Dog on Constellation

[espmass]

Yup, but not as touchy as the poster was. Sorry for the double post by the way.

[FinelyCruising]

Its a mind expanding topic and one we are not used to navigating.

[micropooz]

Squidward: Everything you posted was true. We met Shannon early on the cruise. She was very generous in her sharing Sultana with any and everyone who approached her and her little Maltese. This woman is very intelligent, a great conversationalist and has a delightful sense of humor. Shannon is also a human being with a medical problem; yes, severe depression is a medical problem, not a reason to be rude or cruel to someone.

 

I have had problems with depression, anxiety and panic disorder since I was 10 yrs. old and now I'm 50 and feel lucky that after years of trial and error, a "cocktail" of antidepressants has finally been found and I am finally able to get out and do things, like take a cruise.

 

She celebrated her birthday, alone, in Oceanliners, with the staff she had befriended there. When we found out it was her birthday, we invited her as our guest for Sat. night at Oceanliners. She was exquisitely dressed, without the dog and wrote us a lovely thank you note the following day.

 

There was a moment when she became a bit emotional. Apparently, someone on the cruise that day, had approached her and made some very cruel remarks about her and the dog, a perfect stranger! And this was not the first time during the cruise, either!

 

Despite that, we had a lovely evening with Shannon, a lady who certainly has more class than the insulting dimwits who felt it was there right to be insulting and judgemental to someone they knew nothing about.

 

I'll grant you that the sight of the dog was very surprising and brought to mind many questions, but after meeting Shannon and Sultana, I will certainly think twice about judging someone in a similiar situation.

 

Of course, this is only my opinion.

[Arubalisa]

A service animal for someone with seizures can "sense" that a seizure is coming and warns the person through a signal unique to the dog and owner, that way a person with a seizure disorder can get to a place, like a bed or couch where they will be safe and not fall or hurt themselves. Any grand mal seizure that lasts long enough that the dog can't be taken care of will mean that the person is dead from lack of oxygen, they typically only last minutes.

A perfect example of a hidden disability where physical or mental impairments are not readily apparent to others.

 

Hidden disabilities that are not usually noticeable through casual observation can include learning disabilities, chronic illness, hearing or visual impairments, neurobiological and psychological disorders. With technology nowadays, there can be a person standing right in front of you who is a leg amputee wearing long slacks and a prostheses. Would you recognize it? I doubt I could.

[Sunnystone]

We were on the cruise that the crew created a "yard" for the service dog. The crew and all the passengers went way above and beyond to assure the comfort and safety for "all".

Seeing a person with a disability being able to enjoy a vacation with the use of a service animal is heartwarming to me and makes me remember how fortunate I truly am.

There will always be people who "exploit" the system, ie has anyone ever wondered how many of the handicapped parking stickers are being used by the intended user??? However, it should not be held against all persons who need the benefit. Our thought is to enjoy the trip and forget about the small stuff.........

By the way, the QM2 has a kennel aboard and it is very interesting to read about the stories of the pets who have travelled on board. Who knows, maybe there is a new trend in the making.............. ;)

[Parrot Mom]

As it has been mentioned "disabilities" come in many ways that cannot be observed by another guest...whether a cardiac problem, sight problem or a disability in walking..Our little eleven pound dog has just become a "therapy dog" and is able to go to nursing homes and assisted living facilities..among other places, but she will be wearing a special bandana and/or a vest In all honesty I;ve never heard of a "therapy dog" for depression....Yes it has been studied that patting/stroking a dog lowers your blood pressure and their devotion to you can brighten your life.To clear up any future misunderstandings the dog should have a special badge on a vest ... Arubalisa is right...I would have loved to have met the woman and her dog...Tomorow my Annie goes to visit two patients in a hospice and an assisted living facility...Im very proud of her..sitting on a patients bed and seeing the a beautiful smile that she brings to patients.. Her walking proudly down the hallways and approaching patients when asked and then being put on their laps..Therapy dogs ask nothing but to be loved by those who need it. If our Miss. Annie were on a cruise. she would have her puppy pads....

