 

Kim

[sunshine426]

Whew...These pups are busy, busy, busy!! Been up since 6:30am, have run, played, eaten and gave both a bath. Now they are sleeping like angels in their play pen. I'm going to take one of them to the hospital today. I must be nuts,but I think the kids will LOVE them, and maybe I can get a wheelchair ride for one of them. I'll let you know how it goes. Next week I will have an older dog home, that will probably feel like a vacation. These guys are super cute, and very bold. I think they are going to be great service dogs one day. It will be fun to see them grow up.

[wizard-of-roz]

Does the cruise ship make an effort to put the potty box somewhere close to your cabin, i.e. in the back if you are in the back?

 

Kim

 

Yes, the cruise lines are very accommodating. Especially Princess....they put her potty box in a closet [used by the crew] right down the hall from our cabin....or on our veranda [DH doesn't like this] or, they've been putting it in the stairwell, at the end of the hall. The door is a little heavy but has magnets to hold it open, once you've pushed it.

Brenda is so used to this, all I have to do is open the door and give her the command and she goes to the box herself, with me waiting at the door [the stairwells, are huge!] If she "poohs", I keep bags near the box and I pick it up and drop the waste into the recepticle provided.

The cruise staff would do "everything", even pick-up the waste but, I want to be a responsible owner and show them how much I appreciate the wonderful box and litter that they provide for my girl.

Since that is the "most asked question" while aboard the ship, "where does she go to the bathroom?"

They should make it part of the Trivia Challenge games. :)

[harmonygirl]

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back on here. We have had lots of medical issues in my family this last week, so being on the computer hasn't been a priority.

 

Thank all for the warm welcome. There are so many people, it can be hard to keep everyone straight, but I'm sure it'll get easier the longer I hang out here.

 

My Rufus is "making it easy on me and retiring himself," as his trainer called it, when she saw us back in January at a conference. Rufus was raised in a prison puppy raiser program, and that was a lot of stress on my sensitive boy. He was almost dropped from formal training for failing to bond to a trainer, but luckily he made it through, and he bonded to me quickly. His first year and a half working with me was in a stressful environment, and he has been attacked by other dogs 4 times, though none seriously injured him. He just doesn't enjoy the work any longer, and I won't force him to do it. He's given me nearly 6 wonderful years of service, so who am I to make him keep doing it if he doesn't want to?

 

As we stand right now, he works when he wants to, and I use the darned white cane or go sighted guide when he doesn't. We will continue on this way until I go to class for a new dog. When Rufus does retire, he will stay with us as our beloved couch potato. I am considering 3 different guide dog schools, and I'll get started on the applications after July 1st. That is our 6 year anniversary as a team, and though it may be silly, I'm waiting until after that date to seriously begin the work for a successor guide dog.

 

As for paperwork for our cruise back in November, we filled out a form that Royal Caribbean sent us, plus sent in copies of his vaccination record and my id card from the school. Getting info from the islands' consulates was like pulling teeth. When they did deign to answer their phones, the person we needed to speak to was not available, on multiple occasions. We finally found out online that we would have needed expensive rabies titer tests for Rufus to go on Grand Cayman, and service dogs aren't allowed in Jamaica. The twist is that if your ship goes to Mexico before the islands, whether your dog gets off the ship in Mexico or not, even if you went through the titer testing, your dog will not be allowed access to Grand Cayman. The end result for us, was that Rufus stayed on the ship while I went on the islands. I couldn't justify the expensive testing fees for a few hours on an island.

 

I crated Rufus in our room (policy required by Royal Caribbean), put the do not disturb sign on the door, made sure our steward knew Rufus would be in the room, and went. In GC, the tour my husband and father-in-law were scheduled for was canceled, so they wandered around the island for about an hour, and then went back on the ship. They sprung Rufus from doggy jail and took him with them wherever they went on the ship that morning. They were all hanging out in our room when my mother-in-law and I got back on board mid-afternoon.

 

In Jamaica, our guys had to leave the ship earlier then we did for our seperate tours, so Rufus was with me for a while before he was crated. He was crated for most of the morning until the guys got back from their tour. They took him with them to eat lunch. I don't think I ate lunch that day, come to think of it. Once my mother-in-law and I reboarded the ship, we went to Guest Relations and filed a report with the Port Authority about the shop that tried to cheat me, called Pay Less, on the second floor of the Taj Mahal shopping center near the dock in Ocho Rios. The poor man at Guest Relations kept apologizing, and I kept telling him you can't control the shopkeepers, LOL. It was a learning experience for sure.

