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

[wizard-of-roz]

MCDW: What a fabulous trip....have fun! You're such a good planner....I'd love to cruise with you! I think I've shared with you guys, Brenda's fear of the Vet! Oz is a pro and could teach her how to behave!

Quam: Our November cruise is the weekend after Thanksgiving but I'm sure the ship will still be in the mode. And, turkey with all the stuff that goes with it will be on the fare! Your February cruise will be so much fun for you. I know your truly looking forward to it!

Brenda is the only dog in her class that would not wear the "gentle leader" during training...she literally pulled it off herself! So, anything that goes around her nose/facd or on her head becomes a challenge to her and off it goes! Hats/bows/clips are totally out of the question so, we go for the "neckware!" And, you're so right, being "classy" does not have to mean "silly!"

We'll be in Hawaii, on a cruise, during Halloween, next year and dressing her up will take on a whole new meaning....we'll see! I'm thinking of the court jester with just something colorful around her neck! If it has bells on it and makes noise....she'll go nuts! So, no noise makers close to her head!

We never get any "trick or treaters" for Halloween where we live and the doorbell ringing or knocking on the door would set her into work mode! It would be interesting to see how she handled that! We live in a very quiet area and when we have guests, we're always expecting them so the door is open and they just walk right in! It's a very peaceful life! Not too challenging for Brenda, at home! It's a good break for her....I drive her crazy out in the world, enough!

 

Quam, you mentioned that your girl is not on Heartguard! We had no choice, our service organization and Vet INSISTED that Brenda (as well as all the service dogs at CCI) remain on Heartguard her/their whole life. I'm interested in your thinking on this!

 

Valentine's Mom: I can see her little face, in the picture....How cute is she! And, you're right, people who saw her dressed up would really think that she was just a pet......I'm sure it's much harder for you when you bring her into the public venue's, since she's so cuddly and cute! Brenda looks like a "Service Dog" and a "boy" to boot! People always want to know what "HIS" name is! It's that "big black dog" thing! She also fades into dark carpeting and when the lights go out and we're walking through someplace, it's really difficult to see her.....thank goodness her vest has "reflectors" on it!!!!!

I've never been separated from Brenny, I'm afraid I'd be "lost" without her beside me. You could teach me how to do this! I'm sure that Grandma and Auntie will love Valentine's company and your cruise will be such a joy....a few moments of missing your girl but knowing that you will see her soon and that you're on such a fabulous journey will take the pain away! Please let us all know how it went.

[Quampapetet]

Our November cruise is the weekend after Thanksgiving but I'm sure the ship will still be in the mode. And, turkey with all the stuff that goes with it will be on the fare! Your February cruise will be so much fun for you. I know your truly looking forward to it!

Ah, well, that's good that you will still get the turkey and all! Yeah, I'm looking forward to February (why is it taking so long to get here?!?! LOL!). It will definitely be an experience, but hopefully also really fun! I have my own cabin on the ship, but for the two pre-cruise hotel nights I'm ending up sharing with two others (one of whom is also here on the CC boards, imagine that!). We've been e-mailing each other, so it has been fun to "meet" online before we meet in person in Feb.

 

Brenda is the only dog in her class that would not wear the "gentle leader" during training...she literally pulled it off herself! So, anything that goes around her nose/facd or on her head becomes a challenge to her and off it goes! Hats/bows/clips are totally out of the question so, we go for the "neckware!" And, you're so right, being "classy" does not have to mean "silly!"

Yeah, my girl isn't the hugest fan of the stuff, but she tolerates most of them. She does try to shake hats off (except her baseball hat), though, and that did work pretty well for her last two Halloween costumes (butterfly antenna one year and a Trick-or-Treat-themed hat another year). It also worked well for a pretty light pink flower barrette I put on her one Easter (it was heavier than most bows). :p But the lighter bows have been staying on her recently (I don't put them on her much - maybe a few times a year), although I must say they aren't easy to get on (the kind with three rubber bands).

 

We'll be in Hawaii, on a cruise, during Halloween, next year and dressing her up will take on a whole new meaning....we'll see! I'm thinking of the court jester with just something colorful around her neck! If it has bells on it and makes noise....she'll go nuts! So, no noise makers close to her head!