[Jim_Iain]

I work with and train service dogs. Many people on this thread have spoken of the many types of service dogs. The ADA (Americans With Disablity Act) created regulations which require buisnesses and the transportation industry to make "reasonable accomadation" to people who are disabled.

 

It is generally suggested that a service dog be trained and certified but certification is not mandatory. When training a service animal we teach them what they may or may not do while working. Elimination while working would not be acceptable. The service animal is taught marker words such as "Released", "Gotta Go" or whatever the owner feels comfortable with, to let the dog know that they are free to take care of business in a specific targeted area on command.

 

I have spoken with crew members on Celebrity who have shown me where they have brought fresh sod aboard to build a private area forward near the heliport. They have also on occasion created grass patches on balconies.

 

I know how much service dogs benifit those with disabilities. As much as I love the dogs I work with, I pray I never have to have one as my service dog.

[tuggers]

Thanks, Jim, for some knowledgable info.

 

BTW, do you know of any training facilities that use standard poodles as service dogs for people who have some degree on paralysis?

[Quendryth]

A perfect example of a hidden disability where physical or mental impairments are not readily apparent to others.

 

Hidden disabilities that are not usually noticeable through casual observation can include learning disabilities, chronic illness, hearing or visual impairments, neurobiological and psychological disorders. With technology nowadays, there can be a person standing right in front of you who is a leg amputee wearing long slacks and a prostheses. Would you recognize it? I doubt I could.

 

I have rheumatoid arthritis, one of those "hidden disabilities" & I can relate to all those people you have described. Just because you cannot see it, does not mean it is not there. I asked to join a group of CC on a Rome excursion & was turned down because I occasionally use a wheelchair after becoming fatigued. Thank goodness another group came to my defense & I joined Liz & her husband & others from this board. They helped me descend steps in the Sistine Chapel because I became frightened of so many of them & my DH trying to navigate me & the chair down all of them. Without the help of Rick & David, I would not have seen St. Peter's Basillica - what a terrible thing it would have been. I just want people to know that certain chronic illnesses CANNOT be seen but they are there nonetheless, & oftentimes very painful. So if this lady needed to bring her dog on board, it is much like me having to bring my wheelchair on board! Have a little compassion, folks. It could happen to you!

 

Faith :)

[espmass]

Micropooz- We also found Shannon fascinating. We asked the asst maitre de about her when we noticed she sat at a different table each night and appeared to be travling alone. We would have liked to meet her but she was never seated at our table and we did not cross paths. We did, however, hear her at karaoke and we noticed she always seemed to be surrounded by a group of people and seemed to be enjoying herself with or without her dog. I in no way meant any insult to her character by my original question of how she was able to take her dog onboard.

[rebeccalouise]

To me this whole thing sounds like a case of entitlement. This woman manages to sing Karoke without her dog and participate in onboard activities. She also manages to travel alone- without humans. It sounds like she is just a rich woman who likes to travel and can't leave her pet home. Got a note from her doctor- what do you expect her to say that she is healthy! Yes, I told my doctor that nothing helps cheer me but my Maltese. My mother'f friend flew with her "therapy" dog in first class on a recent trip to Europe. Guess what, the doctor signed her papers too and my mother's friend is perfectly healthy- just wanted to take her dog to her house in Italy for six months.

 

What urks me is that people with pets think they are welcome everywhere. This isn't the case. I dance competively and a woman had the audacity to bring a lap dog to a ballroom show. Perched her pet on the table- where it proceeded to bark while the dancers performed.

 

For all I know that was her "therapy" dog. Too bad! They don't belong everywhere.

 

I am sure the crew enjoyed the dog. I am sure I would have thought the dog was cute. I just don't like people thinking they are fooling people with these fake illnesses.

[DC2OC]

Maybe she needs the dog to sleep at night.Who knows?There are always people who will take advantage of a loophole.Cant say that was the case here.At the health club we attended before we relocated there was a young man we saw playing basketball intensly on several times but when he left his car was parked in a handicapped spot.Needless to say he most probably didn't need it................Frank

[rebeccalouise]

Fortunately the majority of people don't feel that they are better than others and that they can make their own rules. So this isn't going to be a big problem on ships. I am happy about that.:)

[Arubalisa]

Have a little compassion, folks. It could happen to you!