 

Cari, I'll pop off an email to you here in a few minutes.

[harmonygirl]

Does the cruise ship make an effort to put the potty box somewhere close to your cabin, i.e. in the back if you are in the back?

 

Kim

 

When we were on the Navigator OTS, it took me some doing to remember how to get to the relief box. It was at the other end of the ship, down a couple decks, out a couple sets of double doors, up some outside stairs, and behind a crew door with a half wall protecting from the wind. This was not far from the helicopter pad. At night there were no lights up there, so Hubby took Rufus for me.

 

I could have made the crew move the box closer, but I decided the walk would be good for us. Next cruise, I would insist the box be indoors somewhere. Our first night at sea, the ocean was rough and it was so windy that the crew closed off access to the outside deck areas. We didn't find this out until bedtime, when we planned to go for one last relief break after the show. We asked Guest Relations if there was an inside way to the relief box, since there was a crew door right there. They said no. Guest Relations told us to have Rufus relieve himself in our bathroom shower. Yea, right! He held it until the next morning.

 

Incidently, we were hanging out by the bar near the art gallery one night, and the bar tender asked us if Rufus needed to go out. Turns out her bar led right outside to Rufus' relief box. Hubby took him for me and they were back very quickly. Not sure that Guest relations ever knew about this, but I didn't tell them. I didn't want to get the girl in trouble if she'd broekn a rule or something.

[harmonygirl]

Since that is the "most asked question" while aboard the ship, "where does she go to the bathroom?"

 

They should make it part of the Trivia Challenge games. :)

 

Yes, Roz, this was the question we had the most, too, followed by people asking if they could pet the dog. We quickly decided our rule would be crew members could pet if they asked permission, other cruisers, no. We reasoned that the ship staff only go home for short periods of time and miss their dogs. Other cruise passengers weren't as desperate. The captain of the ship passed us while we were waiting to get off ship once back home, and he stopped and told me he had 12 dogs at home. Wow!

[wizard-of-roz]

Kim: You are such a wonderful addition to our thread.....thank you for sharing your stories of Rufus and your travels with him.

Those disgusting dogs who attacked him......I get chills just thinking about it. Poor guy; just doing his job...it's enough to make anyone want to retire!

It's amazing how inventive we can become when it comes to our dogs. Do we leave them behind? Do we crate them? Do we go and leave them with our spouses? And, on and on!

Since graduating with Brenda 7 years ago.....we have only been separated once, when I had to go into the hospital for 3 days. She's a delight and wonderful addition to my world. ;)

She has also bonded with my DH so it will be easy when she retires and becomes, [as you put it], a couch potato....We're waiting for her to refuse to go to the front when I leave, in the morning, to go to work. Now, she literally, beats me to the door. It's such a funny sight and, I'm grateful for that. :)

CCI will put folks who are in need of successor dogs on the top of their waitlists so, we're reassured that being without an SD will not be an issue.....Now, what life will be like without Brenda is a whole nother story, that I will not address...........:(

I really don't like what the ship did to you when it came to the placement of the potty box.....excuse me....why didn't they just put it on a dingy and pull it behind the ship!!!!!!! :mad:

You were way to nice to them.....we got a free cruise from Carnival [years ago] because of where and how they placed the potty box. I was incensed. The hotel manager had to deal with a raving, blonde [me] who just wouldn't let them "off the hook!" They treated both Brenda and I with such indifference and disrespect! The manager finally said, "what do you want from me?".......My DH said, "a future cruise without all this stress!" The next day [in our mailbox] was an envelope from the Hotel Manager with a free cruise attached.

I truly was not expecting that but, that said, it made a difference in how I felt about Carnival and the cruising experience, we did take our cruise, within the year and have not stopped cruising since......

[sunshine426]

Hello! Reporting from a puppy free zone! Those two were so cute, and so bold, and so cute and so mischevious, and so cute.....do you get the pattern. I took them back to the farm today. Tomorow I go back for some outings with other dogs/pups and a tour. Then some time to give my own dog some much needed attention and yeah get the house in order.