Have you seen those fluffy-looking neck things that PetEdge sells? They have different colors and types of them. It shouldn't be too hard to make your own if you want a true court jester look, though.

Our group on the cruise is doing a pirate dress-up event/contest sort of thing (I'm not up on the details) and so far I have a pirate treasure map bandanna and a black leather/pleather hat for my girl to wear. I'm gonna put a pirate symbol on the hat and I also want to find a set of plastic gold-colored keys for her to hold in her mouth (i.e. when we walk in, during judging, or whatever - not the whole time, of course!). You know, like the jailer's dog in "Pirates of the Caribbean"! :D

 

Quam, you mentioned that your girl is not on Heartguard! We had no choice, our service organization and Vet INSISTED that Brenda (as well as all the service dogs at CCI) remain on Heartguard her/their whole life. I'm interested in your thinking on this!

I use Interceptor, a different brand of heartworm prevention. (It is for a few other types of worms, as well.) It is a tiny hard chewable that is beef-flavoured that you give once a month. I do give it year-round, due to warm climates, but dogs that stay in climates that get winter cold & snow could be stopped in the winter, since there aren't any mosquito buggers flying around and biting then. I'm in winter climates most of the winter right now, but my residency is in a warm climate, plus we travel to warm climates in the winter, so it is best to go year-round for us. You travel, too, so that is why you do it year-round.

For flea & tick prevention, I use the Adams Plus collar (also year-round). It works wonders for us - have only found three ticks (incl. one itsy-bitsy dead one and one unattached one) on her over the three (I think) years we've been using it, even with the bad tick season (as I heard from others in the area) we had this past spring (or was that last year? LOL). (The Plus version is new - before that we used the regular Adams version.) I also don't have to worry about spraying her every few days or applying oily stuff to her once a month - just put a new collar on her every few months (the original versions lasted six months, these new ones last five months but I'm going every four on them bec. if I don't have set months I change it, I'll never remember when to change it! Doing four months, I can change every May 1, Sep. 1, and Jan 1.).

[wizard-of-roz]

Quam: I'm going to look into PetEdge....sounds interesting....I know I could make somthing...but, yeh! When? I'm so consumed with work and life, I feel lucky that I can take the time to write to you guys! I consider it "therapy!" And, I can do it while at work....when I get home....I literally collapse in my Lazy Boy and I'm done for the day! Can anyone relate?????

Pirates and your girl carrying the keys is such a cute idea!!!! Post a picture for all of us to see!

I guess whatever works, in terms of these invaders; be it worms or mosquitos is exactly what we should use!

Well, I'm off to go shopping for cute collars and such.....be well! Keep me informed of various places (on line) to buy our girls "stuff!"

Sometimes I treat Miss. Brenny more like my child than my "worker!" Although, I do think my children do get a bit jealous of her, at times! I'm always "primping" and doing something for her!

Move over human children, here come our "fur babies!"

[Valentine's Mom]

Hi Girls,

 

I was just reading all of the good infor that you girls have been posting. Valentine uses Heartguard but doesn't like it much. I have to be sure to give it to her when she is good and hungry. LOL

 

As for fleas and ticks I tried to use Prevention when I first got her and she had a reaction that got into her nervous system and nearly scared me to death. She rarely goes outside even when we travel she is usually in her buggy so she has Never had a flea or tick. I do put on the Prevention for fleas only when we are going to be outside much put it on and give her a bath in a couple of days as was recomended by her vet. Seems to work so far . Thank goodness I hate bugs of any kind and we are fighting off an invasion of ants right now. I HATE them! I also would like to see a picture of the girls in their costumes. I'll bet they will be cute.

[Quampapetet]

Quam: I'm going to look into PetEdge....sounds interesting....

PetEdge is a wonderful catalog with GREAT prices! It is aimed towards retailers, groomers, etc. who buy with the intent to resell the products, hence why the prices are so low. But anybody can buy from them (there is a small fee if your order is less than $50 or 60). They have some neat stuff, too. :)

 

Pirates and your girl carrying the keys is such a cute idea!!!! Post a picture for all of us to see!

