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

[DUTRAVEL]

22 hours ago, shepherdqueen said:

Hello everyone.  I appreciate this board.  I have MS and I do have a service dog. My obedience instructor did have me test her for CGC, CGC Advanced and CGC Urban as well as Therapy Dog to prove public access, aside from her task work.  I would be lost without her at work but I am nervous to cruise with her.  My husband is my "Service Human" when we cruise but should I  ever travel without him I will need my dog.

 

Has anyone ever worried about a vet emergency and lack of veterinary care at sea?   I lost a puppy to GDV (bloat) once and I tend to be a worrier.

It is always a little daunting to take your first cruise with a service dog. I have taken several transatlantics and Honolulu to Vancouver with my service dog and do not worry too much about any heath issues. You will need to have your dog examined by your vet to obtain the appropriate paperwork and that will help you to know your dog is in good health. The only different thing I do for long trips is to get antibiotics from my vet in case I need to treat a bladder infection until we can get to a vet.

[Rudi-Cruiser]

On 6/11/2023 at 10:01 PM, DUTRAVEL said:

Very helpful to point out the difference entering the UK with a self-trained or dog not trained by an organization recognized by Assistance Dogs International. We had no difficulty entering the UK with my Service Dog, but I was able to provide a letter from Canine Companions (a founding member of Assitance Dogs International) outlining her training. The only difficult part was the timing of the tapeworm treatment which must be administered between 24 and 120 hours prior to arrival in the UK.

I just looked up CANINE COMPANIONS, they have a chapter in Maryland. Would they help me out? I took Lady Bella through 8 wk refresher and prep for her CGCA & CGCU at AmericanK9. They can't be a member of ADI as they are not a nonprofit.  Lady Bella passed the CGCA & CGCU and they did the ADI PAT evaluation also which she passed. Do you know someone? Maybe they can reach out to the chapter in Maryland.

[DUTRAVEL]

9 minutes ago, Rudi-Cruiser said:

I just looked up CANINE COMPANIONS, they have a chapter in Maryland. Would they help me out? I took Lady Bella through 8 wk refresher and prep for her CGCA & CGCU at AmericanK9. They can't be a member of ADI as they are not a nonprofit.  Lady Bella passed the CGCA & CGCU and they did the ADI PAT evaluation also which she passed. Do you know someone? Maybe they can reach out to the chapter in Maryland.

No, sorry they don't do testing or certification for dogs that are not provided through their program.

[Rudi-Cruiser]

3 minutes ago, DUTRAVEL said:

No, sorry they don't do testing or certification for dogs that are not provided through their program.

I say the note that they wrote a letter for you.

[DUTRAVEL]

11 minutes ago, Rudi-Cruiser said:

I say the note that they wrote a letter for you.

Yes, because my dog was trained and provided to me by Canine Companions.

[Rudi-Cruiser]

4 hours ago, DUTRAVEL said:

Yes, because my dog was trained and provided to me by Canine Companions.

OK, understand.

[RENEEG]

I am looking for web sites that provides information about cruise travel with a guide dog.  Especially info about the requirements for each country regarding service animals. Also any other tips to make the trip easier, as this will be our first cruise with my husbands dog Izzy.  The dog came from an organization that belongs to both Assistance Dogs International and The International Guide Dog Federation. 
 

[Rudi-Cruiser]

2 minutes ago, RENEEG said:

I am looking for web sites that provides information about cruise travel with a guide dog.  Especially info about the requirements for each country regarding service animals. Also any other tips to make the trip easier, as this will be our first cruise with my husbands dog Izzy.  The dog came from an organization that belongs to both Assistance Dogs International and The International Guide Dog Federation. 
 

Number 1, you will have an easy time getting into most countries with your dog coming from those two organization. I need to jump through more hoop as my dog was not trained by ADI or GDI. You will need to put together a book with all the dogs training and certification etc. Then its country by country. UK, Australia and New Zealand is the most difficult to getting. Down under requires quarantine but there is a way to do that at home under a certified vet. You then will need to have the vet provide the correct medical documents depending on the country. I am finalizing my docs for my SD as we depart soon for Amsterdam to board a transatlantic cruise. Google is you best friend, you will need to go to each country to see what they require.