I am glad I get to do a variety of things with my young SD's in training. The puppy home visits have been fun and laughter filled.

 

The young pup (14 weeks) I took to the hospital was a Super Star!!! Of course nothing phased him. Hospital Beds, Wheel Chairs, Equipment, and of course having to put up with CHILDREN!!!! We ran into the transport team and they so loved on my little guy. I was looking for one of their special gurneys that go into ambulances and helicopters. That is always a good exposure for them. I hinted at a helicopter ride, but did not get taken up on it.

 

Talking about different dog breeds, you should have seen us with a 18 month old golden retriever, a 15 month old golden/poodle mix, a 14 week old labrador and a 2 year old great pyranees, all visiting. The dogs interacted wonderfully and the children and staff enjoyed the visit. Off to do some cleaning and general pick up the house. Plus, must give some attention to the 5 year old yellow lab (Sandy) whose job is to provide much needed attention and love to us. Plus, giving some of these young pups a bit of big dog manners!!! ( I might indulge in a "dog-tini" instead of the clean up.LOL).

[wizard-of-roz]

Hello! Reporting from a puppy free zone! Those two were so cute, and so bold, and so cute and so mischevious, and so cute.....do you get the pattern. I took them back to the farm today. Tomorow I go back for some outings with other dogs/pups and a tour. Then some time to give my own dog some much needed attention and yeah get the house in order.

I am glad I get to do a variety of things with my young SD's in training. The puppy home visits have been fun and laughter filled.

 

The young pup (14 weeks) I took to the hospital was a Super Star!!! Of course nothing phased him. Hospital Beds, Wheel Chairs, Equipment, and of course having to put up with CHILDREN!!!! We ran into the transport team and they so loved on my little guy. I was looking for one of their special gurneys that go into ambulances and helicopters. That is always a good exposure for them. I hinted at a helicopter ride, but did not get taken up on it.

 

Talking about different dog breeds, you should have seen us with a 18 month old golden retriever, a 15 month old golden/poodle mix, a 14 week old labrador and a 2 year old great pyranees, all visiting. The dogs interacted wonderfully and the children and staff enjoyed the visit. Off to do some cleaning and general pick up the house. Plus, must give some attention to the 5 year old yellow lab (Sandy) whose job is to provide much needed attention and love to us. Plus, giving some of these young pups a bit of big dog manners!!! ( I might indulge in a "dog-tini" instead of the clean up.LOL).

 

YOU, are the "Sunshine" to us all!!!!! Love these stories!

There are several Pre-K classrooms in the building in which I work. And, watching the children's faces when they see Brenda is pure joy. They're a bit overwhelming when they all want to touch her, all at once but, all-in-all, she loves the attention and just she just gives me that "Mom, help" look on her face!!!!!

 

Priceless, I tell you, the tales of these tails are priceless!!!!!

[harmonygirl]

Sunshine, no wonder you need the dog-tini (LOL). Love your stories of the hospital visit.

 

Roz, thank you. It's been a bad couple days here, and coming on the board is a bright spot in my day, and a good distraction from today's troubles. My cousin lives with us while attending college, and her grandmother was in the hospital for surgery last week. Today she was moved to ICU and they don't yet know what is causing her to be so sick. My cousin got home from work and left immediately for the 2.5 hour drive to see her grandmother.

 

I have close friends who raise puppies for CCI. Their latest pup, Hogan, turned in for training in May. The wife has MS and is on the waiting list for her own SD. She emailed today to tell me they are moving to Maryland in July. I will really miss them. I don't have many IRL friends; seem to do better online in that respect.

 

Really hoping tomorrow is better.

 

Good night everyone! Give your dogs and ear scratch, tummy rub, whatever they prefer, from myself and Rufus.

[DisneyKidsDad]

Well we finally got the permit faxed over to us from Tortola. Now the only thing left is the International Health Cert. to be filled out and stamped by the state vet and Orson will be going on his first cruise.:D Now maybe I can sleep at night.:rolleyes:

[wizard-of-roz]

Well we finally got the permit faxed over to us from Tortola. Now the only thing left is the International Health Cert. to be filled out and stamped by the state vet and Orson will be going on his first cruise.:D Now maybe I can sleep at night.:rolleyes:

 

I understand that Disney is wonderful with SD's. They have provided a children's pool filled with mulch, on your veranda or on a deck.

