Lifejacket for Service Dog (Photo)

[DesertDiva]

Yes, even dogs don their lifejackets on the Oosterdam's muster drill! :cool:

 

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Cheryl, now that is great:) I have only seen service dogs on one cruise (Ryndam) but was very impressed. It was a husband and wife that were both blind and they both had seeing eye dogs. The best was when it was formal night and they were all dressed up and they went and had their pictures taken with the dogs. I just thought that was so great.

[Cruiseoften]

Yes, even dogs don their lifejackets on the Oosterdam's muster drill! :cool:

 

 

 

Any why not? That dog is someone's lifeline, trained to watch over it's owner. I think it's wonderful and says much for the Line on which they were travelling.

[bepsf]

We had a service dog aboard the Noordam inaugural - but I dont recall seeing a lifevest for him...

;)

 

What's sad is that we'd see well-meaning people go up and talk to or try to pet the dog - which is a Big No-No!

[Valentine's Mom]

This is a picture of myself, my mom, my husband, and my service dog Valentine. She is sporting her life jacket too. This is aboard the Norway. Funny, we had a jacket for her but the cruiseline didn't have one for me even after I asked I never got one. It always seems odd to me how many people make jokes about her and her jacket but when you think about it she probably couldn't swim as long as any of us! I always have problems with people wanting to talk to and pet Valentine.I guess she is too cute for her own good. I do try to be polite but instruct people not to pet her while she is working. She is a medical response dog and is on duty 24/7 and is my life line. People are always surprised to know that size doesn't matter that service dogs can and are working dogs too. I'm glad to see others on the HAL ships. We will be on our first HAL cruise in November aboard the Maasdam and she will have her life jacket with her. So far she has traveled Carnival, RCCL, NCCL, and Costa. Hope to see some of you real soon.

 

Barbara

[Cruiseoften]

We had a service dog aboard the Noordam inaugural - but I dont recall seeing a lifevest for him...

;)

 

What's sad is that we'd see well-meaning people go up and talk to or try to pet the dog - which is a Big No-No!

 

It is permissible but you must first ask permission of the owner some will decline, others will give permission.

 

We have friends who start the puppies off, prepare them for possible special training. Believe me, you must be a real dog lover (a special person in my mind) to be accepted in the program. They are monitored every step of the way. I'm a dog lover, I'd follow the steps but I'd be heartbroken to part with the animal. Better, for me at least, to provide and care for some unwanted animal for its lifetime. Not all dogs make it, they too have to be special.

 

No longer house owners, we now have no dogs but believe me, we've greived deeply over our dogs - they were around for 15/16 years - they were family!

[bepsf]

It is permissible but you must first ask permission of the owner some will decline, others will give permission.

 

Quite true.

...sadly many did not ask permission, which we could tell by the aggrieved facial expression of the owner - as it's very distracting for the dog to be approached and petted by strangers when its supposed to be working.

 

I do wonder how ship companies deal w/ guide dogs - do they set up a special area on the Promenade Deck for the pup to run free for a bit?

[Valentine's Mom]

I too am a pet lover. Valentine fills all of my needs in that field too. When we take that vest off her she likes nothing better than to play and be a dog. She is as affectionate as they come and I get more doggy kisses than I can handle. She was born with a special sense, given to her by god, to tell when things are going to happen. At 8 weeks old she told me that something was going to happen to me. At this point she didn't know how to tell me or just what was going on but it started happening with more and more accruracy and frequency. Soon when something was going to happen she was giveing me a planned signal. Now she is so intuned to me that when anything out of the normal is going to happen she lets me know. Like the other night I had an acid reflux attack and she woke me out of a sound sleep to warn me. She can also tell if my husband's blood sugar gets out of wack. I have a lot of pain and spastisity in my legs from MS and when it gets bad she will lay on my legs providing weight and warmth to sooth the pain. She amazes me every day and I thank God everyday that I have her. She travels with me to church every Sunday and I always say a little prayer especially for her.

 

I really have no problem with someone wanting to talk to Valentine as long as it is quiet so as not to distract her too much from her work. But please do ask and If I say that I'd rather not have you pet her right now please do not take offense as I may be having a health issue to deal with at that particular time. Do feel free to try again later as Valentine and I do like to meet new people

[Copper10-8]

Yes, even dogs don their lifejackets on the Oosterdam's muster drill! :cool:

 

Where's his whistle?

