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

[kerrytens]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all of the congrats - JJ continues to amaze me daily. He is the most laid back, quiet pup I've ever owned ... but no worries, he does have his puppy moments of extreme activity :D

Taking Sunshine's paperclip advice here and giving that photo posting thing a go (I do plan on learning how to do it through photobucket one day though since I do want to do a review of Hannah's first cruise with photos, of course!!)

This is a photo of JJ with my brother - basically the only way to get a decent shot of him is to have someone hold him.

 

Miriam

Hooray, it worked!!!

Edited September 5, 2009 by kerrytens

[flsunnymommy]

Hi Folks! I know I have not been following since our issue on our cruise. We have cruised once since without Chewy. I think we are ready to try taking him again now that I have personally met a person from RCL special needs department. We are looking at going to Jamaica and Haiti. I know I asked before, but does anyone know if service dogs are allowed in Haiti? We cruise only with Autism on the Seas and want to go on an affordable cruise out of Florida. We will also be going with another Autism service dog on our next cruise.

[Quampapetet]

Dogs aren't allowed to enter into Jamaica (and may not even be allowed in the outside areas of the boat while it is docked there).

 

I have no idea about Haiti. Can't find anything about it with a Google search. I'm guessing not too many ppl bring their pets there. You'll have to find the number for their tourism office or embassy or similar and call and ask.

Edited September 5, 2009 by Quampapetet

[rangeley]

WoooooooHoooooooo Miriam you did it!! and may I say JJ is a cutie!! Now that you know how to do it, we will expect more.

 

Cindy

[S.S. Cruisers]

Mornin' all:

Nancy, I remain superchallenged posting pictures, but am able to email them. If you want email me at ramays@charter.net and I'll send you puppy pictures.

Sunshine: Yes, all animal pictures, as a matter of fact! :Dcruiser_nancy@hotmail.com. I am now also mad at my phone. I had a picture of Leann Emily and Jezzy Lou as the home page photo. They kept sending an update message for stuff I don't need and won't use. Well, hubby thought it best to do the update. Well, I have lost the home page picture, it is still in the phone, but I cannot for the life of me get it back on the home page. UGHHHHHH. It just keeps eating at the back of my mind, along with not being to upload/download any of my pictures on my phone or camera.

Miriam: Yeah, you did it, you did it. JJ has a cute little face! Hope to see more photos.

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. Nothing going on here..........

Nancy

[flsunnymommy]

Thanks for the help. Our next cruise will be August 2010 going to Key West, Cozumel and the Bahamas as all service dog friendly. We will be going with Autism on the Seas and so far already have one other service dog team going with us!!!

[Quampapetet]

I did Key West and Cozumel on my previous cruise (as well as two ports I couldn't get off at - Grand Cayman and Jamaica). Did the butterfly conservatory and Margaritaville in Key West and a beach (Playa Mia?) in Cozumel. If you do the beach, be sure to rent an umbrella for shade for the pooch. And if the dog is light-colored and/or thin-furred, use canine sunblock, too.

Edited September 7, 2009 by Quampapetet

[flsunnymommy]

I forget where we went in Cozumel, one of the beaches, but they would not let Chewy past a certain point near the entrance. We ended up spending the day on the ship. Now we want to make sure everywhere we go is service dog friendly as my son was not happy.

[Quampapetet]

The Cozumel beach I went to was just fine with my SD. (I had contacted them before I bought the ticket there, to ask if non-guide SDs were allowed, since Mexico only has laws for guide dog access, and they said no problem.) We sat on the beach, ate at the buffet, and she pottied in a grassy area behind the beach.

 

I believe it was Playa Mia, but I'm certain it was this ShoreTrips all-inclusive package I purchased: http://www.shoretrips.com/common/search4.asp?rcode=CAR&lcode=CZM&tcode=012430 .

 

(Oh, and I printed out the e-mails I had that said my SD was allowed, but I never needed to show them for that beach or for a store we went into [i knew I wanted to go there before the trip].)

Edited September 8, 2009 by Quampapetet

[rangeley]

Hi Everyone, We have decided to take a cruise in January. And we will be taking Wexler. So now I actually need info from you guys. We planned an easy trip, actually one we've taken a few years back. But I figured for our first dog cruise I would make it easy. St Thomas and Puerto Rico just require rabies cert. right?? Do I need any forms to fill out from those countries? Do I notify them we are coming? We are also going to Grand Turk, and I know nothing about that island. Now I know Bahamas is tough, but we are going to a private island. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Cindy

[Quampapetet]

The cruise line will give you a form to fill out for them.