Will do. I just have to figure out where to find such keys.... Guess I'll do a Google!

 

I guess whatever works, in terms of these invaders; be it worms or mosquitos is exactly what we should use!

Yup, as long as it works and doesn't harm the dog and you can afford it. :)

 

Well, I'm off to go shopping for cute collars and such.....be well! Keep me informed of various places (on line) to buy our girls "stuff!"

There are a gazillion! I love shopping online!! :D Do you know about PetFoodDirect.com? Service dog users get 20% off all purchases there with a special code. Like sports? SportyK9.com has doggy sports products. CareALotPets.com is a good general pet product store, too. PawShop.com, Dog.com, FunStuffForDogs.com, and more....

 

Although, I do think my children do get a bit jealous of her, at times!

Just tell them when they do half the work she does, they can be primped and pampered upon, too. :p

[Quampapetet]

As for fleas and ticks I tried to use Prevention when I first got her and she had a reaction that got into her nervous system and nearly scared me to death. She rarely goes outside even when we travel she is usually in her buggy so she has Never had a flea or tick. I do put on the Prevention for fleas only when we are going to be outside much put it on and give her a bath in a couple of days as was recomended by her vet. Seems to work so far . Thank goodness I hate bugs of any kind and we are fighting off an invasion of ants right now. I HATE them! I also would like to see a picture of the girls in their costumes. I'll bet they will be cute.

 

She can still get fleas and ticks even if she were an indoor-only animal. You should definitely not use something she had a reaction to before, though! There are plenty of other products on the market that you can try.

 

As for ants, they are E-V-I-L li'l buggers that never go away!!!!! :mad: (Can you tell I don't like them?!)

[wizard-of-roz]

I HATE ants.....they're so silent and so pervasive....

Thanks for the internet shop places.....I use Entirelypets.com for Brenny's "chewies" and eye and ear swabs. They're really great to deal with and the delivery is super fast. This month's $3.00 off coupon code is "FALLFUN". You must spend at least $75.00 to get this. And, orders of $100 or more get free shipping. With Virbac chews, my order can really add up and I try to get my office involved with all their "doggie" stuff to keep the shipping free!

I just shopped with Petfooddirect.com and I spent a lot, and I didn't mention I was shopping for a service dog. Maybe I'll call them and see what they can do. Never hurts....

Thanks for the info. So little time, so much to do!!!!!!!:p

[sunshine426]

I have really enjoyed reading this thread. I am a volunteer handler with an orginization that breeds and trains service dog. So glad to hear about these wonderful friends once they are placed with their person.

[Valentine's Mom]

She can still get fleas and ticks even if she were an indoor-only animal. You should definitely not use something she had a reaction to before, though! There are plenty of other products on the market that you can try.

 

As for ants, they are E-V-I-L li'l buggers that never go away!!!!! :mad: (Can you tell I don't like them?!)

 

I know that she can get fleas and ticks but so far she has been very lucky. She has never had a flea or tick . And she is almost six years old. If we are going to be out in the woods or something I'll put the prevention on her neck but within a couple of days we wash it off. Her vet told us to do it this way and so far it is working.

 

These crazy ants are nasty. I would understand if they wanted food but they always go where there is no food or water. Can't understand it.

[wizard-of-roz]

Valentine's Mom: You are most definitely doing the right thing for Valentine! Keep up the good work! When I come back, in my next life, I want to be your service dog! Except, I'll be too busy running and playing with Brenny!

 

Sunshine: THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart and soul! Without wonderful folks like yourself, Brenny and I would not be a Team!

You have helped to make it possible for people like me and so many others to have the assistance and love of these amazing beings and all that they can do and bring to our lives!

My life (and my husbands) is truly complete with Brenny! Assistance dogs are a gift. I appreciate that gift EVERYDAY! And, all the work that you do to make it all possible!

 

Brenda was trained to assist people like myself....but, the added benefit goes to the spouses, other family members and friends, who get to love and receive love from our working dogs! :)

[Quampapetet]

 

Thanks for the internet shop places.....I use Entirelypets.com for Brenny's "chewies" and eye and ear swabs.

