Cruising With A Service Dog....everything You Ever Wanted To Know!

[wizard-of-roz]

yep i was right. I knew it!!!!

 

Omg i can just picture cooler causing trouble!! Gotta admit though, it was probably fun watching him.

 

Roz we all know who the cutest elf is ;)

 

morey?????

Edited December 10, 2010 by wizard-of-roz

[wizard-of-roz]

So true....Not a person looked upset, mostly everyone but me was laughing. I was just trying to keep the girl in the middle of the hall so she could not take down anymore decor.... Then word around the OR was spread. Cooler is in the HOUSE...suddenly I have doctors coming out of the wood works to see the girl. Of course she is grabbing at stethescopes, tugging away at surgical masks, and managed to get one scrub hat off.....trying not to laugh, somewhat embarrased, but whatever... since this is a children's hospital I get a bit of slack on puppy misbehaviour.....

 

Love it!!!!

[Quampapetet]

We did hit some rough water. Funny but we have been in 50 foot seas and Valentine has never gotten sea sick but she did this time. Barf bags had been placed all around the ship. I did decide to get off in Cayman and boy did it rain. I had to go back and give Valentine and David a bath. You know how all that wet hair smells. yuk. I did get a formal picture of Valentine but I don't know if I can get it on but I'll try. If not I'll get David to do it tomorowl. More later

 

Oh, poor Valentine! :( I get motion sick, so I know how she felt! (That's why I HAVE to take Bonine every day on my cruises - and it still doesn't help all the sicky feelings, but at least I don't get so nauseated I need to throw up - and why I can't do anything for the week after my cruise, as I'm just a dizzy mess then.)

 

For your next cruise, bring MotionEase with you. It is a topical herbal mixture that you put behind your ears and you can use it on dogs, too. It has a very strong herbal smell to it, but it is better than getting sick! You can use it after you feel sick, too, unlike Bonine, which doesn't help much once you're already sick.

 

I'm not sure if ginger works on dogs the same way it does on humans, but maybe bring some ginger dog treats (make sure they are natural with real ginger in them, not just some flavored stuff that doesn't have any ginger in it). This is a good time of year to buy them (Christmastime) if you have a cruise anytime soon (they will expire at some point, of course - check the package for the date), but you could make your own if you can't find any in stores just before your cruise.

 

Also, I recommend rinseless shampoo for dogs. I don't know if it would save you from "wet dog smell", since I don't get that with my breed, but I would think it would, since it only dampens the coat. This stuff is especially great for those of us who travel with service dogs so we don't have to find a place to bathe our dogs when we're far from home. Also, those faux chamois towels are awesome 'cause they really do soak up so much water and then you wring them out and re-use them right away to soak up even more.

[rangeley]

I'm sure Morey is an adorable elf!

[S.S. Cruisers]

Mornin' all:

Quam: Where do you get your rinseless shampoo from? I looked for it for my Reno, but couldn't find it. Jezzy Lou could really use it right now. Too cold to bath her, she doesn't like the hairdryer!

 

Ms. Jezzy Lou got her pink muzzle yesterday. She was able to try it out on the relatives she bit. She was all over them with tail wagging and got hugs and scratches from them. No growling or snapping at all. This may be the ticket. I hope so. She is so so lovable to us. Its hard to imagine what a little turd she can be.

 

Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday. It is calling for snow for us. We shall see...........

[rangeley]

Poor Jezzy Lou! Maybe she will realize if she behaves she won't have to waer a muzzle.

 

Don't you have enough snow there already??

 

Cindy

[S.S. Cruisers]

Cindy: No, last snow melted pretty quickly. Just little patches here and there. Trav says he wants snow for Christmas. Thats ok, as long as I don't have to drive in it, too much!

 

Jezzy Lou did so well, I just wonder if that will last after the muzzle is off. They are both gun shy with her. Can't blame them, but don't know if she senses it. We will go slow with her.

[wizard-of-roz]

Oh, poor Valentine! :( I get motion sick, so I know how she felt! (That's why I HAVE to take Bonine every day on my cruises - and it still doesn't help all the sicky feelings, but at least I don't get so nauseated I need to throw up - and why I can't do anything for the week after my cruise, as I'm just a dizzy mess then.)