[DUTRAVEL]

55 minutes ago, RENEEG said:

I am looking for web sites that provides information about cruise travel with a guide dog.  Especially info about the requirements for each country regarding service animals. Also any other tips to make the trip easier, as this will be our first cruise with my husbands dog Izzy.  The dog came from an organization that belongs to both Assistance Dogs International and The International Guide Dog Federation. 
 

Go to the USDA website for information on specific requirements for each country you want to travel to (there is a drop-down menu for each country).

link: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/take-pet-to-foreign-country

 

You can also find helpful information on https://www.pettravel.com/passportnew.cfm. If there is a conflict with the USDA website, defer to the USDA website.

 

My biggest tip would be to make sure that your husband's guide dog is comfortable using a 4 x 4 relief box and can "go" on a variety of surfaces. The relief boxes most commonly contain mulch.

 

[Caribbean Chris]

We had Relief Box adventures this month during our 10-day Holland America Line cruise to Atlantic Canada with my Hearing Dog Raylene. The metal box was fine, 4x4 feet with ropes & stanchions surrounding it on the forward port-side promenade deck. We had booked a room fairly nearby on that deck purposely, since we could reach the box area either via the outdoor promenade or via an inner corridor & heavy door.
 

The filler was wood shavings of the lightweight hamster-cage variety, and there was a very thick layer of it. It was funny to see Raylene wading through it up to her knees, and she didn’t like it much. But we were scheduled to have 9 ports in ten days, so I knew she’d get opportunities in real grass (that, however, ended up being 7 ports). By the end, she was willingly using it with no hesitation.

 

The problem came when gale-force winds blew the shavings out of the box all over the decks. So (unbeknownst to me) someone in charge decided to move it to an indoor crew area on a different deck near the theater showroom, further from my cabin. Of course, not aware of this, I went to the deck with my dog - no box. Sigh. Someone at the front desk, fortunately, knew where it had been taken and I was escorted through the theater to it. (Not too practical during performances!)
 

But after a day or so, the box again was moved, with no notice, back to the deck. But now they had put a heavy plywood top on it, and placed the heavy stanchions on top! Kind of a shocker at 5 a.m.  Luckily my dear husband, in his late 70s, had the strength to haul all that stuff off, and lift the top so the dog could get to her shavings. And that was our drill for the rest of the cruise - 5 days or so, numerous times each day. Great for Bob’s upper body strength-building! 
 

You can’t make this stuff up.

[DUTRAVEL]

6 minutes ago, Caribbean Chris said:

We had Relief Box adventures this month during our 10-day Holland America Line cruise to Atlantic Canada with my Hearing Dog Raylene. The metal box was fine, 4x4 feet with ropes & stanchions surrounding it on the forward port-side promenade deck. We had booked a room fairly nearby on that deck purposely, since we could reach the box area either via the outdoor promenade or via an inner corridor & heavy door.
 

The filler was wood shavings of the lightweight hamster-cage variety, and there was a very thick layer of it. It was funny to see Raylene wading through it up to her knees, and she didn’t like it much. But we were scheduled to have 9 ports in ten days, so I knew she’d get opportunities in real grass (that, however, ended up being 7 ports). By the end, she was willingly using it with no hesitation.

OMG - you are so right, you can't make this stuff up! Why is it so hard to make an accessible relief box with a decent filler?

[Rudi-Cruiser]

43 minutes ago, DUTRAVEL said:

OMG - you are so right, you can't make this stuff up! Why is it so hard to make an accessible relief box with a decent filler?

I am leaving soon for a HAL cruise on the Rotterdam for a 15 days transatlantic and I will have peep pads with me as I am on Deck 11. She has been trained to use the peep pads.