 

St. Thomas and Puerto Rico need the health certificate (I bring a copy of the actual rabies certificate, too, in case they want more info. than the vet puts on the health certificate - actually happened to me once, when the vet forgot to say it was a three-year rabies vaccine, but I had the rabies certificate to show so didn't have an issue [this was with the vet in the Bahamas that checks the paperwork and dog for stays longer than 48 hours {land trip}]). Remember that the ADA is effective in both the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico 'cause they're territories of the U.S.. :-)

 

The Bahamas isn't tough, you just need to send for an import permit (which is free for service dogs) months ahead of time (send for it NOW for Jan.! They are on island time and take a while to get things through their system, sometimes several months! Trust me, I do it every year. Sent in for two about a month ago and am waiting to get the permits, but wouldn't be surprised if they didn't come 'til Nov. even though I need the first for Dec.). And get the int'l health certificate from your vet, of course. For a cruise, you apparently don't have to do the seeing-the-Bahamian-vet part of the requirements since you are there less than 48 hrs.

 

Grand Turk you need the int'l health certificate as well. It is an island that is part of the Turks & Caicos. It is very small - you can see the whole island from the ship, from what I've read on here and seen photos of. Going to the beaches is free, though, which is nice! :-)

 

I'm also going to the same countries on my upcoming cruise (though to Nassau instead of a private island).

 

BTW, I absolutely LOVE your cruise ticker with the dog running on the beach!!! :-D

 

What cruiseline are you going on? Are you getting a balcony cabin to use for the potty box or will you have it placed in a different spot? I'm thinking of making my own for my upcoming cruise (it'd be cheaper than buying a couple small ones - and more portable, too!).

Edited September 11, 2009 by Quampapetet

[rangeley]

Thanks for all the info Quam!!! I knew you would be the one that would have all the info. We are going on Holland America and we do have a balcony, but I don't know if the box will fit on the balcony. We have the first room at the front of the ship. We have stayed in the room before and right outside our door there are 2 doors that lead out to a deck that people can go out to smoke or just sit. We are going to request they put the box there. John will not be able to go out there because of a lip at the doorways, but I will be able to take him to potty. Also if they can open the partition on our balcony, the potty box will be right there. When Wexlers gotta go, he's gotta go right now, so we cannot have the box too far away. Thanks for all the info and I guess I'll start working on it right now.

 

Cindy

[sunshine426]

Story Time: Today at work I was watching for my last surgical patient of the day to arrive. When I saw her come into the room and climb onto the hospital bed, my heart melted. She looked like she was trying to be brave as big fat tears rolled down her cheeks. After greeting her, and giving her the first of my "no shots, no sticks while you are awake" pep talk, she still looked sad. I called our child life specialist to help out as I switched to caring for a post op child. The child life specialst told me that this child's mom had metastatic colon cancer and had been undergoing one treatment after another for a few years. She worked with her a bit. Later I spoke with mom outside of the room. I told her at this time I was just going to keep things very low key, but if I found a window with her daughter I might just climb thru it. She was in agreement. As I went in to beguin the basic check in process I noticed she was holding a suffed golden retirever. You guessed it, we started talking about dogs, puppies, and all the wonderful things they did. Luckly I was able to access my home email acct wheree I had some recent puppy pictures. Pretty soon everyone was smiling and laughing. So, thanks to all these pups in training, they brought a small ray of sunshine into the hopsital today. She was still a bit tearfull off and on, but at least I had found her soft spot, and yep, I exploited it.

[Quampapetet]

Thanks for all the info Quam!!! I knew you would be the one that would have all the info. We are going on Holland America and we do have a balcony, but I don't know if the box will fit on the balcony. We have the first room at the front of the ship. We have stayed in the room before and right outside our door there are 2 doors that lead out to a deck that people can go out to smoke or just sit. We are going to request they put the box there. John will not be able to go out there because of a lip at the doorways, but I will be able to take him to potty. Also if they can open the partition on our balcony, the potty box will be right there. When Wexlers gotta go, he's gotta go right now, so we cannot have the box too far away. Thanks for all the info and I guess I'll start working on it right now.

