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

[wizard-of-roz]

I'm curious; for those of you that do car trips with your dogs; where does he lay or sit down? And, do any of you use a crate for your car trips?

[Algebralovr]

I'm curious; for those of you that do car trips with your dogs; where does he lay or sit down? And, do any of you use a crate for your car trips?

 

We had a long discussion about this at my SD class a couple of months ago.

 

One of the things we learned was that in an accident, if the dog is loose, it is up to the first responder if they are going to approach the car or not. If the FR feels unsafe at any time, the FR has the option of not treating/rescuing the person/people in the car. The police are trained to shoot the dog if there is ANY QUESTION. This was verified by the parent of a girl in the class, a HP officer for a nearby state. He said the police he knows will try to avoid doing so, but that if there is a question they will do what they feel they need to do. It was interesting to hear it from the perspective of the officer.

 

Because of this, my trainers recommend using a safety belt and harness or kennel for traveling, since in their view, and the view of the police they know, a dog that is contained in some way, either tethered or in a kennel, is unlikely to be a risk to the FR, and therefore less likely to be considered a threat. They use both a kennel and a tether, depending the situation.

 

We have a tether for Scooter, with a harness over his breast bone. If we have a short trip in town, where the speed limit is no more than 35mph, and often less, his cape has D-Rings that are enough to keep him from becoming a projectile. We use a Wiredog brand cape. If a longer trip, he wears his safety harness. 3/4 of the time, he wears the harness even in town. We have a tether that hooks to the child safety lach in the seat. We have one that plugs into the seat belt as well, but if he steps on the seat belt release, he can release himself. He knows how to do that - silly smart pooch!

 

He is usually curled in the middle seat of the minivan, right behind the driver's side, and I'm usually driving in that car. If the other car, a Lincoln MKT, we put covers over the middle seats as well, and he usually curls in the seat behind the driver while my husband is driving.

 

I've contemplated getting a sign for the car that identifies him as a SD on board, but afraid that might invite trouble. The Baby on Board signs were originally designed to let a FR know a baby might be in the seat and to look. Most people don't realize that.

[wizard-of-roz]

We had a long discussion about this at my SD class a couple of months ago.

 

One of the things we learned was that in an accident, if the dog is loose, it is up to the first responder if they are going to approach the car or not. If the FR feels unsafe at any time, the FR has the option of not treating/rescuing the person/people in the car. The police are trained to shoot the dog if there is ANY QUESTION. This was verified by the parent of a girl in the class, a HP officer for a nearby state. He said the police he knows will try to avoid doing so, but that if there is a question they will do what they feel they need to do. It was interesting to hear it from the perspective of the officer.

 

Because of this, my trainers recommend using a safety belt and harness or kennel for traveling, since in their view, and the view of the police they know, a dog that is contained in some way, either tethered or in a kennel, is unlikely to be a risk to the FR, and therefore less likely to be considered a threat. They use both a kennel and a tether, depending the situation.

 

We have a tether for Scooter, with a harness over his breast bone. If we have a short trip in town, where the speed limit is no more than 35mph, and often less, his cape has D-Rings that are enough to keep him from becoming a projectile. We use a Wiredog brand cape. If a longer trip, he wears his safety harness. 3/4 of the time, he wears the harness even in town. We have a tether that hooks to the child safety lach in the seat. We have one that plugs into the seat belt as well, but if he steps on the seat belt release, he can release himself. He knows how to do that - silly smart pooch!

 

He is usually curled in the middle seat of the minivan, right behind the driver's side, and I'm usually driving in that car. If the other car, a Lincoln MKT, we put covers over the middle seats as well, and he usually curls in the seat behind the driver while my husband is driving.

 

I've contemplated getting a sign for the car that identifies him as a SD on board, but afraid that might invite trouble. The Baby on Board signs were originally designed to let a FR know a baby might be in the seat and to look. Most people don't realize that.

 

Barb, thanks so much for sharing this information.