I don't know if I've bought from them before, but I've at least been to the site. I think I get their e-mails, too (I get SO many dog store e-mails, LOL!). I use two ear products - for quick & easy cleaning, I use some pre-moistened cloths (like baby wipes but for dog's ears, LOL) I buy at Petco. For a fuller job, I use Chris Christensen's ear gel. (I use a LOT of Chris Christensen products - White On White, Black On Black, After Bath, Day to Day [both], Ice On Ice, and some brushes.)

I get my girl's Merrick Moo Tubes (cow trachea chewies - that's as real-looking item as I get - ears and hooves and snouts are too much for me to take!!) from PetFoodDirect 'cause it is even cheaper than PetEdge (and much cheaper than direct from Merrick), especially with the service dog discount.

 

I just shopped with Petfooddirect.com and I spent a lot, and I didn't mention I was shopping for a service dog. Maybe I'll call them and see what they can do. Never hurts....

I hope they give you the discount on your past order, but they'll at least give you the info. on how to get the discount on all your future orders. :)

[Quampapetet]

She has never had a flea or tick .

 

That's great! I've never dealt with fleas (and hope it stays that way!)' date=' but my girl has gotten ticks, all from our own/family's yards. Guess it depends on where you live, though - maybe you're not in a high tick area or near woods/have woods surrounding your yard and such like we are. The risk of Lyme disease is high where we are right now, so I don't chance ticks and use the collar. (The Lyme vaccine is dangerous! Do NOT give it to your dog!! It is better for them to get Lyme than the vaccine.)

 

These crazy ants are nasty. I would understand if they wanted food but they always go where there is no food or water. Can't understand it.

 

That's strange - normally they DO go where food is! Methinks your ants have a really bad sense of direction!!! :p

[wizard-of-roz]

Quam: "Cow trachea" NO WAY......Brenda has NEVER had such things to chew on and never will...........She gets the Virbac C.E.T., Chlorhexidine & Gluconate Chews (ONLY). We were told to NEVER use these animal by product chews........Yuck!!!!!!! (Sorry to be so strong on this, it's just horrific to think of her ingesting these animal body parts, in chew form!) I know her kibble contains some of these (hopefully not much), but that's in kibble form!

And, FYI ants are notorious for going to oil/water or just plain nothing!!!! How disgusting are they?? And, you can never hear them.....;)

 

We're off, on the Golden Princess, this Saturday and there's still so much to do!

By the way.....I ordered from Petfood Direct.com over a week ago and they say the order will not arrive until this Friday....they are much slower than Entirelypets.com....Entirelypets would have had my order delivered within the week that I order.

If I use Petfood's website again, I will have to give myself more time for delivery.:o

[Quampapetet]

Quam: "Cow trachea" NO WAY......Brenda has NEVER had such things to chew on and never will...........She gets the Virbac C.E.T., Chlorhexidine & Gluconate Chews (ONLY). We were told to NEVER use these animal by product chews........Yuck!!!!!!! (Sorry to be so strong on this, it's just horrific to think of her ingesting these animal body parts, in chew form!) I know her kibble contains some of these (hopefully not much), but that's in kibble form!

Oh, they are not by-products! They are the actual thing and are healthy and all-natural. I don't feed any by-products or BHA and all that bad stuff. I'd never feed her food (canned or dry) with by-products in it, either. I feed Merrick canned and dried (kibble with freeze-dried fruits & veggies), which is all-natural, no added colors/preservatives, human-grade, etc.

 

By the way.....I ordered from Petfood Direct.com over a week ago and they say the order will not arrive until this Friday....they are much slower than Entirelypets.com....Entirelypets would have had my order delivered within the week that I order.

 

If I use Petfood's website again, I will have to give myself more time for delivery.:o

 

Strange. I've never had a problem with slow delivery. But maybe you live close to where EntirelyPets ships from and far from where PetFoodDirect ships from or something. Sometimes shippings from even the same company can vary, thanks to the shipping company, though. I've ordered a product from a catalog company that ships a half-hour away from me. I got it three days later with regular shipping. The next time I ordered it, I was on vacation two hours away from their shipping city (which is also the local hub for the shipping company). It came more than a week later with regular shipping. It just all depends on the shipping company, I guess maybe how busy they are or something! Unless the catalog company uses DHL, you can't blame shipping problems on them. (If they shipped via DHL, you can blame them for choosing awful DHL, though, LOL!!)