 

No problem. :)

 

That's cool that you're at the very front and there's a public deck you can put the box on and open a partition to get to! Just be sure to keep your balcony door locked in case anybody thinks your balcony is part of the public deck.... ;)

 

I'm at the very back of my ship, so it struck me as funny that you're at the very front of yours (plus we're going to the same countries)! Or maybe I'm just not quite awake yet so pretty much anything is funny at this point, haha! :p

 

Is there no lip to getting into the room? If it is an accessible room, ask if they have ramps for the balcony - I know some lines do that, as I've seen photos.

 

BTW, the form to send in to get the import permit for the Bahamas is: http://www.bahamas.com/sites/default/files/pdf/Bahamas_Application_to_Import_Domestic_Animals_in_TIOTB.pdf

[rangeley]

Story Time: Today at work I was watching for my last surgical patient of the day to arrive. When I saw her come into the room and climb onto the hospital bed, my heart melted. She looked like she was trying to be brave as big fat tears rolled down her cheeks. After greeting her, and giving her the first of my "no shots, no sticks while you are awake" pep talk, she still looked sad. I called our child life specialist to help out as I switched to caring for a post op child. The child life specialst told me that this child's mom had metastatic colon cancer and had been undergoing one treatment after another for a few years. She worked with her a bit. Later I spoke with mom outside of the room. I told her at this time I was just going to keep things very low key, but if I found a window with her daughter I might just climb thru it. She was in agreement. As I went in to beguin the basic check in process I noticed she was holding a suffed golden retirever. You guessed it, we started talking about dogs, puppies, and all the wonderful things they did. Luckly I was able to access my home email acct wheree I had some recent puppy pictures. Pretty soon everyone was smiling and laughing. So, thanks to all these pups in training, they brought a small ray of sunshine into the hopsital today. She was still a bit tearfull off and on, but at least I had found her soft spot, and yep, I exploited it.

 

 

OMG Sunshine what a story! It's amazing how many times you use your puppies in your everyday life. Whether it's to teach or just to cheer someone up. You should be proud of what you do. :D Today we are going to meet some puppy raisers in our area. They meet and have classes every so often. They asked John to talk alittle on how the dog is working out. They are all thrilled he will be there as they all want to meet and greet a graduate, since their ultimate goal is for their pups to graduate.

 

Quam, Thanks so much for that Bahamas form. There are no ramps to get into the room, but there is one to get to the balcony. The door is very heavy and I have to help him get out on the deck. He cannot do it himself. So I will be taking the dog potty the whole cruise.

 

Cindy

Edited September 12, 2009 by rangeley

[sunshine426]

How much fun is it going to be to meet the puppy raisers and for them to see Wexler at work. I have a 16 week old golden male downstairs adjusting to crate time. I'll actually have this guy until he graduates. He still lives at the training facility most of the time, but I'll have him for outings and home visits and be his primary volunteer. They are trying out a new system to see if it helps the pups with more consistency. Of course it is still good for them to be exposed to other people as well, which is why it is still not puppy raising. Anyway, I am going to be taking lot's of pictures, so when he graduates his new person can see his first two years. I actually had this little guy at my house about a month ago so I have some great pics. He is recovering from JPinn Hip surgery and neutering, so I am trying to keep him quiet, no jumping or running for a few days, Really, a puppy no jumping, no running....Which is why he is having some longer crate time. Plus snuggles on the floor.

[Andar]

I have had public access training and I know people are just curious and want their puppy fixes, etc. But we just got back from our second cruise with Bailey and I could not believe how rude and disruptive people were.

 

Our previous cruise had the 'normal' number of sd inquires but this one was unbelieveable. We were both so tired by the end of the day and I really had a hard time keeping positive with the public (and crew).

 

Please help me with feedback, I don't know what I could have done differently without being rude back - and I felt I was with the one guy that kept asking me yeah, but what is wrong with you??

 

Here is my venting but believe me it was constant.

We're back from our 10-day Alaska cruise. We really did have a great time. There was one day at sea that was challenging for many people due to the winds and high seas. There were several broken bones as a result of falls, one helicopter evacuation, and many seasick passengers.

 

 

I am proud to say, Bailey did just fine. She was VERY tired of people by the last day. I kept her on my lap covered with a light blanket so she could get a break.

 

I had to wipe lipstick off her head at night, from women kissing her. I know people think they are being friendly and are curious, but it is so frustrating to answer the same questions - hundreds of times of day. Bailey gets over stimulated when constantly being petted called to, and get this, barked at. Honestly, one server would always bark at her when he saw her - even from the other side of the room. There were very few children on the ship but they all knew how to behave - it was the ADULTS that were a pain.