[Rudi-Cruiser]

On 8/22/2023 at 9:04 AM, Rudi-Cruiser said:

We are doing a cruise out of Amsterdam and calling on Portland England. I am working on getting the Tapeworm treatment administered in Amsterdam. I hope we can do it on the morning the ship sales. That will put us right in the 24hr - 120hrs period before arriving in the UK. I have Bella's AKC-CGC, CGCC & CGCU certificates along with her newly passed PAT exam with a letter from the trainer. The ship's agent only wanted the medical information that would include the Tapeworm. They didn't ask about any testing. I guess the the section of their code dealing with transportation of Assist Animal by an authorized cruise ship company works.

Found a Vet in Amsterdam and will see them on the afternoon that I arrive. Get her treatment and go from there.

[rpclmc]

It has been a while.  Halo retired in April, when we got back from our place in Florida.  He is loving being a "dog" and not having duties.  I will ask him to do something simple and he gives me a look like "lady you retired me and I am doing my job".

 

So, made it through my daughter's wedding, in our back yard, two weeks ago.  Had about 130 people, Sushi truck, 2 bartenders, dance floor, DJ, nacho bar; have heard nothing but it was the best wedding people have ever been to.  It was just a big party.

 

Then had foot surgery the following Friday, a week ago.  Still recovering from that.  Not a big surgery, but being on the foot means being off the foot for two weeks and limited for 3 months.  If doctor clears me, I will head to my winter home in Florida on the 24th.

 

Still no word on my team training for my service dog from Canine Companions.  Should be soon,  early 2024, I hope.

 

Linda and Halo (retired)

[Insuregal]

1 hour ago, rpclmc said:

It has been a while.  Halo retired in April, when we got back from our place in Florida.  He is loving being a "dog" and not having duties.  I will ask him to do something simple and he gives me a look like "lady you retired me and I am doing my job".

 

So, made it through my daughter's wedding, in our back yard, two weeks ago.  Had about 130 people, Sushi truck, 2 bartenders, dance floor, DJ, nacho bar; have heard nothing but it was the best wedding people have ever been to.  It was just a big party.

 

Then had foot surgery the following Friday, a week ago.  Still recovering from that.  Not a big surgery, but being on the foot means being off the foot for two weeks and limited for 3 months.  If doctor clears me, I will head to my winter home in Florida on the 24th.

 

Still no word on my team training for my service dog from Canine Companions.  Should be soon,  early 2024, I hope.

 

Linda and Halo (retired)

Best wishes to Halo on his retirement!  Sending positive thoughts toward CCI so you get in soon for your successor service dog.  I love to watch the graduations on YouTube.

[Caribbean Chris]

Congratulations to Halo on his honored retirement! Hope your foot recovery goes well and you’ll soon be back in action, Linda. We’ll look forward to hearing about the future team training!

[Caribbean Chris]

On 9/24/2023 at 3:43 PM, Rudi-Cruiser said:

Found a Vet in Amsterdam and will see them on the afternoon that I arrive. Get her treatment and go from there.

Hope you two and Izzy all have a wonderful crossing on beautiful Rotterdam. We loved the ship and have it booked again for next March, nine days in the lower Caribbean.

[puppycanducruise]

I hope Halo enjoys a long retirement.

[alexspepa]

On 10/8/2023 at 7:04 AM, Caribbean Chris said:

Hope you two and Izzy all have a wonderful crossing on beautiful Rotterdam. We loved the ship and have it booked again for next March, nine days in the lower Caribbean.

Hey Chris! Long time…glad to hear Raylene is still hard at work! ( and Bob too it sounds like)

Dottie and I just did a short Celebrity cruise and we leave Saturday for three months in Alicante Spain…no cruise we rent an apartment and just live there…it’s fantastic!

Keith

[Caribbean Chris]

3 minutes ago, alexspepa said:

Hey Chris! Long time…glad to hear Raylene is still hard at work! ( and Bob too it sounds like)

Dottie and I just did a short Celebrity cruise and we leave Saturday for three months in Alicante Spain…no cruise we rent an apartment and just live there…it’s fantastic!

Keith

That sounds wonderful, Keith! Have a great time.