 

For your next cruise, bring MotionEase with you. It is a topical herbal mixture that you put behind your ears and you can use it on dogs, too. It has a very strong herbal smell to it, but it is better than getting sick! You can use it after you feel sick, too, unlike Bonine, which doesn't help much once you're already sick.

 

I'm not sure if ginger works on dogs the same way it does on humans, but maybe bring some ginger dog treats (make sure they are natural with real ginger in them, not just some flavored stuff that doesn't have any ginger in it). This is a good time of year to buy them (Christmastime) if you have a cruise anytime soon (they will expire at some point, of course - check the package for the date), but you could make your own if you can't find any in stores just before your cruise.

 

Also, I recommend rinseless shampoo for dogs. I don't know if it would save you from "wet dog smell", since I don't get that with my breed, but I would think it would, since it only dampens the coat. This stuff is especially great for those of us who travel with service dogs so we don't have to find a place to bathe our dogs when we're far from home. Also, those faux chamois towels are awesome 'cause they really do soak up so much water and then you wring them out and re-use them right away to soak up even more.

 

 

Some really good suggestions, Quam. Thank you!

Quam, you may think this is a very silly question........and, forgive me if I've asked and it's been answered already. Are you a guy or a gal? :confused:

I told you it was silly!!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

I'm sure Morey is an adorable elf!

 

Sometimes, I'd like to put this elf on the shelf!!!!! ;)

[wizard-of-roz]

Mornin' all:

Quam: Where do you get your rinseless shampoo from? I looked for it for my Reno, but couldn't find it. Jezzy Lou could really use it right now. Too cold to bath her, she doesn't like the hairdryer!

 

Ms. Jezzy Lou got her pink muzzle yesterday. She was able to try it out on the relatives she bit. She was all over them with tail wagging and got hugs and scratches from them. No growling or snapping at all. This may be the ticket. I hope so. She is so so lovable to us. Its hard to imagine what a little turd she can be.

 

Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday. It is calling for snow for us. We shall see...........

 

I buy it from Entirleypets.com. Maybe Quam has another source.

I hope that Jezzy finds the muzzle helpful. I have to really hold myself back from biting certain people.......I can relate!!!!! :(

[dobiemom]

I'm not quite sure what a "Thermal Suite" is (I am definitely NOT a spa type of person!!), but if it is like a sauna, I'm surprised they allowed the dog in there. I know Carnival doesn't allow it, as I got a document from them about service dogs on cruises and it said dogs aren't allowed in the sauna and one other similar place in the spa (perhaps the Thermal Suite?). Also, in a sauna a dog could easily overheat, so they don't belong in there anyhow for their own safety/health reasons.

Thermal suites on HAL ships (at least on the Oosterdam) are a large room that is at room temperature. There are 2 showers, and 2 or 3 saunas. The nicest thing is there are 4 or 5 heated loungers that look out the floor to ceiling windows. It's very peaceful and relaxing. Three times I was in there and 3 times I fell asleep! :) The hydrotherapy pool area, however, is a bit warm and I did not see the dog in there. But it was very nice, too!

http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/Activities.action

[Quampapetet]

Mornin' all:

Quam: Where do you get your rinseless shampoo from? I looked for it for my Reno, but couldn't find it. Jezzy Lou could really use it right now. Too cold to bath her, she doesn't like the hairdryer!

 

I order it from www.ChrisSystems.com which is the site of Chris Christensen dog grooming products (I use his shampoos, conditioners, grooming spray, silver spray [for healing wounds and such], ear cleaner [terrific non-greasy/non-oily stuff that foams up so you don't even need to use much], hair gel, and brushes [they have ground tips so don't harm the dog's skin like other brushes do], too). They are show-dog quality products.