 

Did they let you apply the service dog discount?

[wizard-of-roz]

I'll wait until I receive the "goods", then I'll talk to them about a discount.......

Be well, I'm in the "cruisin" mode!!!!!! :cool: :D

[gopher's girl]

Hi All,

I have enjoyed reading about your experiences traveling with service dogs. I am a strong supporter of a local organization Canine Partners For Life. I am a true believer in the importance of service dogs and what a gift they are. The TV shows that highlight the training and how they give independence always make me cry with joy for the recipients.

 

My family has a Lab and he is a big cutie pie. He would have made a terrific service dog probably. My sister is a diabetic, and he learned to get someone (usually Mom) if she has a low sugar - it is truly amazing because we are convinced that there are occasions where this has saved her life. In addition to this lifesaving ability, he also retrieves the newspaper from the bottom of the driveway, and the mail from the mailman (he stands on the side of the truck every afternoon)... smart puppy.

 

I will continue to support my local organization so that many more can enjoy the freedoms that you have gained with your companion helpers.

 

Have fun on all your cruises!

[wizard-of-roz]

gopher's girl: Thank you for your support. We always need and appreciate it!

Aren't these dogs amazing? So smart! So humanlike and so much smarter! ;)

[gopher's girl]

Yes roz, my mom likes to call our boy a "person in a furry suit" - he totally rocks!

[Quampapetet]

What kinds of things do y'all do to get your dog to run and play outside (off leash in the yard)? I have a hard time getting my girl to run around - she just wants to walk around and sniff and then wants to head back inside (weird doggy!). Doing a stay and come here gets her to run, but that gets old pretty darn quickly, hehe. She's not interested in fetch.

 

Any other ideas? She needs more exercise.

[MCDW]

Hi All

 

We got back today from our cruise from Vancouver to Alaska and down to California.

 

Oz was a trooper. We had one really rocky day with a lot of humans seasick...Oz was too. Sick on the floor, bed and sofa. His first time seasick and I will need to ask the vet if there is anything he can take for the next cruise.

 

RCCL made the 4 x 4 box with the requested mulch and it was apparent immediately Oz liked that better than the turf or pellets.

 

All staff treated Oz like a super special guest, including taking his picture for the formal night. Anyone who went to the photo boards got quite a kick out of the picture.

 

The cruise director sought me out on the first day to introduce himself and to say that if there was anything I needed, to just ask.

 

All in all a grand experience.

:D

[Quampapetet]

Sounds like you both had a wonderful cruise (except for the seasick day)!

 

I'm planning on asking my vet before we go if there is anything I can give my girl for seasickness, as well. I had asked about it on a dog list I'm on (several folks go boating with their dogs) and I think somebody said dogs can take Bonine, but I don't know the dosage or anything. I wonder if ginger is okay for dogs? If so, I could bring a bunch of ginger snap cookies with me.

 

That's great that RCCL gave the potty box as they said. I'm going on RCCL so am glad to hear that! :) Glad he liked it better than the turf or pellets, too.

 

Did you get the formal night photo of him? I bet it is/was real cute!!

[wizard-of-roz]

We've also just returned from our Golden Princess cruise to Mexico. It was a wonderful and a lot of fun for Brenda. The Golden is a beautiful ship. We'll be back on her on November 24th.

She always makes new friends. And, the Golden was no exception to the other Princess cruises that we've taken....the entire crew was very helpful and accommodating. Her potty box 5x5 was put in a "crew closet" about 10 doors down from our cabin, on Baja deck. It was extremely convenient! It was filled with shavings (which are not as absorbent as mulch and can begin to smell of urine after about 5 days!)

The shavings are popular with Princess (not with Carnival, Celebrity or NCL). We brought our own bag of mulch and interspersed the shavings with it. It helped with the urine smell. I also sprayed the "closet like" room with the deodorant spray that we brought.

