Dogs on Regal 2/19-26???

[MrSchwump]

Who know what the story was with the lady who had the 2 poodles on board this past week? We saw a lady with 1 or 2 poodles the first few nights of the cruise but never saw her after St Thomas.

One night the lady had one dog all dolled up

In a dress and she and others were dancing with it in the Piazza.

My wife saw on of the dogs pee on the carpet just outside the elevator on 17 forward.

Anyone else see this and know how she got the dogs aboard. They were clearly not service dogs.

 

 

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[pedirn]

She probably paid on line for a "therapy dog" certificate. Not covered but ADA but no one questions certificates so people continue to get by using the certificate.

[bbmeekhof]

I'd like to know, too. There were two dogs. Saw one pee on the floor on deck 17, midship, near the movie screen, on the last night.

 

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[Loonbeam]

Oh lord, here comes the 'Service Dog' terminated equine again..

 

But yes, the prior poster was probably right. Some over entitled person (who also can't be bothered to take her pet to the relief area) paid to have his/her beloved pets tagged as service/therapy dogs (and if one peed like that, they were not trained, period), and without a lot of hassle the ship cannot deny boarding from a US port. They could disembark her for damaging the ship (sounds like that could have happened if no one saw her after) which if they did would have been a whole lot of fun for her given possible quarantine protocols).

 

Until the rules for service/therapy animals are codified to require actual training, etc, this will continue to happen.

[Colo Cruiser]

2 extensive locked threads............

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2233386&highlight=therapy+animals

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2003609&highlight=therapy+animals

[Thrak]

Bogus "therapy dog" certificates are like bogus "medical marijuana" prescriptions. It takes absolutely no proof to get either one.

 

If I saw the dog peeing on the deck or the carpet I would complain to passenger services. Not likely to have any effect but it does show that the dogs are not actually trained service dogs.

[argenta01]

A story about so called 'emotional support animals' was just show on the evening news. It refers to flying, but the same should apply to cruising.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/02/24/emotional-support-animals/

[4cats4me]

On one Princess cruise out of San Pedro, approximately 26 people brought their "therapy dogs" onboard. (We weren't onboard, but at the time there was a thread on CC) This was about 4-5 years ago. Ridiculous. And on one cruise that we were on, the dog pooped in the casino, peed in several other areas of the ship, and a lady stepped in the poo and demanded to know what passenger services was going to do about it, and passenger services offered to clean her shoe. Oh, gee, wow. Thanks

 

 

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[baronessk]

I LOVE my dogs. They are small (Yorkies). They are my kids (never had any of the 2 legged variety). One has been around the world with me, as I worked in the hospitality industry for Starwood, Hilton & Accor. My dogs are pee pad trained and on most flights, most people did not even know there was a dog on the plane, even some of the cabin attendants. Now having made it very clear that I love these 2 rescues to the moon and back, WHY would I want to take them on a cruise???? The cruise is MY TIME. MY Getaway. And my doglets are MUCH happier at home with the fur baby sitter in their own environment, than they ever would be posing as a therapy dog in a theater or the piazza of a cruise ship!!!!

[easyboy]

Some cruise line only permits working service dogs on board to meet a disability-related need. Therapy/companion dogs or service dogs-in-training are not permitted on board.

[timesurfer7]

Several years ago, I think it was going from USA to Hawaii, there were at least 12 plus full size seeing eye dogs on board. They had a group of blind passengers on board, all with dogs. The dogs were exercised at the top of the ship where the basketball courts were and you could go interact with them if you wanted to. I never saw the dogs other than up on top of the ship. The blind passengers would travel in a group, holding on to each others shoulders, in a straight line.

[Colo Cruiser]

Some cruise line only permits working service dogs on board to meet a disability-related need. Therapy/companion dogs or service dogs-in-training are not permitted on board.

 

Princess allows them.

[easyboy]

Princess allows them.

From Princess website:

"Princess ships also welcome service animals, and have hosted a variety of such special helpers, including seeing-eye dogs and hearing-assistance dogs. Emotional support animals are not recognized by the Department of Justice and therefore are not permitted on Princess vessels or in our lodges."

 

http://www.princess.com/news/backgrounders_and_fact_sheets/factsheet/Princess-Access-Makes-Cruise-Vacations-Accessible-For-Passengers-With-Disabilities.html

[Colo Cruiser]

From Princess website:

"Princess ships also welcome service animals, and have hosted a variety of such special helpers, including seeing-eye dogs and hearing-assistance dogs. Emotional support animals are not recognized by the Department of Justice and therefore are not permitted on Princess vessels or in our lodges."

 

http://www.princess.com/news/backgrounders_and_fact_sheets/factsheet/Princess-Access-Makes-Cruise-Vacations-Accessible-For-Passengers-With-Disabilities.html

 

 

Does not say anything about therapy animals?

 

Not sure how the people on a couple of our cruises had dogs they dressed up as clowns and cartoon characters while onboard and paraded them around the ship every day. No they were not an act booked by Princess.

They were not working service animals as far as I could see.

If you read the 2 threads I posted there are many more examples. :(

 

There is always a way around these policies, be it fake paperwork etc.

 

I wonder if that policy was recently changed/added?

Edited February 27, 2017 by Colo Cruiser

[rvmike]

If I saw a so called service dog pee where I was the owner would get a tongue lashing from me that they would need a service dog afterwards

[easyboy]

Does not say anything about therapy animals?