 

He has three rinseless shampoo products and I have used two of them (one is a new product and made for coarse and rough coats, which my dog doesn't have). I've used "Show Off", a liquid spray, and currently have "OC Magic Foam". They are both good. My bottle of "Show Off" broke thanks to the airport luggage handlers' rough treatment of my dog's bag :rolleyes: (and boy was that fun to clean up while on vacation, especially since the stuff somehow managed to even leak into a couple of the Ziploc bags of food, so I had to throw those away and get some meat from the grocery store to feed my dog those nights). When I went to buy it again, I decided to try "OC Magic Foam" for two reasons: The travel pack had a tiny bottle of it so I wouldn't have to bring a huge bottle with me again (no fear of it breaking again) and, since I love that his ear cleaner foams up, I loved that this rinseless shampoo foamed up (it actually comes out of the bottle as a foam, not foams up when you rub it like the ear cleaner does). They both work well, though, and I'm sure the new "Dry Breeze" also works well if your dog has that kind of a coat.

 

Now that I looked on his site to remember the product names to give you, I see several new products I'm going to have to look at! :p

 

If you're wondering which products from there I use, I have two different sets of shampoo and conditioner depending on who is doing it, where, and how quickly it needs to be done. The "Day to Day" shampoo and "Day to Day" conditioner I use for quick baths at home as well as I bring it to the groomer's. If I'm going to do a good ol' bath over at the self-service dog grooming place, I use "White on White", "Black on Black", and "After Bath" (a.k.a. "After U Bathe") - those are the color-enhancing shampoos for white hair and for black hair and the conditioner you use after using them. "Ice on Ice" is the grooming spray. "Thick'n'Thicker" is the gel (also comes as a foaming protein and a mousse). "Peace and Kindness" is the silver spray for healing boo-boos. "Mystic Ear" is the ear cleaner. I have several different kinds of brushes from his line, too.

[Quampapetet]

Some really good suggestions, Quam. Thank you!

 

Quam, you may think this is a very silly question........and, forgive me if I've asked and it's been answered already. Are you a guy or a gal? :confused:

 

I told you it was silly!!!!

 

I'm a gal. :) I think almost all of us who regularly post to this thread are. The only one I can think of who isn't is DisneyKidsDad (assuming that is a male based on the screen name).

[Quampapetet]

I hope that Jezzy finds the muzzle helpful. I have to really hold myself back from biting certain people.......I can relate!!!!! :(

 

LOL!! Uh-oh, it might be Roz who needs a muzzle, not her dog!!! :p When ppl ask her if Brenda bites, maybe she replies, "No, but I do!" :p

 

Your statement reminded me of how my friend/group leader always shakes her head at all the vet stuff some of these islands require for my dog and says, "I wish they required that much for some of the ppl who go on these cruises!" :D (On both her group cruises this year she had a couple of not-so-nice ppl in her group. Maybe they were rabid! Hahaha.)

[Quampapetet]

Thermal suites on HAL ships (at least on the Oosterdam) are a large room that is at room temperature. There are 2 showers, and 2 or 3 saunas. The nicest thing is there are 4 or 5 heated loungers that look out the floor to ceiling windows. It's very peaceful and relaxing. Three times I was in there and 3 times I fell asleep! :) The hydrotherapy pool area, however, is a bit warm and I did not see the dog in there. But it was very nice, too!

http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/Activities.action

 

Ah, sounds nice! :cool: Funny that you fell asleep all three times - guess you just relaxed sooo much! The heated loungers with the great view do sound quite lovely.

[Quampapetet]

Hey, Rangeley. Are you the one whose January cruise goes to some of the same islands mine does (including Barbados, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts)? I can't recall who it was and I'm too lazy right now to search the thread to look back to see who I was talking to about the requirements, LOL. ;)

 

If so, I know you said you didn't do the rabies titers (I believe you didn't book early enough to do the six-month wait for St. Lucia and you just aren't going to do the two St. Kitts requires [or maybe you're not going to that island?]), but I think you are going to still try to see if they'll let you off at those ports? If so, are you going to apply for the import permits or are you going to not try for them since you didn't do the titers? I'm wondering because I'm trying to figure out when I should apply for them to give those non-responding countries enough time (perhaps) to fax the permits back to me. I have a two-and-a-half week timeframe when I'll be able to get the health certificate and bring it to the USDA for endorsement and I leave for Puerto Rico (debarkation port) three days before the debarkation day, so I'm trying to figure things out (although the USDA app't can't be made 'til two weeks beforehand 'cause they are strange over there, LOL).

 

Also, just a reminder for you to come back on this thread right after your cruise and let me know if any of the islands let you get off the ship there, as that could help in my planning. :) Thanks!

