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

[Caribbean Chris]

Sorta cruise-related:). We drove to Quebec in our RV and took a daytime cruise in the Gulf of St. Lawrence around Perce Rock and Bonaventure Island National Park. It was so nice to be in a cool place driving around the Gaspe Peninsula instead of living with sweltering heat for a few weeks. Loved Quebec City - might take one of those New England/Canada autumn leaf cruises someday that leaves from there.

 

Anyway, here we are while camping two nights along the St. Lawrence River next to a fun lobster restaurant.

[Caribbean Chris]

Also on that trip, we saw about ten lighthouses (one of my favorite things to do while exploring on an RV trip.) This one was in our campground at Carleton-sur-Mer, Quebec, on the Baie du Chaleur. Raylene is a great little camper, especially now that we got a bigger RV with room for her bed from home in the living room.

 

[wizard-of-roz]

I am preparing for our Panama Canal cruise in October with service dog Henri. Our ports are Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia. Mexico and Guatemala require some additional certifications and Costa Rica does not use the Form 7001. I have been told by both the Sacramento USDA office and San Francisco office that they will only endorse the form for the first port which is Mexico.

 

Here is what their e-mail says:

 

"Please note I can only endorse an APHIS 7001 for Mexico. You will have to check with the individual country’s consulate to find out their requirements for import. (ie contact Guatemala for their requirements for dogs coming from Mexico, contact Costa Rica for import from Guatemala)."

 

It seems like it would be impossible to take my dog to the vet on each port day to be able to go to the next port! Does anyone else have any experience with this?

 

Dianne

 

Dianne, we're going in November and I received the Costa Rica form from Chris. Along with the regular Aphis 7001 and this form for Costa Rica my Vet said that this is MORE than enough information. He said that every country I will be entering should be put on the Aphis form including the country that the ship disembarks from.

 

I was also told that Horton MUST be on a flea & tick abatement medication as well as Heartguard for more than 90 days prior to disembarkation from the U.S. Of course, he's on both monthly and has been since he's been in my home for almost 5 years.

 

Why anyone would take a risk that their dog won't be bitten by a mosquito carrying heartworm or any other disease, when it all can be prevented, is beyond me!

[wizard-of-roz]

We do not shave any part of Wexler. Our groomer said unless the fur is affecting him walking, no need to shave it. Wex has a very long hairy white belly. Bottoms of his feet are turning white too!

 

The black dogs really show their gray don't they!

 

Wexy doesn't need much to be the handsome boy that he is!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

We didn't have a good experience in Mexico. They made us go down every day to show them the dog, which they didn't look at. Very intimidating. Glared at me. They yelled at us because we didn't have the yearly rabies.

 

I've had some pretty intimidating Immigration officials as well. I hate when the ship requires us to go to a specific lounge 7:30am to meet Immigration.

 

On my last cruise, onboard the Pacific Princess, I wasn't asked to do anything. I was so happy. It was the "Love Boat" cruise and there was so much going on daily that they didn't have time for me......YAY!!!!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

Dog-scaping and the feather had me laughing out loud this morning big time.

 

So let me get this straight... you GLUED feathers to the fur on Brenda's head?

 

I didn't do it the groomer did. I asked him how were they going to keep the feather in her short hair on her head. And he said, "with glue!" The feather ALWAYS stayed in until the next appt.

 

She looked the cutest when the feather was pink or yellow. "Only in L.A.!"

[wizard-of-roz]

Sorta cruise-related:). We drove to Quebec in our RV and took a daytime cruise in the Gulf of St. Lawrence around Perce Rock and Bonaventure Island National Park. It was so nice to be in a cool place driving around the Gaspe Peninsula instead of living with sweltering heat for a few weeks. Loved Quebec City - might take one of those New England/Canada autumn leaf cruises someday that leaves from there.

 

Anyway, here we are while camping two nights along the St. Lawrence River next to a fun lobster restaurant.