[emtben]

i am debating on taking my service dog on my cruise in february. i have already had RCCL send me paperwork to fill out and they informed me about our ports and possible issues with Caymen. Anyone have issues with taking the dog off leash in the sports deck when it is completely empty, so the dog can play fetch and just be a dog? he might have too much fun during the superbowl cause his name is Chief and last time we watched the superbowl from the ocean, the Chiefs won in as covid started.  where is the potty area and should i bring spot shot in case he doesn't make it to designated area in time?  he was just supposed to be a mobility dog and be still in training and not going but in the last 3 months, he became aware that he started alerting to my low cortisol accurately and even recognized my stroke because the cortisol dropped too low a month ago and even last night, he woke me up and i was in bad shape, i luckily avoided ambulance ride. im still debating on taking him on the trip, if my medical issues don't calm down then he will be going but i am hoping everything gets better and its just weather changes and recovering from the stroke and not something more.

[momof3cruisers]

I’ve posted here and there on this thread and read consistently, I’ve convinced my son that his SD will do great on a cruise so we booked one for December. We are excited. It goes to Key West and Cozumel but he doesn’t want to get off the ship. I have all the info on paperwork etc but I’m not sure if we have to do the Mexico stuff if he isn’t getting off. 
 

Another question I have is with our airline. They have flown several times so that’s fine but for trips where we have brought his crate, we flew Delta and they checked it for free as medical equipment. Now we are flying Sun Country and they are charging us. I have read several places that they can’t charge for it, but I cannot find the actual law. These same articles have said you can also bring an extra bag with the things the dog needs for no charge. Can anyone help me verify this? I’d like to print out the actual law in case we get push back. 

 

I really appreciate this thread. I have learned so much from all of you. 

[DUTRAVEL]

I’m traveling right now so I don’t have my resources in front of me. I’m pretty sure the Air Carrier Access Act doesn’t explicitly say anything about whether or not supplies and equipment for your Service Dog are consider medical equipment (which must be allowed for free). Some carriers do allow it, but that is a voluntary accommodation. Here’s the link to the ACCA:

 

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-II/subchapter-D/part-382

 

I always get the paperwork for every country we are visiting even if I’m not planning on getting off the ship. I don’t want any hassles in the event we have to leave the ship in an emergency. The paperwork for Mexico is just an International Health Certificate form 7001 (which no longer has to be endorsed by the USDA).
 

I’m sure your son’s service dog will do great! I was very nervous when I took my first cruise with my service dog eight years ago, but I have learned to be polite but firm with what our needs are and things have always worked out. The number one thing I would say is to make sure your dog can use a relief box with mulch. Have a great cruise!

[FOPMan]

Here is s link for Sun Country regarding service animals. Generally, service animals travel in the passenger cabin, at the feet of the person they are assisting. https://suncountry.com/help-center/special-services#label-subtopic-service-animals

 

Usually, one is required to complete all necessary paperwork regardless of whether there is a plan to go ashore.

 

You may want to review your itinerary. Key West is not accepting as many cruise ships as in the past and your cruise line may have substituted an alternative port.

[Caribbean Chris]

Here’s the Department of Transportation’s info - note the link to DOT form you can supply to the airline attesting to the dog’s health, behavior & training. https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/service-animals#:~:text=Your service animal must be,unobstructed for safety reasons (ex.
 

I’ve only flown with my dog on AmericanAirlines, and they do require the DOT form to be on record with them in order to travel with a service animal. I carry it with me for the airport check in. 
 

Mexico no longer has special paperwork. As DUTRAVEL said, just get the Health Certificate form 7001 from the vet and carry it with you in your hand luggage with the dog’s Rabies Certificate. I’ve had airline personnel ask for “the dog’s papers,” and the cruise lines also will expect those at check in. 

 

I’ve never traveled with a crate (my dog doesn’t have one). I’ve never needed the extra checked bag for the dog’s things but I think some airlines do offer a free bag checked - but as a courtesy they choose to extend. I don’t recall any law or rule requiring them to do that. Airlines generally require all travelers to pay for checked bags, so it seems to me there’s no discrimination if they require you to pay for the same. (Discrimination would be if they required you to pay something others don’t have to pay, such as a cleaning fee for the airplane floor where the dog sits, or a cleaning fee for a hotel room.)