I do wonder how ship companies deal w/ guide dogs - do they set up a special area on the Promenade Deck for the pup to run free for a bit?

I believe you're referring to the "poop" deck!

But seriously folks, many people with all the right intentions in the world, don't think about asking permission when they see a "working dog" and want to pet the dog (or have their kids pet the dog). In a certain way, I can't blame them because it's just not a real known fact. In that case, it's up to the handler to advise them of the proper procedure! Happened to my K-9 partner all the time when on duty and while walking in the Mall, park, etc. Never seen a working dog on a cruise ship (have seen them on aircraft) but picked up a couple of new friends today from Celebrity who stated they had one on their cruise! My hat's off to all those canines!:)

[Valentine's Mom]

Coper10-8

 

My dog is small and is litter trained just like a cat so I just bring her usual litter pan so the ship doesn't have to provide anything for us. A larger dog usually gets a patch of sod in some out of the way area to be "walked" on. I realize that these dogs are cute and people have left their pets at home so they want to talk to and pet my dog and I really don't mind unless she is trying in vain to get my attention for a medical problem. What I LOVE is the way you seem to talk to your child and explain what this particular dog is for and why they shouldn't always pet a dog. It does really help me out a lot. Just like anything else that my be new to a child they will look to a parent to explain and I really appreciate when a parent "like yourself" do just that, explain.

 

Thanks!

 

Barbara

[mim100]

I had no idea that dogs were so intuitive....although I'm not surprised...my Sammy always seems to know if things aren't quite right...but the intuition about medical events is fabulous ....kudos to Valentine...I hope I meet her ( and her Mom ) on board someday...

[Valentine's Mom]

Mim100

We too would like to meet you.:D

[FoxyTerrier]

Our Wire Fox Terriers are not service dogs, but when my father had a boat I got our first Fox Terrier a life jacket. Foncy adored boating - I would often bring him up on the flying bridge with me.

 

I also taught him to wind surf with me.

 

We still have Foncy's life jacket and now it is justed used for swimming in the back yard.

 

Our current Fox Terrier, Bentley is the only dog I had ever seen with no water instict. He's a rescue dog and the first time we put him in the pool he sank like a lead balloon. I have taught him to swim and to get out of the pool and he has fallen in several times.

[DesertDiva]

Gee whiz! I posted the picture because I thought it was "cute" and something one doesn't see often. You're "preaching to the choir." I work for a school district as an Assistive Technology Specialist, so I'm well grounded in the world of the disabled and physically challenged. I was actually interested and chatted with the owner briefly, telling him what I did for a living.

 

Any why not? That dog is someone's lifeline, trained to watch over it's owner. I think it's wonderful and says much for the Line on which they were travelling.

[DesertDiva]

Actually, there was a "quiet current" aboard the ship that some folks were not happy that a dog was onboard. I can't understand why, because one actually didn't have to come into contact with the service animal.

 

The passenger was confined to a power wheelchair and had limited mobility. The service dog (an Australian Shepard) acted as a "reacher and retriever" and was able to "be the arms" for the items the owner couldn't reach easily. The dog was pretty amazing and highly trained! While folks are attracted to dogs and want to pet them, etc... Brian (bepsf) is correct, they are "working dogs." This isn't to say that the owner and the dog don't develop a "pet type" relationship - they do. However, their primary function while "out and about" is to do what they have been trained to do.

 

Service dogs are highly trained and as for the dog doing his "business," probably did so in a specially confined area. Every year (except this year since I went on a cruise) I usually attend an Assistive Technology Conference in Los Angeles. An amazing number of disabled and physically challenged attend and the Hilton and Marriott Hotels (on Century Boulevard right outside of LAX) both set up outside areas for the dogs. I'm sorry I didn't attend this year, but it usually is the week before Spring Break AND my school district didn't approve the funds. So, I had a much needed and relaxing week sailing the Mexican Riviera!

[noblepa]

When I worked at NASA, here in Cleveland, there was a blind programmer who had a service dog. She taught me that, when the dog was in harness, he was working and we were not to try to pet him. When he was not in harness, he was just a dog, and it was okay to pay attention to him.