 

Great picture.......Raylene, you are such a pretty girl!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

Also on that trip, we saw about ten lighthouses (one of my favorite things to do while exploring on an RV trip.) This one was in our campground at Carleton-sur-Mer, Quebec, on the Baie du Chaleur. Raylene is a great little camper, especially now that we got a bigger RV with room for her bed from home in the living room.

 

 

Horton always loves when I take him on trips where grass is involved!!!! Love the picture!

[wizard-of-roz]

Happy Weekend everyone ♥ ♥ ♥

[Algebralovr]

Happy Weekend everyone ♥ ♥ ♥

 

TGIF!!!!!

 

I'm teaching a 3-week short course in math to incoming freshmen at the U this month. OMG some of them live in their own little worlds! Some of them just won't be in college in a year. They just won't make it. I can already pick them out.

 

On another note, I'll try to get some new photos of Scooter this weekend. He has had a rough couple of weeks. He has been coming to class with me a few times a week, getting used to so many people. He is learning what it means to down-stay at the front of the room and how to behave around so many people - 37 of the little darlings. He is having to resist sticking his nose under the desks for so many pets when they want to love on him.

[Caribbean Chris]

I didn't do it the groomer did. I asked him how were they going to keep the feather in her short hair on her head. And he said, "with glue!" The feather ALWAYS stayed in until the next appt.

 

She looked the cutest when the feather was pink or yellow. "Only in L.A.!"

 

MUST see a photo of Brenda with the feather!

 

Happy weekend to you, too, in the meantime.

[wizard-of-roz]

TGIF!!!!!

 

I'm teaching a 3-week short course in math to incoming freshmen at the U this month. OMG some of them live in their own little worlds! Some of them just won't be in college in a year. They just won't make it. I can already pick them out.

 

On another note, I'll try to get some new photos of Scooter this weekend. He has had a rough couple of weeks. He has been coming to class with me a few times a week, getting used to so many people. He is learning what it means to down-stay at the front of the room and how to behave around so many people - 37 of the little darlings. He is having to resist sticking his nose under the desks for so many pets when they want to love on him.

Barb, that's funny! Or, tragic!!!!

 

Our dogs have to learn to be social and then they have to learn when to rein it in.......very difficult for most and easier for some! Horton is a very good listener but he loves to sniff people out.......something that can be very embarrassing, especially in an elevator!!!!!

[wizard-of-roz]

MUST see a photo of Brenda with the feather!

 

Happy weekend to you, too, in the meantime.

 

I managed to put Brenda in my avatar and Horton in my signature.....surely I can figure out how to get a picture of Ms. Brenny with a feather in her hair......give me some time, I'll try to find one and get it posted.

[Algebralovr]

Barb, that's funny! Or, tragic!!!!

 

Our dogs have to learn to be social and then they have to learn when to rein it in.......very difficult for most and easier for some! Horton is a very good listener but he loves to sniff people out.......something that can be very embarrassing, especially in an elevator!!!!!

 

Yes, Roz, both funny and tragic!

 

Dr and I have decided that Scooter is alerting on my medical issues and I have found an organization to help me train him to ADI standards. He is so funny. When he figures out I'm getting ready to have a seizure, he stares at me barks, runs in a circle, then stares at me and barks again. I have to teach myself to be more aware of what he is telling me.

 

If he saves me just one ER visit a year, or allows me to work just one day I would not have worked in a year, it will all be worth it.

 

Students are funny creatures. Having a service dog on a college campus will be a challenge. We often have therapy dogs on campus for the students to love on, and they will struggle to understand the difference between a therapy dog and a medical alert dog for one person.

 

I've gotten permission to bring him into all the buildings on campus while training him. The campus chief of police is a dog person, so that helps. :)

 

On another note, one of my students has a grandmother who is a puppy raiser for CCi and another student's father trains police dogs. They have been be best students for having Scooter in class, for rather obvious reasons. The one who is a grandmother is an elementary teacher who takes her puppies with her to school. He was amazed that Scooter is only 7 months and how well Scooter was really doing in the chaos that is my class of 37 students.