[S.S. Cruisers]

Mornin' all:

Thanks, Roz and Quam for the info. Holy cow, Quam, I may start using those products for me! Some of them sound devine. Jezzy Lou is getting a little raggedy. I need to try and find a brush I can use on her. She has course hair, but it isn't real stiff. I think I have mentioned before, she will be fine and then matt up over night. I really hate to get her haircut this time of year. The cold and all being new to us. She is already cold. She has a snuggie and a sweater, neither of which she is fond of wearing. She would rather cuddle up in a blanket or one of our snug sacks.........Furbabies, whats a mom to do?

 

Hope everyone has a beautiful day.

[Quampapetet]

Mornin' all:

Thanks, Roz and Quam for the info. Holy cow, Quam, I may start using those products for me! Some of them sound devine. Jezzy Lou is getting a little raggedy. I need to try and find a brush I can use on her. She has course hair, but it isn't real stiff. I think I have mentioned before, she will be fine and then matt up over night. I really hate to get her haircut this time of year. The cold and all being new to us. She is already cold. She has a snuggie and a sweater, neither of which she is fond of wearing. She would rather cuddle up in a blanket or one of our snug sacks.........Furbabies, whats a mom to do?

 

Hope everyone has a beautiful day.

 

LOL! Well, I can't say I've ever tried any of the products on myself, though I've thought before of trying the rinseless shampoo on days I didn't have the energy to shower. ;)

 

You should definitely check out the brushes on that site, as they have ones specifically for coarse and wirey types of coats. They're not as low-cost as the brushes you'll find in Petco/Petsmart, but they last a long time and the quality is excellent. I use a pin brush, a slicker brush, and two types of bristle brushes from Chris Christensen. (The reason I don't use one of his combs is 'cause I prefer the kind of comb teeth that rotate. If he had a comb with rotating teeth, I'd definitely get it.)

[rangeley]

Hey, Rangeley. Are you the one whose January cruise goes to some of the same islands mine does (including Barbados, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts)? I can't recall who it was and I'm too lazy right now to search the thread to look back to see who I was talking to about the requirements, LOL. ;)

 

If so, I know you said you didn't do the rabies titers (I believe you didn't book early enough to do the six-month wait for St. Lucia and you just aren't going to do the two St. Kitts requires [or maybe you're not going to that island?]), but I think you are going to still try to see if they'll let you off at those ports? If so, are you going to apply for the import permits or are you going to not try for them since you didn't do the titers? I'm wondering because I'm trying to figure out when I should apply for them to give those non-responding countries enough time (perhaps) to fax the permits back to me. I have a two-and-a-half week timeframe when I'll be able to get the health certificate and bring it to the USDA for endorsement and I leave for Puerto Rico (debarkation port) three days before the debarkation day, so I'm trying to figure things out (although the USDA app't can't be made 'til two weeks beforehand 'cause they are strange over there, LOL).

 

Also, just a reminder for you to come back on this thread right after your cruise and let me know if any of the islands let you get off the ship there, as that could help in my planning. :) Thanks!

 

 

Quam, We are going in January and we only booked 4 months out so we did not do the rabies titer. I found this help page in the Jet Blue site and I noticed in the past few months some of the requirements have changed. Barbados where you could not bring your dog seems to be different as well as St. Maarten which had no info, now says all you need is health cert and rabies. We are happy cuz we want to get off there. This week I will call the numbers given and check out St. Lucia and Barbados. We are not going to St. Kitts. Here is the link , it doesn't have every island but it does have a few. http://help.jetblue.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/webisapi.dll?New,Kb=askBlue,case=obj(391949)#s15 Hope this helps alittle.

 

Cindy

[rangeley]

I always knew Roz was a biter :eek:

[rangeley]

Cindy: No, last snow melted pretty quickly. Just little patches here and there. Trav says he wants snow for Christmas. Thats ok, as long as I don't have to drive in it, too much!

 

Jezzy Lou did so well, I just wonder if that will last after the muzzle is off. They are both gun shy with her. Can't blame them, but don't know if she senses it. We will go slow with her.

 

 

I thought there was tons of snow there. Every night on the news they show the country and Colorado seems to be getting storms. Maybe they are north of you.