I had signs on the back window [on both sides of my SUV] that read: "SERVICE DOG ONBOARD" Please allow enough space for him to enter and exit this vehicle." CCI thought the signs were great. And, I did have folks who repositioned their parking after they got out of their car and read the signs.

The responders to my accident did not feel that Horton was in any danger if he remained in the car. [This was after I had already checked on him and they asked me to please leave him in the car.] I could see that they were very nervous about him, even though I reassured them that he would be no harm to them. It was a lovely woman, an innocent bystander, who asked if she could get him for me and bring him to me. The police said, "no" and asked that she wait until I could get him so he could hear my voice and I could give him directives. Again, they feared that he would act out!

I went to my car [which had rested itself against a curb], I couldn't wait to hold Horton! Thank goodness he was fine. I took his leash, which is ALWAYS attached to him when he's in the car and walked him to the sidewalk, where this lovely woman took him from me and walked him a bit so I could observe him being himself! He promptly went to the bathroom and appeared perfect!

Neither the police, the firemen or the paramedics were willing to take responsibility for Horton, no matter how much I insisted that he was a highly trained Service Dog!!!!

Again, thanks for sharing your insights.

[DUTRAVEL]

I'm curious; for those of you that do car trips with your dogs; where does he lay or sit down? And, do any of you use a crate for your car trips?

 

Henri rides in the middle set of seats in my Minivan - we have a seat cover / hammock that keeps her from falling off onto the floor or between the two bucket seats. For short rides around town, I don't put her harness on. For freeway driving or long trips in the car she wears a sleepypod clickit safety harness (the seatbelt buckles through the loops in the back of the harness).

 

Dianne

[wizard-of-roz]

Henri rides in the middle set of seats in my Minivan - we have a seat cover / hammock that keeps her from falling off onto the floor or between the two bucket seats. For short rides around town, I don't put her harness on. For freeway driving or long trips in the car she wears a sleepypod clickit safety harness (the seatbelt buckles through the loops in the back of the harness).

 

Dianne

 

Dianne, thanks for the info. ♥

[roohound]

I am so disappointed/frustrated in Princess' access office. I have asked them no less than 3 times about how do we know if our diabetic alert dog will be allowed on our chosen shore excursions that we booked through Princess. We're going to Alaska and my concerns are the floatplane trip (can the plane handle another 80lbs?),, the sled dog excursion, the White Pass railway trip that goes into Canada, and the shore excursion in Victoria, BC - so pretty much every shore excursion we've booked. Haven't heard a thing.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions? I can't find a phone number and clearly my e-mails are being ignored.

 

Thanks in advance!

[wizard-of-roz]

I am so disappointed/frustrated in Princess' access office. I have asked them no less than 3 times about how do we know if our diabetic alert dog will be allowed on our chosen shore excursions that we booked through Princess. We're going to Alaska and my concerns are the floatplane trip (can the plane handle another 80lbs?),, the sled dog excursion, the White Pass railway trip that goes into Canada, and the shore excursion in Victoria, BC - so pretty much every shore excursion we've booked. Haven't heard a thing.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions? I can't find a phone number and clearly my e-mails are being ignored.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Floatplane: Your dog will have a problem, there is not much room for an 80lb dog and there is a weight minimum, if your dog puts them over the limit, they could ask you NOT to bring him onboard. You may have to leave him on the ship with someone to watch him for the time that you are on this excursion.

Sled Dog excursion: We were asked NOT to bring our dog because it may be too much distraction for her and the sled dogs and we were warned that there may some exposure to fleas/ticks/mosquitos. And, coming back and going through Immigration I was asked if we visited a dog sled or other farm areas, if so Brenda had to be put through an extensive examination by Immigration. I was so surprised at this, and although my dogs are on flea/tick/mosquito preventative they still would rather that she not come in.

White Pass Railway: Was a great excursion for all of us. Brenda slept, between the seats, the entire time as we took turns getting up and down and going to the exits [between the trains] so that we could take some amazing pictures. We're going to do this one again next April, while onboard the Emerald Princess.

Also, there is a tram ride in either Skagway or Ketchikan that takes you to a wonderful visit with the Inuit Indian Reservation. We really enjoyed that excursion and, they loved Brenda.

I've said this before and I'll repeat it.......I have yet to have any luck with any of the cruise lines and their "Special Needs" Departments. None of them know what they're doing completely. A lot of what you plan to do when it comes to excursions and your dog has to be so well thought-out.. Taking a strange dog to visit the grounds of a dog sledding encampment is really iffy at best. And, a small aircraft and an 80lb dog.......not a good match, in my humble opinion.

You can still do all of the above, if you make friends while onboard and find someone who is willing to take care of your dog for you while you take these excursions.

Also, is it a good idea to take a medical alert dog away from it's handler even for a brief time? Only you really know the answer to this.

You can have a wonderful time on excursions with your dog.........They just might have to be a bit more planned-out and different. :*

[wizard-of-roz]

Happy weekend everyone. Horty and I are doing nothing, absolutely nothing.

DKD, if you're in Team Training I hope it's going well for you. If you're busy graduating with your new dog.....then I'm really excited for you.

For those of you who are close to your cruising dates.......I know that you're so excited and looking forward to embarkation day! No matter how many times we do this very same thing, the day we board gives me goose bumps and smiles all over again!!!!!

[roohound]

Roz - thanks so much for your comments. That's kind of what I was afraid of. We'll have a great time regardless of what we do. But I just can't believe they don't have the common decency to answer e-mails and don't provide a phone number :mad:

 

Would anyone else like to chime in about what Alaska excursions they've done with their service dogs? We'll be visiting Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Victoria.

[wizard-of-roz]

Roz - thanks so much for your comments. That's kind of what I was afraid of. We'll have a great time regardless of what we do. But I just can't believe they don't have the common decency to answer e-mails and don't provide a phone number :mad:

 

Would anyone else like to chime in about what Alaska excursions they've done with their service dogs? We'll be visiting Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Victoria.

 

You are so welcome and welcome to our wonderful group.

Please be aware that the Gardens in Victoria were lovely to visit but the rules changed on two different visits. One person said, "welcome", another said, "we would prefer that your Service Dog stay in a confined area!"

The bottom line is that so many people bring in miss-behaving dogs and try to pass them off as service dogs. They make it so difficult for those of us with legitimate Service Dogs. Their dogs growl, sniff and lurch at the public and even are allowed to go to the bathroom in public spaces. I'm a true dog lover but I'm not shy to "call-out" anyone who abuses the system with their poorly behaving fakes!!!!!

[Caribbean Chris]

 

Would anyone else like to chime in about what Alaska excursions they've done with their service dogs? We'll be visiting Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Victoria.

 

Disney Kids Dad answered your February post here with their experience in Skagway, so you might check back for that and other responses. We took two Allen Marine Tours (booked through the cruise line) last September, and I verified with the tour operator before booking that the tour was suitable for my service dog. Their boats had plenty of room for the dog on the Misty Fjords Excursion in Ketchikan. We also took a bus excursion to the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau that worked out very well. Great scenic path to the Glacier which gave the dog plenty of fun exercise.

[Algebralovr]

Just reporting in from Missouri that we are fine. Lots of rain, lots of road closures and a couple of bridges out, but nothing directly influencing me. We found a roof leak the hard way, but that happens.

 

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

[wizard-of-roz]

Just reporting in from Missouri that we are fine. Lots of rain, lots of road closures and a couple of bridges out, but nothing directly influencing me. We found a roof leak the hard way, but that happens.

 

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk[/quote

 

Barb, I'm so glad all is well......stay safe!

 

We're having the hottest weather, at this time, since the 1940's. We're supposed to cool down 20 degrees by Friday and have rain on the weekend.:confused:

[Insuregal]

Just reporting in from Missouri that we are fine. Lots of rain, lots of road closures and a couple of bridges out, but nothing directly influencing me. We found a roof leak the hard way, but that happens.

 

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

 

Barb, so glad you are safe and dry! We are good on this side of the state as well.