 

Scooter won't be ready to cruise in February, and I dare not try to take him to Asia in 2018, but I have a number of options. My DD is one possibility, my DS is another, and even my mom. We'll see how life is going. I'm a little nervous about taking him in December 2017 - he will have just turned 2 years. It will all depend on how the training is at that time. The good news is that our stops for that cruise are PR, St. Thomas and St. Martin, so the ADA applies to 2 of the 3 stops. DD, DS, Mom and Dad will all be on the cruise with us, so if I don't take him, I'd have to find a friend, which is possible.

 

We shall see!

[Caribbean Chris]

Hey, everybody, wanted to share something I just noticed something today. Maybe it's old news, but I haven't looked at the APHIS iRegs web page since back in April.

 

APHIS now has a special page dedicated to pet travel requirements - see the link below. We all know, of course, that our dogs are not pets. But the same export laws usually seem to apply as if our service dogs were pet dogs.

 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel

 

Could save wading through export of swine, cattle, live birds, animal products, etc. to search for cats & dogs, since they were formerly lumped together.

 

I must say, there's a lot more user-friendly information on the APHIS site just in the few short years since I've had a service dog and needed the travel information for foreign countries. Way to go APHIS!

 

Now if all their Service Centers can get on the same page about how to handle a 7001 for dogs going on cruises (whole itinerary, not just the first port), we'll be in great shape.

[wizard-of-roz]

Yes, Roz, both funny and tragic!

 

Dr and I have decided that Scooter is alerting on my medical issues and I have found an organization to help me train him to ADI standards. He is so funny. When he figures out I'm getting ready to have a seizure, he stares at me barks, runs in a circle, then stares at me and barks again. I have to teach myself to be more aware of what he is telling me.

 

If he saves me just one ER visit a year, or allows me to work just one day I would not have worked in a year, it will all be worth it.

 

Students are funny creatures. Having a service dog on a college campus will be a challenge. We often have therapy dogs on campus for the students to love on, and they will struggle to understand the difference between a therapy dog and a medical alert dog for one person.

 

I've gotten permission to bring him into all the buildings on campus while training him. The campus chief of police is a dog person, so that helps. :<script id="gpt-impl-0.719321446722696" src="http://partner.googleadservices.com/gpt/pubads_impl_91.js"></script>)

 

On another note, one of my students has a grandmother who is a puppy raiser for CCi and another student's father trains police dogs. They have been be best students for having Scooter in class, for rather obvious reasons. The one who is a grandmother is an elementary teacher who takes her puppies with her to school. He was amazed that Scooter is only 7 months and how well Scooter was really doing in the chaos that is my class of 37 students.

 

Scooter won't be ready to cruise in February, and I dare not try to take him to Asia in 2018, but I have a number of options. My DD is one possibility, my DS is another, and even my mom. We'll see how life is going. I'm a little nervous about taking him in December 2017 - he will have just turned 2 years. It will all depend on how the training is at that time. The good news is that our stops for that cruise are PR, St. Thomas and St. Martin, so the ADA applies to 2 of the 3 stops. DD, DS, Mom and Dad will all be on the cruise with us, so if I don't take him, I'd have to find a friend, which is possible.

 

We shall see!

 

Thank you for thinking so responsibly! You'd hate your cruise with a dog who wasn't at the top of their game. When Horton first came to me and cruised for the very first time, we had some mighty embarrassing moments because he had NEVER cruised before and was anxious and scared. It took the first few days for him to realize that he wasn't going to fall overboard and he could trust that I would ALWAYS have his back!

 

Now, he cruises with confidence and a pleasure to travel with. He's not as secure and sure of himself as was my first dog. He's a slow learner but once he gets it he's pure genius at it!!!!

[Caribbean Chris]

Hope this works - attached is Roz's photo of Brenda with a yellow feather on her head! She was on her last cruise at age 12. What a wonderful girl.