 

Not sure how the people on a couple of our cruises had dogs they dressed up as clowns and cartoon characters while onboard and paraded them around the ship every day. No they were not an act booked by Princess.

They were not working service animals as far as I could see.

If you read the 2 threads I posted there are many more examples. :(

 

There is always a way around these policies, be it fake paperwork etc.

 

I wonder if that policy was recently changed/added?

You are right. I have seen myself a passenger carrying around a poodle.

 

I have seen the policy before. It is not just strictly enforced.

[FlaGirl13]

On our last RCI cruise a lady in a wheelchair had a small dog in her lap feeding it from the table in the MDR. That should have never been acceptable. They take advantage of the fact that nobody is going to confront them.

 

 

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[Colo Cruiser]

You are right. I have seen myself a passenger carrying around a poodle.

 

I have seen the policy before. It is not just strictly enforced.

 

On our last RCI cruise a lady in a wheelchair had a small dog in her lap feeding it from the table in the MDR. That should have never been acceptable. They take advantage of the fact that nobody is going to confront them.

 

 

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Pretty sad.

[FritzG]

We took a British Isles/TA on the Royal in 2015. On the British Isles part there was a large group of a dozen or more blind passengers from Ireland onboard. They had large poodles, golden labs, and German shepherds, and we often saw them in ports doing tours. Obviously, these were qualified service dogs. One of the waiters told us about the large grassy area the ship provided for the "needs" of all of those big dogs.

 

On the TA part there was a couple with a small terrier in a pink babydoll sized carriage which we usually saw outside on deck. The man and the woman took turns holding the dog and petting it a lot like it was a security blanket. We questioned how this could be a qualified service dog.

 

I never saw it leaving a puddle anywhere, but if I had I would certainly have notified someone immediately. Also, no way should any dog be eating from the table in the mdr. Didn't a headwaiter or maitre d' see this?

[PrettyGirl01]

I read somewhere that some people have dogs for PTSD and the like.

[chengkp75]

I read somewhere that some people have dogs for PTSD and the like.

 

PTSD dogs are recognized as service dogs by the ADA.

 

The ADA states that service dogs are allowed in only two locations: on the floor, or in the owner's arms if it is a small dog that needs to be close to the owner for things like diabetic alerts. Any dog in a stroller, or on any furniture on the ship, is not a service dog. Service dogs are trained to relieve themselves only on command, which is a further indication of a true service dog, and a dog relieving itself anywhere they want to is a serious health violation and should result in the owner and dog being disembarked at the next port.

 

Since the SCOTUS, in their ruling in Spector v. NCL, which stated that the ADA did not apply to foreign flag ships with regards to the ship's "internal policies and practices". This means that the cruise lines could set their own requirements for how and where service dogs are allowed, and they should set out a service dog "rules of conduct", just as they do for human passengers.

[FlaGirl13]

Thank you for such a concise explanation. The only ship "rule" I'm aware of is the animal can never be left alone in the cabin. I also thought true service dogs had to have some sort of identifiable tag or vest. I doubt the cruise lines will enforce much though, just like the rest of the service industry that doesn't want that confrontation.

[boone2]

There's a huge difference between wonderful service dogs and "therapy dogs". My neighbour travels to their South Carolina home for the winter, dogs are not allowed. So she went online and got a "therapy dog" certificate so the dog was allowed in the condo. I told her that was disgusting. She was really surprised

I was working on another cruise line and a pax had completed a 49 day cruise. She decided to sign up for another two weeks while on th cruise but couldn't possibly do it without her " therapy dog" so the dog was allowed on board. She had been onboard for 49 days without the dog but suddenly couldn't manage without it. She managed to go off in port without it and expected the passenger services to look after it. Pooped and peed wherever. I couldn't believe it but I think the American disability act forbids any questions about the dog and the service it performs. Love dogs. Love the wonderful true service the trained dogs perform. Hate that people will circumnavigate the law to suit themselves and put their comfort and self entitlement before anyone else

Terry

[chengkp75]

No, service dogs are not required to have a vest or other identifying marker. It is also specifically against the ADA to require any special registration or certification of the dog, other than what a normal pet would need in your locale.

 

First off, the ADA does not allow "therapy" dogs the same access to public spaces that service dogs get. Therapy dogs are only protected under the Fair Housing Act, where the owner cannot be disqualified because of the therapy dog. The one question you are allowed to ask under the ADA is "what service does the dog provide?" However, any dog that is not under control of the owner (on a leash or in a chest carrier, unless the disability and service require the dog to be off leash, and then under voice control), or that presents a hazard to others (sanitary or safety), can be asked to leave the premises.

 

Unfortunately, the cruise lines are afraid to annoy the passengers who bring their dogs, and don't want the potential law suits, even though the line would win. If more passengers would write to CLIA and request a service animal code of conduct, some improvement may happen, otherwise not likely until a "poopsie" bites someone.

[sunsetbeachgal]

I was also on the Regal Feb. 19 cruise. I observed the lady who had these two poodles tie them up on a lounger in the shade and then went into the buffet to eat, and the dogs cried and barked, annoying all who sat near them. I did not see them urinate anywhere as others reported, but I did see them jump up on the glass at the International Café.

 

It is a shame that the cruise lines appear to be held hostage by the guidelines of the ADA and I'm sure are afraid of lawsuits.