 

 

While people are told to ask before petty a service dog, many don't and it is hard to say no to nice people just wanting to a 'dog fix' because they miss their own pets- especially if we are just sitting down relaxing.

 

However, none of us understood the big attraction of a dog going to the bathroom. Bailey had a relief box on the promenade deck - the outdoor deck that circles the ship . While in her little corner using the potty box, she would draw a crowd. She would then stop what she was suppose to be doing and stare back at the people. We would have to ask them to move along as it made her nervous to have a crowd. Seriously, it got where I would park the scooter to block the 'view' and Jim, Jeff and I would stand with our backs to Bailey, face out, like a police line protecting her. This would be too funny if it wasn't so disruptive to taking care of business - especially with rough seas!

 

Can you imagine asking a stranger, “What is wrong with you?” Me neither, but when going from the cabin to the dinning room it happened numerous times. I explained Bailey is a medical alert dog, and helps me with my disability. That is good enough 80% of the time. If someone kept asking personal questions, I would finally say, “Gosh, I don’t feel comfortable discussing my personal medical issues with strangers.” It is a good thing I have improved my impulse control and ability filter my words a little or I would have exploded dozens of times a day and killed several idiots. Especially when people would barge right into our personal conversations and disrupt our family's vacation time. Thank you Jim, Laura, Jeff, Patti, John, and everyone else who didn't sign on for this.

 

There were several times that people distracting Bailey was dangerous for both of us. Exiting a crowded elevator, backwards on a scooter, with a service dog, takes concentration- especially for a stroke survivor. Once, I gave her the command ‘back’ and she was going out of the elevator while I was backing the scooter. Most people we great and cleared a space, but one woman stopped Bailey - she literally blocked our path. I almost ran over Bailey, then the doors closed - squeezing my hand against the scooter before they re-opened. The scooter does not stop on a dime and I need time to react. I said “oh, please don’t distract her while she is working” and the lady said, but she is so cute! The other passengers waiting to get in the elevator appeared frustrated too –they had to wait while we could get clear for them to enter and be on their way. I was nearly in tears by the time I made it through the crowds and was safe.

 

While I feel so grateful to have Bailey, and be able to travel because I have her, feel I must vent about this 'other aspect' of having a service dog. I fantasize about a day when people think nothing of a service dog and go about their own business.

 

It really isn't the individual questions or actions of well meaning people that cause additional stress and hardship, but rather the cumulative effect many - whether we are just trying to grocery shop or vacation.

=====

 

Help, please, I am trying to regain my social skills after a brain injury and family are supportive and just said you did fine. I need to hear from other sd owners how they handle these kind of situations.

Once, a person asked Jim if they could take a picture while he was hurrying to the relief box. When he said not now, the person ran after him with a camera, and continued to snap pictures. :eek:

[Quampapetet]

We're back from our 10-day Alaska cruise. We really did have a great time. There was one day at sea that was challenging for many people due to the winds and high seas. There were several broken bones as a result of falls, one helicopter evacuation, and many seasick passengers.

 

Yikes!! That sounds scary! You said Bailey did fine, but how were you?! LOL. I would not be doing so well! ;)

 

 

I had to wipe lipstick off her head at night, from women kissing her. I know people think they are being friendly and are curious, but it is so frustrating to answer the same questions - hundreds of times of day. Bailey gets over stimulated when constantly being petted called to, and get this, barked at. Honestly, one server would always bark at her when he saw her - even from the other side of the room. There were very few children on the ship but they all knew how to behave - it was the ADULTS that were a pain.

 

Did you complain to the head waiter and/or the front desk about this rude waiter? He most definitely should never have done that, especially more than once! Even if you didn't catch his name, the head waiter could've told all the waiters to never distract a service dog, as this is something they all need to know anyway.

 

I think Roz one time had her cruise's paper have a paragraph asking ppl not to distract the dog anymore. I think I recall something about that from the very early pages of this thread.

 

If ppl try to pet your dog, some folks find it helps if you fake correct the dog when it happens ("It's not time to get petted now,"). It makes (some) ppl feel bad that what they did made the dog get a correction. This might help you if you don't like talking to other ppl/asking them not to distract your dog.

 

I don't know if your dog wears a harness, vest, pack, or combination of two of those, but make sure somewhere on there in large, capital, non-script/easy-to-read letters it says "DO NOT TOUCH".

 

It is a bit easier when you're in a state that has a law against distracting a service dog (so you can tell ppl what they are doing is illegal), since you can't say that on a cruise ship or in a foreign country that doesn't have such laws. But you can still give them the evil eye and tell them not to distract your dog.