Have a wonderful time. Just remember that everyone [including the crew] will think "Orson" is so, so special. And, they will be so jealous that they had to leave their furbabies at home [there will be folks who will literally sit on the floor next to your dog, just to get closer to him, be ready for it] and, they will want to touch him.

We always allow "time for pats", after I've given Brenda the "release" command. And, remind these wonderful people to please "ask" first. :)

Remember that "Orson" will be confused at his environment on the open seas and the movement of this big hotel....allow him time to go out on deck [on leash] and smell the ocean.

• Don't sit in an area where people can step on him [they're not expecting a dog in this environment.]
  
• Ask the passenger service's desk to please "reserve" seats for you, in the theatre, so that you don't have to meander through the legs and feet of other passengers and, chance Orson being trampled or stressed. [Princess ALWAYS reserves seating for us!]
  
• We go into the theatre [early] and scope-out seating....making sure to include "one" seat where Brenda will lay in front of. Make sure that you're not at the "end" of a busily traveled aisle, where people will have to step over him, in the dark, chancing him to be stepped on!!!! Nothing will "stress-out" a Service Dog more than the fear of being hurt!!!!!!!! It can actually "shut them down" and, you don't want to do that!!! :(
  
• The cruise line will make-up lamenated nameplates or reserve signs that will be placed on your seats [they'll ask you which show time you prefer] and these signs are placed on the seats, prior to the time that everyone comes in the theatre.....Princess puts our name on the signs so that it really becomes personal....People respect the "reserve" seats and we NEVER had to try and balance Brenda or our comfort zone when it came to seeing the special production shows.
  

Most importantly, have fun....keep your strong and assertive attitude around Orson, even when he just wants to lie around and do nothing [like the rest of us, on a cruise!] ;)

Come back and tell us all about it! :)

[wizard-of-roz]

FYI: While cruising, be aware of the heat on the decks by the outdoor pool areas. The deck is exposed to the sunlight all day and can get very, very HOT.....especially in Mexico and the Caribbean, in the Summer time!!!!!!

 

The decks can get hotter than asphalt......Please use caution when walking your dogs on them!

I've learned this through trial and error. Poor Brenda made a whimpering sound that I have NEVER heard before or since while I stopped to talk to someone, not realizing how hot the deck was! :(

It was a lesson learned that I will NEVER repeat.....Please be careful!

[harmonygirl]

Orson will be going on his first cruise.:D Now maybe I can sleep at night.:rolleyes:

 

Have a great time! I'll be interested to hear how Disney cruise ships do with a SD, as WDW parks are usually wonderful when we go. They are only surpassed by SeaWorld as far as great SD treatment, IMO.

[DisneyKidsDad]

Thanks Roz,

 

We know all too well about people wanting to pet Orson while he is working. We took him to WDW last October. We are now stepping up

some of his training reminders. He loves to meet people and does it a

little too often. But that is an easy fix with him.

As far as the hot decks and pavement, we got him a pair of Mutluks. If it

ever stops raining here, we are going to try to get him used to wearing them while walking. He is so easy going that I don't think that will be a

problem either.

We always show up to the shows early and sit in the wheelchair section way up top. But I will ask about the reserved seating. I am also communicating with Dial-A-Ride on St. Thomas about either having them

take us to Coral World or on one of the tours they offer. I'm waiting for

info on the tours. They run a taxi service with vans with wheelchair lifts on them.

[rangeley]

DKD, So glad you finally got everything done for your trip. I know how much work it is. Make sure that the vans in St thomas are working. When we were there in January we missed our catamaran excursion because we couldn't get a van to take us there.

 

Cindy

[DisneyKidsDad]

DKD, So glad you finally got everything done for your trip. I know how much work it is. Make sure that the vans in St thomas are working. When we were there in January we missed our catamaran excursion because we couldn't get a van to take us there.

 

Cindy

 

Rangeley,

 

Did you use Dial-A-Ride?

[rangeley]

DKD, We knew there was a HP van on St. Thomas. When we got there we were told the guy who ran it died and the van is sitting in someones yard. We contacted Dial-A -Ride but there was no answer. You are smart calling ahead to schedule them. The year before we did do the trolley that takes you to the top of St. Thomas. It was accessible and the driver was great. Takes you to the top overlooking Megans Bay. Just beautiful!! There are shops, food, drink..etc. up there.