 

He was amazing. He would curl up under her desk and lay there all day, while she worked. She would take him for walks a couple of times a day. Except for a little dog hair on the carpet in her office, you would never know that he was there.

 

I've seen shows on TV about how they train service dogs, particularly seeing-eye dogs, I still don't know how they teach the dog that the person they're helping can't see. How do you "explain" a concept like blindness to a dog, who can see perfectly well? Its a little like the opposite of the old saying about explaining color to a blind man. Yet, the dogs seem to understand this.

 

I think dogs are pretty amazing creatures, in any case; service dogs, especially so.

 

Paul Noble

[bepsf]

Gee whiz! I posted the picture because I thought it was "cute" and something one doesn't see often.

 

Cheryl--

 

I'm glad you posted - it's not something that comes up very often and it's good that folks know that working dogs are aboard ship sometimes - and they're there to Work!

 

We often see dogs being trained here in Downtown SF, and we have a couple of blind folks here in my building so am accustomed to seeing them around.

 

Sure beats the usual Dress Code/Booze Smuggling/Tipping/Children threads!

:D

[Oceanwench]

When we were aboard the Westerdam last November, there was a gentleman with a guide dog. The man had very limited vision. The dog accompanied him everywhere. It would curl up at his feet when the man was seated.

I spoke to the man at length and learned that he was a TA and he arranged trips for people with disabilities. He said on one of his cruises, there were eight guide dogs aboard the ship!

 

When I walked around the promenade deck in the mornings, I observed the dog's "litter box" -- an area all the way forward that had been blocked off.

 

This particular guide dog was very attracted to my husband, who is in a wheelchair. The owner gave the dog permission to go sniff out my husband, and gave my husband permission to pet the dog!

 

Just an FYI: The term "confined to a wheelchair" is something that should not be used. I'm not being PC here -- please don't start that argument all over again. :p

 

But think of it in a positive way -- a wheelchair can give a person with limited mobility the freedom to move on his/her own! DH has a powerchair and can go off and explore the ship, visit the dining room, play slots in the casino, etc. without anyone's assistance. It gives him freedom.

 

Even the Associated Press, in its style book, says to avoid the term.

Wheelchair user is sufficient.

[DesertDiva]

Sorry, I disagree. If I was overly concerned about "terminology" I'd never write a report after an evaluation. While I'm sensitive and try to conform to preferred terminology, if your power wheelchair is your "method of mobility," you are indeed "confined." Unfortunately, the "truth is the truth," no matter how it is stated. This is not to be disrespectful, but the "lingo" changes on a daily basis.

 

Recently, near where I live the School for the Visually Handicapped changed their name to the School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. While I will certainly conform with the new name, as far as I know no one is "attacking" anyone if they make a faux pas and revert to the previous title. So please don't tell me what is "proper and improper." As an adult with an Ed.S. degree working in the Special Education field, that is for me to decide.

 

I didn't begin this thread to have someone "pick apart" my post. I only wanted to post a picture of a dog in a lifejacket. End of discussion!

 

The term "confined to a wheelchair" is something that should not be used.

[Valentine's Mom]

:confused: I'm sorry but I can never understand how a nice thread about a cute servce dog in a life vest can turn so negative.

[ger_77]

DesertDiva, thanks for the picture - my first impression was "how cute", until I thought about it and reailzed it was definitely a necessity. It's nice that people are able to bring their service animals with them on cruise vacations.

 

As a young child I was bitten by a dog and nearly lost an eye, so ever since then I've made it a point to always ask the owner - whether it is a service dog, or a pet - if I can pet their pooch. Sometimes the answer is a no, and if that's the case, I know there's a reason for it and don't pursue it.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[Thunderbolt]

DesertDiva… thanks for you post since not only is it a cute dog wearing a life vest but it renews my faith of the good things in life and the special bond that humans have with dogs.:)

 

As for the petters of service dogs... just don’t it and stop your kids from doing it.:mad:

 

For the complainers of service dogs on ships… grow up and go find something worthy to complain about.:mad:

 

For those who would pick out what you said and correct you with politically correct nonsense… take the above advice…all of it please.:mad: