Rare RJChatsworth Posted Monday at 05:44 PM #26 Share Posted Monday at 05:44 PM I am told, so could be totally untrue, that in the US a ‘comfort’ dog certificate to confirm you need the dog can be purchased off the internet whereas in the UK only a vet can authorise such a certificate. I am sure someone will put me right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RJChatsworth Posted Monday at 05:50 PM #27 Share Posted Monday at 05:50 PM Sorry, I didn’t mean vet but doctor/GP!!!! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 3rdGenCunarder Posted Monday at 06:00 PM #28 Share Posted Monday at 06:00 PM 7 minutes ago, RJChatsworth said: I am told, so could be totally untrue, that in the US a ‘comfort’ dog certificate to confirm you need the dog can be purchased off the internet whereas in the UK only a vet can authorise such a certificate. I am sure someone will put me right! Some people get certificates from dog trainers after they and the dog complete training, but it's sort of a diploma, not a legal document. In the US, those certificates have no legal standing and cannot be required. And yes, you can go online and buy certificates, vests, etc to "prove" your dog is a trained service or comfort dog. The people who do that should be ashamed of themselves. Although none of the dogs or cats I have owned was a service animal, I always considered my pet to be a comfort in my life. But just because I loved a pet didn't mean I should take it with me everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare D&N Posted Monday at 06:40 PM #29 Share Posted Monday at 06:40 PM 49 minutes ago, RJChatsworth said: Sorry, I didn’t mean vet but doctor/GP!!!! I know which I'd prefer to treat me if I still lived in UK. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RK-NC Posted Monday at 06:45 PM Author #30 Share Posted Monday at 06:45 PM It is my opinion that a true working service dog would not need to be carried by the human it is working and serving. We spoke with the Administrative Manager of QM2 today and were told that it was our responsibility to avoid the dog. We have decided to stay in our stateroom as much as possible for the rest of the voyage. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winifred 22 Posted Monday at 07:12 PM #31 Share Posted Monday at 07:12 PM 21 minutes ago, RK-NC said: It is my opinion that a true working service dog would not need to be carried by the human it is working and serving. We spoke with the Administrative Manager of QM2 today and were told that it was our responsibility to avoid the dog. We have decided to stay in our stateroom as much as possible for the rest of the voyage. I too have never heard of of seen true working dogs needed to be carried. Doesn’t seem a satisfactory response at all. They must have got on in Southampton as I didn’t notice them last week myself. There was a working dog onboard QA in the summer and there used to be a note in the Daily Programme every day reminding people not to distract him. Saw them a couple of times round the ship and he always had a jacket on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 3rdGenCunarder Posted Monday at 07:37 PM #32 Share Posted Monday at 07:37 PM 49 minutes ago, RK-NC said: It is my opinion that a true working service dog would not need to be carried by the human it is working and serving. We spoke with the Administrative Manager of QM2 today and were told that it was our responsibility to avoid the dog. We have decided to stay in our stateroom as much as possible for the rest of the voyage. Unless you have severe allergies, I think that is an overreaction. Unless the owner is constantly wandering around the ship, he/she and the dog will likely settle somewhere. If you enter an area and see the dog, just go somewhere else. I know it's annoying to have to limit use of some spaces, but it's better than shutting yourself up in one room the whole time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planning to cruise Posted Monday at 07:54 PM #33 Share Posted Monday at 07:54 PM 46 minutes ago, RK-NC said: We have decided to stay in our stateroom as much as possible for the rest of the voyage. I am so sorry RK-NC to read this. In the circumstances I can understand your reaction. I too am wary of dogs. No passenger should be disadvantaged like this because of the behaviour of another passenger whatever that is. You have paid for the cruise. There seem to be several factors at issue. 1. The dog is on board in the first place. 