 

I've been watching YouTube videos of all the flooding in my beloved vacation mecca of Branson, MO. They always recover, but it is so heart wrenching to watch all that water in all those homes and businesses. One video showed a man in hip deep water as he waded across to rescue some pets. (This was not rushing, raging water.) The person recording the video stopped and did not physically follow him all the way across. Next thing that appeared was this same man coming back with a bin that had several small dogs in it. They were so happy to be rescued, and were trying to hop out before he got back to the shallow area. Living in the flood plain is not for the faint of heart.

 

Thanks for posting Barb!

 

Beckie

[wizard-of-roz]

Barb, so glad you are safe and dry! We are good on this side of the state as well.

 

I've been watching YouTube videos of all the flooding in my beloved vacation mecca of Branson, MO. They always recover, but it is so heart wrenching to watch all that water in all those homes and businesses. One video showed a man in hip deep water as he waded across to rescue some pets. (This was not rushing, raging water.) The person recording the video stopped and did not physically follow him all the way across. Next thing that appeared was this same man coming back with a bin that had several small dogs in it. They were so happy to be rescued, and were trying to hop out before he got back to the shallow area. Living in the flood plain is not for the faint of heart.

 

Thanks for posting Barb!

 

Beckie

 

Every time there are fires or floods my mind immediately goes to the animals. I say a little prayer inside my head hoping that they are safe. It's so heart wrenching to watch these innocent beings in trouble and afraid.

Horton and I witnessed a baby bird falling out of his nest and Horty wanted to go over and help [i think]......I thought it would be best to allow the baby to catch his breath and try to fly on his own, without Horton's input!

[Algebralovr]

It has been in the media here lately: the American Red Cross (disaster response team) and the humane society are teaming up to help with pets. They have brought some climate controlled trucks in and said anyone who had to evacuate and can't keep pets with them can bring them by for safe keeping. In one case, the truck is parked at a church that is set up as a shelter.

 

I don't recall seeing that in previous floods.

 

Nearby, we have an entire town washed away, lots of distruction. Because the interstate has been closed, big trucks are trying to find a way through, following their GPS instead of the posted detour, and getting to places they have no business in - like gravel roads. In one case, the truck was driving down a gravel road to an even smaller gravel road, realized he could go no further and tried to back out. He ended up stuck in a field and took two big wenches to pull him out. It is just a real mess.

 

Meanwhile, we have very young kittens living under the ramp to my front porch. Mom is a feral. So, the next task is to try to catch them once they are moving on their own. We have a real feral issue around here. I'm hoping to catch the kittens while they are young enough to be tamed. The shelter here will then adopt them out. If I can catch the adults, a friend has a farm and can always use mousers.

[wizard-of-roz]

It has been in the media here lately: the American Red Cross (disaster response team) and the humane society are teaming up to help with pets. They have brought some climate controlled trucks in and said anyone who had to evacuate and can't keep pets with them can bring them by for safe keeping. In one case, the truck is parked at a church that is set up as a shelter.

 

I don't recall seeing that in previous floods.

 

Nearby, we have an entire town washed away, lots of distruction. Because the interstate has been closed, big trucks are trying to find a way through, following their GPS instead of the posted detour, and getting to places they have no business in - like gravel roads. In one case, the truck was driving down a gravel road to an even smaller gravel road, realized he could go no further and tried to back out. He ended up stuck in a field and took two big wenches to pull him out. It is just a real mess.

 

Meanwhile, we have very young kittens living under the ramp to my front porch. Mom is a feral. So, the next task is to try to catch them once they are moving on their own. We have a real feral issue around here. I'm hoping to catch the kittens while they are young enough to be tamed. The shelter here will then adopt them out. If I can catch the adults, a friend has a farm and can always use mousers.

 

Barb, some amazing stories come out of these floods. We saw on the news a father and two children being rescued. He thought he could get through the water and his car got overturned with the children trapped in the back, underwater and harnessed into their seats. What a story! All were rescued and CPR applied.

Sometimes I find myself glued to the t.v. news and weather channel.

I hope the kitty's get saved.

