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

[wizard-of-roz]

Just got back from the Bahamas on RC "Majesty of the Seas" with my Service Dog. If anyone has questions I would be glad to reply. It was wonderful We look forward to cruising every year now.

 

It sounds like you had a great time. Tell us more about your cruise and your dog.

I'm so glad that you'll be cruising every year.......that's how I feel about it!

[Caribbean Chris]

I took Lucy to visit my mom at the assisted living center she is staying at...most of the folks there love it when Lucy visits( they welcome dogs as long as they have a copy of her medical records with the latest innoculations). One lady hugged her and got a big kiss; the lady was so happy I thought she was going to cry. Another person politely asked if Lucy was a Service Dog...I said "no I am her service person though".

 

 

That's great for those residents, Keith, to get some doggie cuddles. It probably brings back happy memories for them of their family dogs.

[Algebralovr]

He is part Great Dane, VERY mellow guy. He will not chase the strays, my only worry is that he would defend me if they approached. But that is a worry even in the U.S. He is an extremely well behaved dog, has been on flights, restaurants, the mall, shooting ranges, fireworks, etc., he doesn't react to anything, except males approaching me quickly and then he just does a low growl and does not move toward them at all.

 

That low growl sounds like an issue if it happens regularly.

 

Scooter has only every done that low growl three times. In each case I was standing next to a security guard or police officer on campus. Both are dog people.

 

Both immediately perked up and grabbed their radio, then looked to see what he was looking at and reacting to.

 

Twice it was a person, and the third time I'm not certain. These two people reacted though. The individual person who he reacted to is apparently a bit "off" and I later learned that he gives off a vibe to a number of people.

 

If, however, the dog is reacting to all singe males, you may want to follow up with the trainer or organization.

 

Great Danes are big and scary, even though I know they are soft couch potatoes.

 

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[wizard-of-roz]

I took Lucy to visit my mom at the assisted living center she is staying at...most of the folks there love it when Lucy visits( they welcome dogs as long as they have a copy of her medical records with the latest innoculations). One lady hugged her and got a big kiss; the lady was so happy I thought she was going to cry. Another person politely asked if Lucy was a Service Dog...I said "no I am her service person though".

 

Yay Lucy........You're doing a very important job in making folks feel loved and able to show their love is very important in their daily lives. Thank you Lucy for being such a good girl!!!!:hearteyes:

[DUTRAVEL]

Hi all!

 

I'm back from Jagger's first cruise. We had a GREAT time.

 

The potty relief area was a bit of a challenge, but we got it figured out. I had asked for sod, but got artificial turf. Jagger seemed to think it was carpet and that is a no-no in his mind. I'd even brought Wee-wee drops. No go. I went down to Guest Services and asked if they could put mulch on it. That did the trick, which made me happy as he had held it for 24+ hours. Then halfway through a 4 day cruise they cleaned it out and had no more mulch. Darn... Jagger was sure happy to see Disney's private island. With a whole lot of encouragement he did finally use the box even with fake grass.

 

Glad that you had such a great time on your cruise Holly. The first cruise always seems a little daunting doesn't it?

 

One of these days someone is going to come back from a cruise and report that the relief box was fantastic and that everything was as promised. Ok, I can keep hoping.

 

Dianne

[DUTRAVEL]

Just got back from the Bahamas on RC "Majesty of the Seas" with my Service Dog. If anyone has questions I would be glad to reply. It was wonderful We look forward to cruising every year now.

 

 

I would be interested in hearing about Nassau if that is one of the ports you visited.

 

Dianne

[fairbourne]

I took Lucy to visit my mom at the assisted living center she is staying at...most of the folks there love it when Lucy visits( they welcome dogs as long as they have a copy of her medical records with the latest innoculations). One lady hugged her and got a big kiss; the lady was so happy I thought she was going to cry. Another person politely asked if Lucy was a Service Dog...I said "no I am her service person though".