Faith :)

I have to say, if the woman suffered depression and jumped overboard committing suicide, would there be people here saying, good riddance, one less person that needs to be accommodated?

 

My daughter has a neurobiological disorder. When she was diagnosed my in-laws stated, "gee she does not look retarded". No she does not, she looks and acts what most would consider "normal" in most but not all public situations. She has a "hidden disability" and the point is she does need certain accommodations mostly for sensory issues, such as bright lights, flashing lights and certain noises as well as crowded public situations.

 

While on a cruise she does not need anything special except for a couple of activities in the kid's club (Celebrity was so accommodating it is not even an issue). At Disney World she did need special accommodations and they were cheerfully provided. Were there people ticked off at us because she could not stand in a cattle line waiting for an attraction and were held off to the side? I am sure there were. Should someone be turned away because they have a disability? It seems that some people sincerely believe so.

 

I sure hope you never suffer a disability. Our dd cannot help herself, she was born this way. There are no medicines, there are no cures, only learning how to cope the best she can. At the young age of 10 she has a long way to go in coping and learning to remove herself from certain situations which affect her publicly. I would pray that as adults you would all have a little more tolerance for other people's situations.

 

Please, until you walk in a disabled persons shoes, "People who live in glass houses should not throw stones." It may very well be you someday.

[amanda blake]

we have just returned from the connie....and yes this woman was the topic of conversation but not so much because of her dog....

 

she was always dressed to the nines...even in the most casual situations...with the hair coiffed and full makeup...suggestive clothing..she took part in every Karaoke opportunity ...she definitely stood out in the crowd...very attractive and seemingly wanting attention....

 

our waiter told us she was someone's "fringe benefit" maybe the captain's ...that is why she seemed by herself....and we accepted it as such....

 

the dog was just part of her show...and certainly not what you noticed first about her...

 

this is all gossip of course....lol....

[rebeccalouise]

Thank you for some clarification on that. Sounded fishy to me.

 

As for genuine illnesses- I am compassionate just not naive.

This was about this particular dog on this particular sailing- not a slap at people with genuine disabilities.

[engineering 101]

I fail to understand people who are so closed minded to others suffering. There but for the grace of God go any of us. Making a suffering persons life easier by allowing these dogs takes so little from us and adds so much to their enjoyment of life. Are you really so cold as to actually believe that you should be the arbiter of what another needs or have you just not thought this through?

 

It is difficult to sit in judgement on either side of the fence when most of us were not there to see first hand the complete situation.

 

That being said I will go on record as saying I have absolutely no compassion for those that manipulate the system to their advantage when they have no true disability. That does not make me cold when it comes to the blatant obvious and yes I have thought this through.

 

After carefully reading all of the shipboard accounts it is rather apparent this woman on the Constellation pulled the wool over everybodies eyes. Furthermore if the story is true about wiping up dog pee with a pool towel and then simply tossing it back on a chair then I think she deserves every bit of criticism that is being heaped upon her - disability or not there is still a right and wrong way to do things. I pity her if she ever does truly become disabled as after crying wolf for all these years who will ever believe her.

[Susan-M]

our waiter told us she was someone's "fringe benefit" maybe the captain's ...that is why she seemed by herself....and we accepted it as such....

 

 

Enjoyed your post :) I wonder if she works for Hydro One :D

[Drew B]

To me this whole thing sounds like a case of entitlement. This woman manages to sing Karoke without her dog and participate in onboard activities. She also manages to travel alone- without humans. It sounds like she is just a rich woman who likes to travel and can't leave her pet home. Got a note from her doctor- what do you expect her to say that she is healthy! Yes, I told my doctor that nothing helps cheer me but my Maltese. My mother'f friend flew with her "therapy" dog in first class on a recent trip to Europe. Guess what, the doctor signed her papers too and my mother's friend is perfectly healthy- just wanted to take her dog to her house in Italy for six months.

 

What urks me is that people with pets think they are welcome everywhere. This isn't the case. I dance competively and a woman had the audacity to bring a lap dog to a ballroom show. Perched her pet on the table- where it proceeded to bark while the dancers performed.

