We were also on the ship for 31 days with this 'service dog'. I'm not aware of the poop incidents, and heard of barking concerns third hand, so can't speak to those concerns. We did observe several situations in which it looked like the dog's owner was taking advantage of her 'disability' status
We heard the owner talk about the dog's importance in warning her of blood pressure problems. Since her dog's service role was supposedly to warn her of impending health changes, we thought it curious that she had no problem leaving the dog for 12 or more hours during her shore excursions. The owner was much more mobile than most of the people on the ship we saw with mobility issues. She insisted on getting the front row on buses, even though others with less mobility were respectful of other visitors and sat in other bus seats. She frequently demonstrated a sense of entitlement and pitched a fit when anyone challenged her.
Bottom line... The dog owner in this case demonstrated a sense of entitlement and obviously took advantage of ADA. Other guests observed this behavior and felt frustrated this guest was able to take advantage of HAL and other guests.
As a dog lover, i would love to bring my puppies with me... But there should be limits. There needs to be requirements to certify and document a service animal that people should be required to provide before being allowed on a ship.
Out of control dog on the Amsterdam
in Holland America Line
Posted
We were also on the ship for 31 days with this 'service dog'. I'm not aware of the poop incidents, and heard of barking concerns third hand, so can't speak to those concerns. We did observe several situations in which it looked like the dog's owner was taking advantage of her 'disability' status
We heard the owner talk about the dog's importance in warning her of blood pressure problems. Since her dog's service role was supposedly to warn her of impending health changes, we thought it curious that she had no problem leaving the dog for 12 or more hours during her shore excursions. The owner was much more mobile than most of the people on the ship we saw with mobility issues. She insisted on getting the front row on buses, even though others with less mobility were respectful of other visitors and sat in other bus seats. She frequently demonstrated a sense of entitlement and pitched a fit when anyone challenged her.
Bottom line... The dog owner in this case demonstrated a sense of entitlement and obviously took advantage of ADA. Other guests observed this behavior and felt frustrated this guest was able to take advantage of HAL and other guests.
As a dog lover, i would love to bring my puppies with me... But there should be limits. There needs to be requirements to certify and document a service animal that people should be required to provide before being allowed on a ship.