 

This made me smile today as I have some good news for you all about Aruba - she has just been accepted as a Therapet - and will be doing exactly this type of "work" going into Care Homes (I imagine that's the same as what you refer to as Assisted Living). We are just waiting for my "approval" to come through!

 

 

We will hopefully be visiting a local Care Home on a regular basis and as Chris said some of these folk will be very happy to get a doggy cuddle. Aruba is perfect for this as she's such a big gentle girl and loves cuddles. And she loves biscuits, so I will have to watch for sneaky elderly biscuit givers! And her Mum loves a cup of tea and a chat, so I'm hoping I get a cuppa, a fine piece and a good old chat! LOL!

 

After a year doing this work, Aruba will be further assessed and can then go on to do work with children in schools. They run a programme where the dogs go into schools and children who are less than confident with their reading skills (e.g. reading out loud) can read to the dog. Quite often this ends up with the child and the dog in a pile on beanbags on the floor - the dog usually asleep but the child will be reading out loud quite happily to the dog! The dogs also go into universities for stress reducing sessions when the students are facing their exams.

 

So it's all a new challenge for her and for me - I'm looking forward to it very much!

 

Alexspepa - I know exactly what you mean by "service person"! :halo:

[Algebralovr]

This made me smile today as I have some good news for you all about Aruba - she has just been accepted as a Therapet - and will be doing exactly this type of "work" going into Care Homes (I imagine that's the same as what you refer to as Assisted Living). We are just waiting for my "approval" to come through!

 

 

We will hopefully be visiting a local Care Home on a regular basis and as Chris said some of these folk will be very happy to get a doggy cuddle. Aruba is perfect for this as she's such a big gentle girl and loves cuddles. And she loves biscuits, so I will have to watch for sneaky elderly biscuit givers! And her Mum loves a cup of tea and a chat, so I'm hoping I get a cuppa, a fine piece and a good old chat! LOL!

 

After a year doing this work, Aruba will be further assessed and can then go on to do work with children in schools. They run a programme where the dogs go into schools and children who are less than confident with their reading skills (e.g. reading out loud) can read to the dog. Quite often this ends up with the child and the dog in a pile on beanbags on the floor - the dog usually asleep but the child will be reading out loud quite happily to the dog! The dogs also go into universities for stress reducing sessions when the students are facing their exams.

 

So it's all a new challenge for her and for me - I'm looking forward to it very much!

 

Alexspepa - I know exactly what you mean by "service person"! :halo:

Awesome news!

 

My university brings in therapy dogs a couple of times a semester - generally around midterm and right before final exams. The students adore them!

 

 

 

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[DisneyKidsDad]

This made me smile today as I have some good news for you all about Aruba - she has just been accepted as a Therapet - and will be doing exactly this type of "work" going into Care Homes (I imagine that's the same as what you refer to as Assisted Living). We are just waiting for my "approval" to come through!

 

 

We will hopefully be visiting a local Care Home on a regular basis and as Chris said some of these folk will be very happy to get a doggy cuddle. Aruba is perfect for this as she's such a big gentle girl and loves cuddles. And she loves biscuits, so I will have to watch for sneaky elderly biscuit givers! And her Mum loves a cup of tea and a chat, so I'm hoping I get a cuppa, a fine piece and a good old chat! LOL!

 

After a year doing this work, Aruba will be further assessed and can then go on to do work with children in schools. They run a programme where the dogs go into schools and children who are less than confident with their reading skills (e.g. reading out loud) can read to the dog. Quite often this ends up with the child and the dog in a pile on beanbags on the floor - the dog usually asleep but the child will be reading out loud quite happily to the dog! The dogs also go into universities for stress reducing sessions when the students are facing their exams.

 

So it's all a new challenge for her and for me - I'm looking forward to it very much!

 

Alexspepa - I know exactly what you mean by "service person"! :halo:

 

 

That's great news!! We have a read to a dog program in some of our local libraries here. It has been proven that in most cases, it increases reading skills by sometimes two grade levels. Keep up the great work!!

[Caribbean Chris]

Fairbourne, that's wonderful news about Aruba's new job. I've also heard of some court systems in the US that bring in dogs to help children relax a bit when they have to appear and testify. Research has shown the calming effect helps the lawyers and judges do their jobs better, too, when there's a courthouse canine around helping a child.

[DisneyKidsDad]

Fairbourne, that's wonderful news about Aruba's new job. I've also heard of some court systems in the US that bring in dogs to help children relax a bit when they have to appear and testify. Research has shown the calming effect helps the lawyers and judges do their jobs better, too, when there's a courthouse canine around helping a child.

 

 

Chris,

The dogs that go into the court system are actual Service Dogs. They are called Facility Dogs. The only real difference is they don't have complete public access. They go through the same training as any other Service Dog.

[wizard-of-roz]

Glad that you had such a great time on your cruise Holly. The first cruise always seems a little daunting doesn't it?

 

One of these days someone is going to come back from a cruise and report that the relief box was fantastic and that everything was as promised. Ok, I can keep hoping.

 

Dianne

 

Wonder of Wonders, Miracles of Miracles!!!! :rolleyes:

[Caribbean Chris]

Chris,

The dogs that go into the court system are actual Service Dogs. They are called Facility Dogs. The only real difference is they don't have complete public access. They go through the same training as any other Service Dog.

 

Interesting! I knew that Dogs for the Deaf has a division for training what they call Program Assistance Dogs, so I looked at the website just now, and saw that along with assisting teachers, doctors, and counselors, one of the roles for their PA dogs is working with courtroom advocates.

[DUTRAVEL]

This made me smile today as I have some good news for you all about Aruba - she has just been accepted as a Therapet - and will be doing exactly this type of "work" going into Care Homes (I imagine that's the same as what you refer to as Assisted Living). We are just waiting for my "approval" to come through!

 

Congratulations to you and Aruba - we knew she was destined for great things!

 

Dianne

[DUTRAVEL]

Interesting! I knew that Dogs for the Deaf has a division for training what they call Program Assistance Dogs, so I looked at the website just now, and saw that along with assisting teachers, doctors, and counselors, one of the roles for their PA dogs is working with courtroom advocates.

 

One of Henri's litter mates works for the District Attorney's Office in Stanislaus County (here in California) and we have gotten to know (through CCI) Henri's half sister JoJo and her handler who work in the DA's Office in our County. JoJo does a lot of work with children who have been victims of abuse and unfortunately have to testify in court. Its really a great program.

 

Dianne

[thephantomsgirl]

Look what happened today! I was there for most of them. :)

 

[thephantomsgirl]

This made me smile today as I have some good news for you all about Aruba - she has just been accepted as a Therapet - and will be doing exactly this type of "work" going into Care Homes (I imagine that's the same as what you refer to as Assisted Living). We are just waiting for my "approval" to come through!

 

 

Congratulations! Aruba will be perfect for this. :)

[Insuregal]

Well it's official. We will be in the April/May CCI Team training class to get my daughters successor dog!! We just got the call yesterday. Can't wait!!

Congratulations to Kim! Is she excited to go to team training? We can't wait until April. Keep us posted.

 

Beckie

[Insuregal]

This made me smile today as I have some good news for you all about Aruba - she has just been accepted as a Therapet - and will be doing exactly this type of "work" going into Care Homes (I imagine that's the same as what you refer to as Assisted Living). We are just waiting for my "approval" to come through!

 

 

We will hopefully be visiting a local Care Home on a regular basis and as Chris said some of these folk will be very happy to get a doggy cuddle. Aruba is perfect for this as she's such a big gentle girl and loves cuddles. And she loves biscuits, so I will have to watch for sneaky elderly biscuit givers! And her Mum loves a cup of tea and a chat, so I'm hoping I get a cuppa, a fine piece and a good old chat! LOL!

 

After a year doing this work, Aruba will be further assessed and can then go on to do work with children in schools. They run a programme where the dogs go into schools and children who are less than confident with their reading skills (e.g. reading out loud) can read to the dog. Quite often this ends up with the child and the dog in a pile on beanbags on the floor - the dog usually asleep but the child will be reading out loud quite happily to the dog! The dogs also go into universities for stress reducing sessions when the students are facing their exams.

 

So it's all a new challenge for her and for me - I'm looking forward to it very much!

 

Alexspepa - I know exactly what you mean by "service person"! :halo:

 

Way to go Fairbourne and Aruba! You are going to have some really nice times with the seniors. We will be looking for some good stories.

 

Beckie

[Insuregal]

Barb, did you get the tornadoes we had Monday night here in Kansas City? We were all in the basement for a good while, sirens went off several times. Where we live is just a few miles from where the tornado hit Oak Grove. Gibson was totally unfazed, just curled up next to Diana. Storms don't bother him much.

 

Beckie

[rpclmc]

Even a "low growl" can be very threatening to the general public. And mistaken as aggression. You will need to work on this with him and some positive reinforcement.

 

I give you lots of credit for doing what you want. Just make sure he's safe and being supervised. Have fun!!!! ;)

 

 

I completely agree, a low growl from a dog like him, would scare me. I do work on it. It seems to mostly happen when he is out of his vest/working gear. I really don't know what to do, except step in front of him and tell the person he is working.

 

He never has done it in front of the trainer, so she says until she sees it, just do what I am doing, that she doesn't understand it.

[rpclmc]

That low growl sounds like an issue if it happens regularly.

 

Scooter has only every done that low growl three times. In each case I was standing next to a security guard or police officer on campus. Both are dog people.

 

Both immediately perked up and grabbed their radio, then looked to see what he was looking at and reacting to.

 

Twice it was a person, and the third time I'm not certain. These two people reacted though. The individual person who he reacted to is apparently a bit "off" and I later learned that he gives off a vibe to a number of people.

 

If, however, the dog is reacting to all singe males, you may want to follow up with the trainer or organization.

 

Great Danes are big and scary, even though I know they are soft couch potatoes.

 

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Luckily, it is not regular. Just a few times, but I don't like it due to it being scary to others.

[Caribbean Chris]

I think the growls are the territorial nature of one dog's breed vs another. I have a friend with a Hearing Dog, trained from same program as my Lab, and his is a terrier mix. He was on a cruise and the dog did a little growling to defend their cabin turf from the steward but soon settled into the new surroundings and was happily cuddled by the same steward for the rest of the trip.

 

I noticed your dog growls at men who approach...I once had a high school boyfriend whose German Shephard defended all the women in the house as well as visitors from the approach of even familiar family members if they were men.

 

My Lab wags her tail at new arrivals, male, female, young or old - whether at our house, on a ship's elevator, etc.

[DUTRAVEL]

FYI for anyone traveling to British Columbia,Canada.

Last year, BC passed new legislation (the GuideDog and Service Dog Act), pertaining to service dogs and implemented a licensing system. While the licensing certificate is not mandatory, BC encourages visiting dog and handler teams to get certified in order to minimize any impacts or difficulties an individual may face when entering public establishments with their guide or service dog.

The certificate is free (it cost me $4.99 to get a passport quality picture at Costco) and the application can be done on-line as long as your service dog has been trained by a school accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF).

 

My dog was trained by Canine Companions for Independence and they accepted a copy of my graduation certificate as proof. If your service dog has not been trained by an accredited organization, you have to appear in person and pass a public safety test.

I decided to apply for the certificate since we will be in Vancouver and Victoria on cruises a couple of times over the next year. It was very easy to apply and my certification card came in the mail in about a month. Here is the link to the website: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/human-rights/guide-and-service-dog

[thephantomsgirl]

FYI for anyone traveling to British Columbia,Canada.

Last year, BC passed new legislation (the GuideDog and Service Dog Act), pertaining to service dogs and implemented a licensing system. . Here is the link to the website: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/human-rights/guide-and-service-dog

 

Good info, thank you very much!