 

Cindy

[wizard-of-roz]

DID YOU KNOW?: The ADA(American With Disabilites Act)/DOT (Department of Transportation)/IAADP (Independent Assoc. of Assistance Dog Partners) and the TSA (Transportation Sercurity Administration) have been working together to get all Airports to have "relief" areas for Service Dogs by May 13, 2009. Also, "escort" services, known as "Meet-And-Assist Personnel" will be required to show you to these areas and escort you to your next gate or destination, if needed. These areas will be designated for Handicapped/Assistance Dog Use Only and will have grass or mulch for a filler.

The Coalition of Assistance Dog Organizations, which includes IAADP, has taken on this advocacy outreach effort for the 50 most traveled airports in the United States.

If you're not sure if your airport has such a "relief area"; contact your closest airport and ask whether the mandated relief areas have been installed. if the answer is "no", then find out when that will be done and who is responsible for the installation (if we all get involved with this, life will be so much better for us, when flying with our dogs).

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED: (Even if you don't walk with an SD and are lurking on this thread......please help!): The porbability is nothing has been done and it is important for YOU to inform the airlines and airport management that they have been mandated to comply with DOT's New Rule.

And, you may even be helpful towards them in suggesting where it be placed; what it should be filled with and the importance of putting it where the person accompanied by an assistance dog not be put through the inconvenience of having to go through security, again. Resulting in; missed flights and major inconveniences and discomfort.

Make a case for placing the relief area within the secured perimeter. And that they provide an "escort service person" who will take the team to and from the relief area. Since the escort service is required to accompany the disabled person/assistance dog team to and from the relief area, their time commitment would be significantly decreased if the relief area were within the secured perimeter. This would decrease the cost to the airlines.

All of us need each other's help......For those of us who fly with our dogs, you know how important this is!

 

Thank you!

[rangeley]

Roz, Where did you hear this info? I checked our airport and the ADA and couldn't find a thing on it. I think it's a great idea. I remember a few years ago trying to find somewhere for Rangeley to go. We had a long flight and poor thing held it til we got there. I would think Boston Logan Airport would be one of the 50 most travelled.

 

Cindy

[S.S. Cruisers]

Cindy;

I googled "Service dog relief areas at airports" and got alot of hits. Heres one, if I can get it to post here.

Nancy

http://archives.californiaaviation.org/help/msg11346.html

[rangeley]

Thanks Nancy :)

[wizard-of-roz]

Roz, Where did you hear this info? I checked our airport and the ADA and couldn't find a thing on it. I think it's a great idea. I remember a few years ago trying to find somewhere for Rangeley to go. We had a long flight and poor thing held it til we got there. I would think Boston Logan Airport would be one of the 50 most travelled.

 

Cindy

 

Cindy: I got my information from Ed Eames, Ph.D., President of: IAADP [iAADP@email.admail.net] - April 6, 2009.

It is a "membership" organization. We get wonderful information and Vet. "deals" from them. They have a newsletter with lot of great information and new laws for folks who walk or wheel with a Service Dog.

CCI will recommend that you join them.

[wizard-of-roz]

Cindy;

I googled "Service dog relief areas at airports" and got alot of hits. Heres one, if I can get it to post here.

Nancy

http://archives.californiaaviation.org/help/msg11346.html

 

Nancy: Thank you for the information. It's great news for those of us who are always on the "move" and, use airline travel.

I used to hate to travel with Brenda, by air. Never knowing where I'd find a good/safe place for her to potty.

In the future that should not be a problem, unless the airport your flying into does not provide a "relief area!"

These dogs are very highly trained and know that sometimes they will need to "hold it" longer than other times. And, it's up to us to not induce that discomfort by watering them too much, before or while flying. It's a good idea to offer ice chips [cubes] to quench a dry mouth....we all know how drying the airplane cabin can be....and, dogs are huge mouth breathers.

I will stop in a grassy area before we enter the airport and I don't give her anything that I know will create the "thirst factor!"

Also, older dogs [like Brenda] will require more availability to relieve than the the younger dogs.

A lot to think about......but, you know what.....having Brenda by my side is worth every bit of extra work that it takes to maintain her! :)