 

 

However, none of us understood the big attraction of a dog going to the bathroom. Bailey had a relief box on the promenade deck - the outdoor deck that circles the ship . While in her little corner using the potty box, she would draw a crowd. She would then stop what she was suppose to be doing and stare back at the people. We would have to ask them to move along as it made her nervous to have a crowd. Seriously, it got where I would park the scooter to block the 'view' and Jim, Jeff and I would stand with our backs to Bailey, face out, like a police line protecting her. This would be too funny if it wasn't so disruptive to taking care of business - especially with rough seas!

 

I didn't have that issue when we were on a public deck, since it was not in a place many ppl went. Was there anywhere else on the ship they could've put the box?

 

Sometimes you have to stop being all nicey-nice to ppl who distract your dog. Did you ever ask the cruise if they could do something about this?

 

Can you imagine asking a stranger, “What is wrong with you?” Me neither, but when going from the cabin to the dinning room it happened numerous times. I explained Bailey is a medical alert dog, and helps me with my disability. That is good enough 80% of the time. If someone kept asking personal questions, I would finally say, “Gosh, I don’t feel comfortable discussing my personal medical issues with strangers.” It is a good thing I have improved my impulse control and ability filter my words a little or I would have exploded dozens of times a day and killed several idiots. Especially when people would barge right into our personal conversations and disrupt our family's vacation time. Thank you Jim, Laura, Jeff, Patti, John, and everyone else who didn't sign on for this.

 

No, I don't at all understand the ppl who ask, "What's wrong with you?" or other rude questions or who demand to know my disabilities (as if they would be so happy to share their own medical history with me!). I really don't get that. It depends on the situation what I do about it - anything from say, "That's personal," to ignore and walk away to selective hearing (this can work wonders! Just pretend you can't hear them - or if you're at a store, walk around with a phone or music headset in your ear and pretend you're on the phone or listening to music, if you don't want to pretend you can't hear them). Sometimes some jerks just don't get the point until you are rude back to them - guess it has to do with speaking their own language! :rolleyes:

 

Sorry your cruise was so full of idiots. :mad:

[Andar]

I guess I need to get more assertive but I had any type of confrontation. I try to keep a smile on my face and 'put up with it - on the outside"

I did ask them to move her relief box when the storm made it impossible to go out on that deck (they actually locked the doors so we had no access to it).

 

It wasn't just the server that barked at her, it happened twice in ports and numerous times on the ship - what is with that??

I did hear the head waiter tell the server not to do that, but he did it again other nights.

 

Bailey does have a red vest and it says medical alert dog working, please do not distract. One guy said he thought it said 'medical alert dog - needs work!"

 

When we cruised before there was a separate group from GDB. They had Delta flyers distributed to all the rooms about service dogs. I don't know how expensive it would be, but I might look into it for the next cruise. It would be so worth it. Also, may suggest an information hour where other passengers can get their questions answered all at once.

I really don't mind educating the public but this was just so over the top most of the time it really cut into our vacation time.

[Andar]

I keep thinking of the hundreds of brave veterans with brain injuries being paired with sds. One of the difficulty with brain injuries is coping with frustration and interaction with people. It would be nice to hae some 'catch phases" to use in those tough situations with the dogs.

[S.S. Cruisers]

Darcie:

No offense or light hearted banter for your situation, but BITE ME comes to mind as a standard answer to imbosoles (sp) and I can't even spell it! I try not to be rude to people but there comes a time and place where "none of your business" should answer the "die hardest" idiot that would even consider fronting you off! And poor little Bailee, all she wanted to do was serve Mama and go potty in peace when she had to!

I haven't posted in awhile. Over whelmed with everything right now. But just wanted you all to know: I heard, not directly from the source, so could be considered a rumor, but that our superintendant has asked our special needs teacher, who has a SD, what specific disability she has! :eek:I also heard that the super has sent letters? inquiries to this teachers doctor for answers! :eek:. She sent "people" to get the doctors name, address etc. ! :eek: Doesn't feel poor Biscuit should be on campus! :eek: I am mortified to say the least...........It is so far out of the relm of reality that I cannot even believe a degree of it could be right!

Ok, slipping off the soap box and slithering away........

Nancy

[Valentine's Mom]

I keep thinking of the hundreds of brave veterans with brain injuries being paired with sds. One of the difficulty with brain injuries is coping with frustration and interaction with people. It would be nice to hae some 'catch phases" to use in those tough situations with the dogs.