BRENDA ONBOARD THE SAPPHIRE-LAST CRUISE.pdf

[wizard-of-roz]

Hope this works - attached is Roz's photo of Brenda with a yellow feather on her head! She was on her last cruise at age 12. What a wonderful girl.

 

Thank you Chris.......it's so much fun to share our dogs with each other. Isn't that yellow feather too much! I loved that face.....she was a pure English Lab, more square, short and stocky looking. She and Horton are such different dogs. He's American Lab crossed with a Golden Retriever.

 

And, he's NEVER had a feather in his hair! ;)

[Insuregal]

Hope this works - attached is Roz's photo of Brenda with a yellow feather on her head! She was on her last cruise at age 12. What a wonderful girl.

 

 

Awwwww! Roz, thank you for sharing Brenda with us! Chris, thank you for posting the picture for Roz! She had such a sweet face.

 

By the way, Gibson is only 5 years old, and he has a very gray chin already.

 

Beckie

[DUTRAVEL]

Thank you Chris.......it's so much fun to share our dogs with each other. Isn't that yellow feather too much! I loved that face.....she was a pure English Lab, more square, short and stocky looking. She and Horton are such different dogs. He's American Lab crossed with a Golden Retriever.

 

And, he's NEVER had a feather in his hair! ;)

 

Such a great picture of Brenda! Henri look a lot like Brenda - Henri's dad is a full English lab. Henri is a sniffer too - I have to keep a close watch on her - however, when she really wants to sniff someone I ask them if they have a dog and they always say yes. I guess she really like people that smell like dogs!!

 

Dianne

[DUTRAVEL]

Hey, everybody, wanted to share something I just noticed something today. Maybe it's old news, but I haven't looked at the APHIS iRegs web page since back in April.

 

APHIS now has a special page dedicated to pet travel requirements - see the link below. We all know, of course, that our dogs are not pets. But the same export laws usually seem to apply as if our service dogs were pet dogs.

 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel

 

 

Thanks for all of the great information Chris. The USDA is a federal agency - it is so frustrating that all of their offices do not interpret things the same way.

 

Dianne

[wizard-of-roz]

Awwwww! Roz, thank you for sharing Brenda with us! Chris, thank you for posting the picture for Roz! She had such a sweet face.

 

By the way, Gibson is only 5 years old, and he has a very gray chin already.

 

Beckie

 

Beckie, this makes me crazy.......the black dogs show their gray hair so much easier than the yellow dogs. Horton's chin is starting to get gray and do you know that the groomer asked if I wanted to color it......Do you believe that some people dye their dogs gray hair......It's enough I'm having him man-scaped!

 

Also, their faces start to get bonier and their eyes start tearing more........I have to stop or I'll start to cry!!!!

 

Horton's 7 years old and hasn't started to do refusals on getting into my SUV yet! Brenda started to refuse to jump in at around 9......I still have her ramp and will use it for Horty, if he needs it.

[DUTRAVEL]

Yes, Roz, both funny and tragic!

 

Dr and I have decided that Scooter is alerting on my medical issues and I have found an organization to help me train him to ADI standards. He is so funny. When he figures out I'm getting ready to have a seizure, he stares at me barks, runs in a circle, then stares at me and barks again. I have to teach myself to be more aware of what he is telling me.

 

 

It sounds like Scooter is doing a great job already!

 

Dianne

[Algebralovr]

It sounds like Scooter is doing a great job already!

 

Dianne

 

He is!

His biggest problem is he wants to be everyone's friend. With 10,000 people on campus, he gets a lot of friends!

 

That sniffer of his is going to probably get him in some trouble - just like Roz's Horton. He just can't help himself. We shall see how things go as he matures.

 

My step-mom laughed at me a couple of weeks ago. She said I was being a strict disciplinarian with Scooter, just like I was with the kids at 2 - 4. She recalled a time when my DD was doing something and I stopped her with a look. Apparently, I behave similarly with the dog. I guess it is the teacher in me.

[Caribbean Chris]

Barb, it's wonderful news that you have found an organization and will have Scooter trained as your service dog! Look forward to seeing the next photos...