[rangeley]

Roz, I almost forgot about this, but when you were gone there was a thread started on the HAL board about dogs on cruise ships. I guess there was some small dog on one of the ships. The owner let the dog eat and drink off the MDR table. He also supposedly let the dog jump in the pool several times, which had to be drained and cleaned each time the dog went in for health reasons. He also left the dog on the balcony alone!!:eek: And it crawled under the divider and onto other peoples balconies. I just can't imagine how stupid a person could be letting a dog on a cruise ship balcony alone!!!!! Anyways, this woman "Pam in CA" wrote and said she knew this woman on the boards who had a black lab service dog named Brenda. She also stated that Brenda was a 9/11 rescue dog who retired from that and is now a service dog with this person ib CA. Do you know this woman? Brenny wasn't a rescue 9/11 dog was she??? I had just assumed it was you cuz how many service dogs from CA named Brenda are there? Maybe you can clear it up for me.

 

Cindy

[S.S. Cruisers]

Cindy: As silly as it sounds, we are N/E of Denver. I guess the mountains (Rocky Mountains?) that are N/W of Denver is where all the snow is. We are fortunate. Trav and Jezzy Lou just came in from playing out back. Its 37F they lasted about 20 minutes. But got some energy expent..........

[wizard-of-roz]

Roz, I almost forgot about this, but when you were gone there was a thread started on the HAL board about dogs on cruise ships. I guess there was some small dog on one of the ships. The owner let the dog eat and drink off the MDR table. He also supposedly let the dog jump in the pool several times, which had to be drained and cleaned each time the dog went in for health reasons. He also left the dog on the balcony alone!!:eek: And it crawled under the divider and onto other peoples balconies. I just can't imagine how stupid a person could be letting a dog on a cruise ship balcony alone!!!!! Anyways, this woman "Pam in CA" wrote and said she knew this woman on the boards who had a black lab service dog named Brenda. She also stated that Brenda was a 9/11 rescue dog who retired from that and is now a service dog with this person ib CA. Do you know this woman? Brenny wasn't a rescue 9/11 dog was she??? I had just assumed it was you cuz how many service dogs from CA named Brenda are there? Maybe you can clear it up for me.

 

Cindy

 

I heard about this dog, as well. Prior to our boarding the Sapphire a woman had a Chihuahua, that she kept on her lap and held or strolled around in a stroller. The Hotel Mgr. said no one observed the dog performing any "tasks" but the woman had paperwork stipulating that the dog picked things-up for her and was not her "Therapy Dog!" She said this dog did not behave badly and the woman did not feed it in the DR - "Yuck!"

On another note; We went to the CCI Open House in Westwood, CA., yesterday [they opened a satillite, very small office] in L.A. for CCI visibility. One of the folks from Oceanside spotted me and said she's been meaning to call me. She said that Brenda was one of very few 10.5 year old dogs still actively working here on the west coast. She wanted to place me on the "waiting list" for a successor dog. She wants Brenda to retire being in good health. And, she wants me to "want" the same........

.........."NOT!" Don't misunderstand me. I do want Brenny to be very well and happy when she retires and stays at home with PaPa and, to do absolutely whatever she wants. I'm just not ready to give in to it, yet.

You should have seen me........the tears just started coming down my cheeks, landing on my silk blouse......I'm a strong/smart/assertive/working woman. It takes a lot to bring me to weepy/tears. Brenda and the likes of Brenda turn me to "mush!"

Anyway, she suggested that I go on the "wait list" which is now 2 YEARS LONG. That's what it was when we were first waiting for Brenny and, I waited the full 2 years. She said to start the "process" now......so the wait wouldn't be so long. (I'm sure that successor folks get "bumped-up" the list but we didn't talk about that.) I could hardly speak of the fact of Brenny not being with me EVERY DAY!

This is an issue that I MUST face and believe me, I ruminate over it DAILY!!!!! I will be getting the paperwork any day now........she's going to call the main office in Santa Rosa and the "wheel turning" will begin.

[rangeley]

Rangeley was 12 and still going to school everyday. John never felt he was ready to retire even then. I don't think there should be a certain age when they retire. You and Brenny will know when it's time, not some woman who doesn't even know you. JMO

 

Cindy