Having the potty box in an inside area can be problematic for the smell! But, Oh! So convenient for that "pajama walk" to the potty!

Brenda has never gotten car or sea sick. But I do believe that dogs can take Bonine (ask your vet about dosage, I'm sure it would vary for dog size.)

 

For the first time and after 6 cruises, for Brenda, we were stopped by the Agricultural Dept. of the L.A. Port Authority, upon our Disembarkation. I am so glad that I had all her paperwork in order and could show the inspector everything, very easily. They were very appreciative of that and so was my husband. If I did not have everything, in order, the delay would have been horrible. As it was, it took an extra 15 minutes and then we were free to get our bags and go home!

REMINDER: Have your service dogs paper work (a copy is fine) in order and easy to retrieve (just like your passport!) It will save you tons of time and explanations.

PAPERWORK: City license (required in L.A.); Agricultural Inspection form (this will show the dogs most recent immunizations, as well); certification papers (some service dog orgs. give these); a copy of your drivers license; copy of your passport and a copy of any necessary blood tests that were completed.

I, highly, recommend Princess for cruising with your service dog.

[Quampapetet]

Sounds like you had a great cruise! :)

 

Did you get off at Mexico? If so, what did you do for an excursion?

 

That's great that they placed the potty box so close! I can definitely see where it would start smelling pretty quickly, though! Hopefully that wasn't a problem, especially with the door closed.

 

Posting in this thread just reminded me that I need to fax my dog's vaccine and titer results to RCCL, though! We went to the vet the other week for her annual exam and I picked up her results a few days later. Gotta write down a reminder to fax them!

 

I did make my appointments for January and February to get the int'l health certificates (it is funny, 'cause last year when I tried making her app't for Jan. in Nov. they didn't know anybody's work schedule [there was only one person who could do an int'l certificate] - 'course, they had to assign me to that date 'cause it has to be 48 hrs. before I get to my destination - but now in Oct. they knew the schedule for both Jan. and Feb.! [At least they have a second person who can do it now, as the first person isn't gonna be there in Jan. when I need it, but the second is.]).

[wizard-of-roz]

Quam:

To get Brenda started on chasing; it was all about the food...we crushed her kibble into a kong and threw it.....first we let her smell it; she followed it intently with her eyes; I threw it; she chased it....I retrieved it and repeated it a few times; until, she finally got the idea; when she finished the kibble; I would get the kong; bring it back to where I was; refill it and so on..... now, I don't have to retrieve it; she does....and, brings it back to me, hoping for kibble to be placed inside....just make sure, that whatever you're putting into the kong has to be counted into her/his daily feedings.

I sometimes have a hard time bending and throwing so I use one of those "slinging" devises that you can buy on-line or in the pet store. It actually picks up the toy and makes it so much easier to throw!

Every once in a while I surprise her and put something in the kong, just to keep her interested.....now, I just throw a ball and she thinks there may be food in it, so she goes for it....in the beginning when she brought it back I gave her a treat......it's all about rewards.....

I found a neat throw toy; it's made of hard/hard rubber; it's kind of square in shape and when it hits the ground, it doesn't go straight it bounces everywhere and she loves the thrill of it all......she goes after it and when it finally stops she picks it up; moves it around in her mouth and brings it back to me.....she really likes it.....

I don't use the same thing twice.....just to keep her interested in the chase....

[Quampapetet]

That square ball sounds neat! Do you recall where you found it?

 

Right now she enjoys a ball that I think I picked up at Petco. It is pink and glows in the dark. It seems to be puncture-proof, too! It has no little inflate hole like balls usually do. It isn't smooth, either, as it has star-shaped raised areas all around it. (I like the ball, too! LOL.) She likes to chew on it. She does bring it back to me when we play indoors with it (if she feels like playing fetch, LOL). I tried playing outside with her with it once or twice, but she was too interested in other things to play with it all that much.

 

The vet said she was slightly overweight :eek: so she needs to run around more! Prob'ly needs to work more, too, as I don't get out as much as I did last year - and when I do go out, it is usually some place I sit at like a game or restaurant, so she doesn't even walk all that much there.

 

I also need to make her some play dates with a friend's guide dog. :)