I have a question-off topic; to anyone who's taken their Service Dogs to a funeral and to graveside. What is your feeling? I don't want to leave Horton in the car due to our warm weather and I have a funeral that I MUST attend tomorrow. I was thinking about putting him in "doggie day care" for the time but I also really do need his assistance. What are your thoughts?

Thank goodness this is not something I need to worry about too often!

[DUTRAVEL]

Glad to hear that those in the flood areas are doing okay. So heartbreaking to watch the videos of all the destruction.

 

Roz, I would not hesitate to take Henri to a funeral with me. I am sure that no one will even blink an eye if you bring Horton.

 

Dianne

[wizard-of-roz]

Glad to hear that those in the flood areas are doing okay. So heartbreaking to watch the videos of all the destruction.

 

Roz, I would not hesitate to take Henri to a funeral with me. I am sure that no one will even blink an eye if you bring Horton.

 

Dianne

 

Thanks Dianne, I truly appreciate the input. He knows how to act in all situations and I'm not concerned about his behavior, I just wanted to be very respectful. You helped me to feel better about it.

[Caribbean Chris]

Roz, you could bring him and just sit near the back on the end of a row so there's a place for a big dog like Horty to settle.

 

We had a memorial service a month after my father-in-law died last year, and there was a brass band which he loved. I decided to sit with my dog at the back because I knew it was going to get pretty loud down front with the family. I figured I could take her out without anyone knowing if I had to...she's sometimes a loud "groaner" and people look around wondering who's making those noises!

[Insuregal]

Barb, some amazing stories come out of these floods. We saw on the news a father and two children being rescued. He thought he could get through the water and his car got overturned with the children trapped in the back, underwater and harnessed into their seats. What a story! All were rescued and CPR applied.

 

Sometimes I find myself glued to the t.v. news and weather channel.

 

I hope the kitty's get saved.

 

I have a question-off topic; to anyone who's taken their Service Dogs to a funeral and to graveside. What is your feeling? I don't want to leave Horton in the car due to our warm weather and I have a funeral that I MUST attend tomorrow. I was thinking about putting him in "doggie day care" for the time but I also really do need his assistance. What are your thoughts?

 

Thank goodness this is not something I need to worry about too often!

 

Roz, when my last grandmother passed away we took Gibson with us for the entire thing. He rested by Diana's wheelchair at the front of the chapel. Then we went to the graveside, and finally to a country club for a family meal. He was good as gold the whole time.

 

Don't forget what you always say, Horton is just like durable medical equipment. Where you go, he goes. He is your wingman, can't fly without Horton. :D

 

Just my two cents worth.

 

Thanks!

 

Beckie

[wizard-of-roz]

Roz, you could bring him and just sit near the back on the end of a row so there's a place for a big dog like Horty to settle.

 

We had a memorial service a month after my father-in-law died last year, and there was a brass band which he loved. I decided to sit with my dog at the back because I knew it was going to get pretty loud down front with the family. I figured I could take her out without anyone knowing if I had to...she's sometimes a loud "groaner" and people look around wondering who's making those noises!

 

Thank you Chris. My Horty is also a "groaner." Heavy sighs have nothing on the noises that Horton can make, and I love them all!

[wizard-of-roz]

Roz, when my last grandmother passed away we took Gibson with us for the entire thing. He rested by Diana's wheelchair at the front of the chapel. Then we went to the graveside, and finally to a country club for a family meal. He was good as gold the whole time.

 

Don't forget what you always say, Horton is just like durable medical equipment. Where you go, he goes. He is your wingman, can't fly without Horton. :D

 

Just my two cents worth.

 

Thanks!

 

Beckie

 

Beckie, you are so right. I'm taking him with me....he is my fur partner and I will not leave him behind, thank you!

[wizard-of-roz]

Have a happy weekend everyone! Cinco de Mayo ♥:*

[rpclmc]

I am so glad to read about the groaner. Since I am new to having a service dog and still trying to get over my thoughts of disturbing others, I had thought this was inappropriate. Glad to know it is not. I think my trainer has to work harder on training me not to be worried about what others think.

 

Linda and Halo