 

For all I know that was her "therapy" dog. Too bad! They don't belong everywhere.

 

I am sure the crew enjoyed the dog. I am sure I would have thought the dog was cute. I just don't like people thinking they are fooling people with these fake illnesses.

 

 

Just because somebody doesn't need "therapy" every minute of the day doesn't mean that they don't need it. A dialysis patient could go out to dinner or to a movie or something, and if you saw them, you might think they are fine, and they ARE as long as they get their dialysis at the times they need it. However, they could not go aboard a ship for two weeks without dialysis just because they can go two HOURS without it...

 

I have no idea whether this woman legitimately needed the dog or not. However, if she satisfied X's standards of proof, that's good enough for me, as I would PREFER to be on a cruise that had at least one dog aboard! Had I been there, I probably would have stalked this poor woman just to get a little bit of dog action!

[Sky Sweet]

I would like to mention another disability that is not obvious to other people and that is the first stage of Alzheimer's Disease. In fact, the early stage of Alzheimer's Disease is so insidious that my mother in law had it for a quite a while before it became obvious to her own children.

[woodofpine]

Some service animal claims get far fetched... BUT,

 

Celeb fans relish the "good, old, days" and back in the days of the liners, dogs were common; dog runs were standard equipment! So you want it! You got it!

 

It's my understanding that ships and cruise lines aren't required to be ADA compliant but I'm sure there's some finer or point or another to be argued on that so let'em on (says the line) if one is willing to wade through paper work (does Rover get a canine life jacket? [how cute]).

 

Can dog claim poolside loungers? Or can the pooch be removed? Thrown overboard? Is that chair dogging?

[bububr]

I have been on many cruises with assistance dogs. I have found the owners are like everybody else, from really cordial and friendly to down right ornery and grumpy. These animals are working, and they are not pets, and although many of us may admire or despise them as it sounds from a few of the posts, they are doing a job and are to be respected and admired for thier dedication, loyalty, and service.

 

Ships do provide a place for these animals to due their business, however being in an unfamiliar place an accident is bound to happen once in a while until they are trained to go in the right place...

 

In all my years of cruising I know that the decks are washed daily and a little pee from a little dog is really not a big deal. There are a heck of a lot more unsanitary things going on like passengers vomiting from partying too much, people NOT washing hands after using the facilities, Many men that just can't aim straight, or don't flush, babies in diapers in hot tubs, people NOT covering their mouths when they sneeze or cough, and of course the unkowingly person that brings NORO on board.

 

Its highly unusual that they would just allow a friend of a ceo or something to bring aboard a personal pet, but if they did make an exception, Which is in their right, its really no ones business to why the animal was on board, unless the dog became a problem and barked consistantly, or was agressive toward another passenger.

 

Personally I would welcome the occasion of a few well behaved personal pets to the occasional disruptions of screaming babies and misbehaving toddlers. ( notice I said occasional, and not all kids ).

 

Dave:eek:

[Susan-M]

 

Can dog claim poolside loungers?

Yes

Or can the pooch be removed?

No - you can't remove the pooch, only his personal effects if he leaves them while he is swimming or at lunch. :)

[Parrot Mom]

BUBUBR--In more than 20 cruises I have never seen a dog on board...but would rather have a dog onboard than the unruly brats I've seen on cruise ships where the parents let them loose...tossing things overboard, using the elevators for games, hogging hot tubs meant for adults.. and oh yes.. parents that put babies in diapers in adult pools, screaming babies in the dining room who are overtired, running around the table and out of their element. ... As a dog lover I too would love to bring my little dog with me and I do miss her when we are on an extended vacation, but I just can't see lugging her around and exposing her to diseases on isands where dogs are not innoculated for rabies, etc.

[slotaddict]

I would like to mention another disability that is not obvious to other people and that is the first stage of Alzheimer's Disease. In fact, the early stage of Alzheimer's Disease is so insidious that my mother in law had it for a quite a while before it became obvious to her own children.

 

But did you get her a dog???

 

 

(I am not making fun of your MIL, my own mother suffers with advanced dementia.)