2. It is taken into the theatre, a public place where it may be difficult for others to avoid it. 3. In this instance there was disturbance to and reduction of enjoyment by others because of the jingling. (Was the noise part of the comfort zone or an affectation?) Although you have seen a manager I would take this even further up the food chain to senior management such as the Hotel Manager. A letter to the Captain marked Personal will ensure the issue is appropriately delegated with an acknowledment reply from his secretary. I do hope this gets resolved for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Germancruiser Posted Tuesday at 12:47 AM #34 Share Posted Tuesday at 12:47 AM Well I suppose the passenger I once met-- not on board a Cunarder- did it the safe way- carried his teddybear - every evening differently dressed - all the time around - at the bar teddybear was put on an extra stool and got his own drink. I do NOT make that up. People stopped and wanted to get their picture taken with teddybear and owner- also chatted with the guy - which I found quite kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S1971 Posted Tuesday at 05:15 AM #35 Share Posted Tuesday at 05:15 AM 9 hours ago, RK-NC said: It is my opinion that a true working service dog would not need to be carried by the human it is working and serving. We spoke with the Administrative Manager of QM2 today and were told that it was our responsibility to avoid the dog. We have decided to stay in our stateroom as much as possible for the rest of the voyage. I'm of the same opinion, "working service dogs" are just that, they should be working not being carried around. I admit, I've only seen guide dogs on a ship a couple of times and it's wonderful to see the freedom it gave their owners and I have no problem with that at all, similarly illness detection dogs, although I've not encountered them it fascinates me how they can detect an oncoming epileptic seizure and the like, these dogs are professionally certified and have trained so again no problem. I do have a problem with so called "comfort dogs" for example alleged anxiety issues etc, if as I suspect it's boarded with some kind of online certificate it should be challenged by the cruiseline, not just accepted for fear of bad publicity, which is what they are doing. At the very least it should not be allowed to impact on other guests enjoyment, which it obviously has. Given the response you've had onboard, I'd also be dissapointed but do not confine yourselves to the cabin, just avoid the dog and make a serious complaint once you are home 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Megabear2 Posted Tuesday at 07:22 AM #36 Share Posted Tuesday at 07:22 AM Dogs trained to assist with autism and hearing often wear "jingles" and can be small breeds. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S1971 Posted Tuesday at 08:07 AM #37 Share Posted Tuesday at 08:07 AM 31 minutes ago, Megabear2 said: Dogs trained to assist with autism and hearing often wear "jingles" and can be small breeds. The problem being that the noise from those "jingles" is directly impacting on other peoples enjoyment. That being the case, the dog owner should take into consideration that the noise is intrusive to others and go somewhere more suitable or alternatively the cruiseline should be telling them that. My apologies if I sound harsh, but there has to be tighter restrictions to bringing "working animals" on board ships, such as no entry to restaurants, theatres, pools, sitting on furnishings etc. If that can't be adhered too, harsh as it sounds, owners shouldn't book cruises knowing the limited available space onboard for their animals. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindylooellalouise Posted Tuesday at 08:16 AM #38 Share Posted Tuesday at 08:16 AM 13 hours ago, RK-NC said: It is my opinion that a true working service dog would not need to be carried by the human it is working and serving. We spoke with the Administrative Manager of QM2 today and were told that it was our responsibility to avoid the dog. We have decided to stay in our stateroom as much as possible for the rest of the voyage. Oh I’m so sorry to read this how awful for you, we’re sailing on QM2 next year and have read that some dogs have been staying in the cabins with the owners, for me that will cause great problems if the cabins are not fully fumigated as I have a very bad allergy to any kind of animal fur or hair, not sure if I should contact Cunard regarding this to check if our cabins have been used to accommodate animals. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindylooellalouise Posted Tuesday at 08:19 AM #39 Share Posted Tuesday at 08:19 AM 17 hours ago, RJChatsworth said: When a dog stays in a cabin, who pays for fumigation, not the owners, but they should? There was a long thread on here a year or two ago which I started about a large husky ‘comfort’ dog in the QG cabin on QM-2 next to our QG cabin on a transatlantic crossing. The owners only once eat in the QG. All their food was delivered, even the dog’s as it was partial to salmon. The dog had to be restrained in the corridor as it was too large to pass comfily when it was on its daily walk. When the youngish couple and dog disembarked it took two hours to clean the cabin properly. I felt sorry for the new occupants. This dog business is getting out of hand, in my opinion. This was not the first case we had come across. Previously the small dog had been taken into the QG restaurant at meal times. Hi we’re staying in 9009 and 9013 early next year are you able to tell me which cabin the dog was housed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S1971 Posted Tuesday at 08:27 AM #40 Share Posted Tuesday at 08:27 AM 2 minutes ago, lindylooellalouise said: Hi we’re staying in 9009 and 9013 early next year are you able to tell me which cabin the dog was housed. I wouldn't overly worry at the moment as I suspect this is not commonplace, but it does seem to be increasing. What would be interesting to know is whether there are certain cabins that are only allocated for animals and if not why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindylooellalouise Posted Tuesday at 08:29 AM #41 Share Posted Tuesday at 08:29 AM 1 minute ago, S1971 said: I wouldn't overly worry at the moment as I suspect this is not commonplace, but it does seem to be increasing. What would be interesting to know is whether there are certain cabins that are only allocated for animals and if not why not? Yes maybe that’s the question for me to ask Cunard. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S1971 Posted Tuesday at 08:31 AM #42 Share Posted Tuesday at 08:31 AM It would also be interesting to know how all this fits in with the Evac chair allocation, how do they deal with working animals for those with them in the event if an emergency? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted Tuesday at 08:37 AM #43 Share Posted Tuesday at 08:37 AM 1 hour ago, Megabear2 said: Dogs trained to assist with autism and hearing often wear "jingles" and can be small breeds. That is strange. When we had some training on dealing with pupils with (mild) autism, one of the things we were told that upset them was persistent rustling and jingly noises. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace2542 Posted Tuesday at 08:47 AM #44 Share Posted Tuesday at 08:47 AM On 9/16/2024 at 9:30 AM, majortom10 said: White Star Service is a laughable publicity comment that does not really happen. Not any more and no in the afternoon tea where they no longer wear white gloves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clewgarnet Posted Tuesday at 09:00 AM #45 Share Posted Tuesday at 09:00 AM 3 hours ago, S1971 said: I'm of the same opinion, "working service dogs" are just that, they should be working not being carried around. Diabetic, seizure and other medical alert dogs can work while being carried around. If they're small enough to be a trip hazard in a crowded environment, I can definitely see the logic in picking them up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poole Boy Posted Tuesday at 09:01 AM #46 Share Posted Tuesday at 09:01 AM 3 hours ago, S1971 said: I'm of the same opinion, "working service dogs" are just that, they should be working not being carried around. I admit, I've only seen guide dogs on a ship a couple of times and it's wonderful to see the freedom it gave their owners and I have no problem with that at all, similarly illness detection dogs, although I've not encountered them it fascinates me how they can detect an oncoming epileptic seizure and the like, these dogs are professionally certified and have trained so again no problem. I do have a problem with so called "comfort dogs" for example alleged anxiety issues etc, if as I suspect it's boarded with some kind of online certificate it should be challenged by the cruiseline, not just accepted for fear of bad publicity, which is what they are doing. At the very least it should not be allowed to impact on other guests enjoyment, which it obviously has. Given the response you've had onboard, I'd also be dissapointed but do not confine yourselves to the cabin, just avoid the dog and make a serious complaint once you are home Unfortunately, if some one presents a "certificate" for the animal it has to be accepted at face value, it is not for the cruise line or anyone else to question its validity, that is the job of the issueing authority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted Tuesday at 09:04 AM #47 Share Posted Tuesday at 09:04 AM 16 minutes ago, ace2542 said: Not any more and no in the afternoon tea where they no longer wear white gloves. There are several recent photos of tea being served in gloves, for instance on the Alaska thread, so may be that was an aberration. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace2542 Posted Tuesday at 09:06 AM #48 Share Posted Tuesday at 09:06 AM Just a question. But from a legal standpoint in terms of compensation claim what would happen if a service dog bit another passenger? Just asking a question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exlondoner Posted Tuesday at 09:06 AM #49 Share Posted Tuesday at 09:06 AM 2 minutes ago, Poole Boy said: Unfortunately, if some one presents a "certificate" for the animal it has to be accepted at face value, it is not for the cruise line or anyone else to question its validity, that is the job of the issueing authority. That is not quite true. For instance, cruise lines are expected to assess the validity of your passports and visas on check in, even though they are not part of the border force. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Megabear2 Posted Tuesday at 09:14 AM #50 Share Posted Tuesday at 09:14 AM There was some discussion earlier this year about a "yappy" dog onboard walking the decks and I recall HH posted a link to Cunard's terms. I couldn't find that link but here are the current terms from the UK website. It does seem to require quite stringent proof of the dog. https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/accessibility/assistance-dogs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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