 

 

 

Andar

 

 

Although I have been traveling with Valentine for several years now I took her, my sister, and my elderly mother on a short cruise from Baltimore to the Bahamas. It started out to be a nightmare. They started by saying that only 1 person knew anything at all as to what to do to get a service dog on board. I had all her papers and Valentine has only been on 8 Carnival cruises, 3 RCCL 1 Costa and 1 NCL so we do know the routine.

 

This time I was caring for my mother and my sister had never cruised before, I also had full care for Valentine (which my husband usually did)

 

Anyway with Valentine only weighing 10lbs. I use a special roller bag for dogs and she rides all the way down the hallways and such. If I'm on my scooter she rides in her extra big basket. She can still do her job but I can protect her from big feet and unwanted pats

 

I did learn what my husband usually goes through. Believe there are some nice people out there and when all the mean or aggressive ones are coming at me I protect llike a mother hen. People start toward Valentine and She (having been trained to ignor) lowers herself down into the case. I tell people that she has been trained to ignore and we do not pet her while she is working. If need be we just kep walking. Everyone including us is always heading somewhere so just keep going.

 

You may get a few strange looks but I couldn't believe how much better Valentine was at the end of the day.

[Valentine's Mom]

I keep thinking of the hundreds of brave veterans with brain injuries being paired with sds. One of the difficulty with brain injuries is coping with frustration and interaction with people. It would be nice to hae some 'catch phases" to use in those tough situations with the dogs.

 

 

 

Andar

 

 

Although I have been traveling with Valentine for several years now I took her, my sister, and my elderly mother on a short cruise from Baltimore to the Bahamas. It started out to be a nightmare. They started by saying that only 1 person knew anything at all as to what to do to get a service dog on board. I had all her papers and Valentine has only been on 8 Carnival cruises, 3 RCCL 1 Costa and 1 NCL so we do know the routine.

 

This time I was caring for my mother and my sister had never cruised before, I also had full care for Valentine (which my husband usually did)

 

Anyway with Valentine only weighing 10lbs. I use a special roller bag for dogs and she rides all the way down the hallways and such. If I'm on my scooter she rides in her extra big basket. She can still do her job but I can protect her from big feet and unwanted pats

 

I did learn what my husband usually goes through. Believe there are some nice people out there and when all the mean or aggressive ones are coming at me I protect llike a mother hen. People start toward Valentine and She (having been trained to ignor) lowers herself down into the case. I tell people that she has been trained to ignore and we do not pet her while she is working. If need be we just kep walking. Everyone including us is always heading somewhere so just keep going.

 

You may get a few strange looks but I couldn't believe how much better Valentine was at the end of the day.

 

I do tend to be a little shy like you but beleve me when I found out how much better it was whe I stood up for her it was great! Try it it isn't that hard (the second time) We are always here to healp

[dvdfreakmc]

Andar,

 

Susan, Cameron and I run into similar situations, and all I can say is we are usually glad there are two of us. Usually I stay with Cameron and Werin, while Susan brings up the questions to the rear. It is kind of hilarious that we usually have a group following us on cruises. The questions are the most intense because, like you, they are all in, all the time. Tons of questions and trying to pet.

 

However, we found on our latest cruise that the staff was much more aware of not petting, which helped a lot. They were very accomodating and didn't ask to pet the dog like they had on earlier cruises. Maybe that day you ask for is coming when people just accept our dogs as a part of ourselves.

 

Being honest, we have those days you talk about when we get back to the cabin and don't want to go out again due to the questions or looks. But it can happen anywhere.

[Andar]

Thanks everyone for your support. I felt better just venting and knowing that you all would understand. Plus three days of resting :p

It feels so petty when I know I am lucky that Abby saved my life. I am really grateful to be alive,to be able to travel and so lucky to have a second SD, Bailey that is so dedicated, I know she will do anything for me.

 

I cannot imagine me trying to travel without her - even with all the challenges. I will continue to try to educate the public and keep a smile on my face but next time I am going to talk to the cruise director about a question/answer off-leash play/petting timewhen other passengers can ask questions. Hopefully an hour will answer most of them. That worked really well on my last cruise (but there was 25 SD on board).

 

You guys are all great and I appreciate having a place to go for the cruising issues. I would love to do Panama but need a west cost departure and return.

 

Still holding out hope we can all meet on of these days.

Darcie