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

[Kaik9s]

Rangeley, how do you teach your boy not to lift his leg to pee? MurphySD would have peed on the wall! That’s if I could get him to even go potty inside! He’s trained to only go potty outside. Thankfully the potty box on our Cruise was on outside deck. MurphySD also needs coaxing to poop when traveling. He will go up to 24 hours without but once he realizes it’s the only option he goes, no problems after that. Glad your all having fun otherwise. 

[rangeley]

32 minutes ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

Wow, looks like a team of lumberjacks labored long to create that box filler!

 

So glad to hear that young Mr. O has conducted business in it, despite the weird consistency.

Re the location - it continues to amaze me that cruise lines figure they've done their righteous "access" thing by providing the box - but somehow it doesn't compute to anyone on staff that no one in a wheelchair can reach it with their dog. Most of these ships were built in recent years. What's wrong with this picture?

 

They tell us to call the cabin steward to help. They told Roz the steward would come get Horton and take him to the box. Wrong! Not letting people that know nothing about these dogs take them. 

[Caribbean Chris]

13 minutes ago, rangeley said:

They tell us to call the cabin steward to help. They told Roz the steward would come get Horton and take him to the box. Wrong! Not letting people that know nothing about these dogs take them. 

 

First of all, the dog probably wouldn't just trot off with a stranger unless he had hot dogs in his pockets.

[rangeley]

22 minutes ago, Kaik9s said:

Rangeley, how do you teach your boy not to lift his leg to pee? MurphySD would have peed on the wall! That’s if I could get him to even go potty inside! He’s trained to only go potty outside. Thankfully the potty box on our Cruise was on outside deck. MurphySD also needs coaxing to poop when traveling. He will go up to 24 hours without but once he realizes it’s the only option he goes, no problems after that. Glad your all having fun otherwise. 

 

Oakland lifts his leg sometimes. Unfortunately the other day he was close to the edge of the box and decided to lift his leg! Peed all over the floor. It was formal night and I had dress clothes on. Luckily they had cleaning products and paper towels right next to the box. Roz and John were waiting for me at dinner and I'm in a skirt cleaning pee!! Not good. I don't have an answer for you. 

Edited November 12, 2019 by rangeley

[rangeley]

4 minutes ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

First of all, the dog probably wouldn't just trot off with a stranger unless he had hot dogs in his pockets.

 

It's a stupid solution to their own problem of placing the box in an unaccessible place. 

[Kaik9s]

8 minutes ago, rangeley said:

 

Oakland lifts his leg sometimes. Unfortunately the other day he was close to the edge of the box and decided to lift his leg! Peed all over the floor. It was formal night and I had dress clothes on. Luckily they had cleaning products and paper towels right next to the box. Roz and John were waiting for me at dinner and I'm in a skirt cleaning pee!! Not good. I don't have an answer for you. 

Oh NO! Glad there were cleaning supplies. The crew left a mop near the potty box when MurphySD showed them how boys pee 🤣 fortunately we’d brought artificial turf so we put it behind the box to help keep deck clean. And used mop on wall if needed. He eventually learned the box dimensions and would adjust his stance inside. 

[lindaler]

41 minutes ago, Kaik9s said:

The only cruise MurphySD and I have been on, we were approached by several other cruisers asking if the two small dogs on the cruise were fakes as they had observed them barking furiously and lunging at him, trying to get out of the arm or lap of their people, every time they saw us. MurphySD didn’t respond to the barking other than keeping his eye on them for potential problems as he’s trained to do, especially since we’ve had the same experiences with large dogs in stores, and my PTSD gets triggered. I responded that it was NOT my job to police the ship, if they had problems with their behavior they were welcome to report them to ship crew. I did however educate them on the many ways small SD help with disabilities since many were under the mistaken impression that only large dogs could be SDs. I did feel that the two dogs, who were traveling with a couple, needed more training since we were barked at anytime we were in their line of sight, even though we were not close to them. In fact they were actually triggering me with the sudden barking from across rooms! After few times of this we (the three other adults we were with) would keep eyes out for them and we’d leave before the other dogs saw us. Thankfully it was a short cruise. The worst was people making RUDE comments about dogs on cruise ships as they passed by us! After this happening on frequent basis, my friend responded that I COULD HEAR them! They’d assumed wrongly that I was deaf or they just didn’t care. I have invisible illnesses including the PTSD, it’s not apparent to the public why I need an SD, so it’s assumed I’m faking just to bring my dog! MurphySD  was in his SD vest and on excellent behavior so there was no reason for the rudeness! This was couple years ago, now I’m better experienced with handling these situations. Back then I heavily relied on my traveling friends to run interference since I’d been mostly home bound the previous few years. I’ve read that NCL puts a notice in the daily letter to notify people of SD on ship. Hopefully when we go to Alaska with NCL it will be a more polite group of travelers. On the same cruise We were stalked by a teenager who was angry I wouldn’t allow her pet my SD! She’d actually come up to us and angrily say “I’m know I can’t pet him” then turn abruptly and stomp away! It happened a few times but she’d only approach when we were alone as my friends had told her to stop being rude and stay away. if it happened today she’d get turned in to ship security to have a talk with her parents about keeping her under control and away from us! Of course with the passing of years I’ve learned to better cope with these type of issues and no longer tolerate them. Hopefully sharing some of my experiences will help newer people be better prepared for their traveling. 
 

I think everything you said is spot on. With ptsd it doesn’t show until it does and no one wants to see a triggered old lady. Before I got Chavela I didn’t have a dog so when I got her it was as my help, not as a pet. I do have to get my vests off line. The trainer she came from said they couldn’t keep all the sizes on hand and to just go on line. I sure hope people don’t think she’s fake because she wears an on line vest. I would not be able to do many things without her. She is not a pet, like Roz says she is a piece of medical equipment that allows me to do some things others take for granted. 

[Caribbean Chris]

8 minutes ago, rangeley said:

 

Oakland lifts his leg sometimes. Unfortunately the other day he was close to the edge of the box and decided to lift his leg! Peed all over the floor. It was formal night and I had dress clothes on. Luckily they had cleaning products and paper towels right next to the box. Roz and John were waiting for me at dinner and I'm in a skirt cleaning pee!! Not good. I don't have an answer for you. 

 

Raylene gets too close to the edge of the box, too - squats, and there it is, running off down the deck. One time it happened when some random gawker was standing there staring. Luckily I had a drool cloth and a plastic baggie in my purse that night.

 

I'm glad they your ship had the paper towels, at least, for your glamorous cleanup chore - I don't recall seeing any by The Box on HAL or Celebrity.  Just airplane barf bags on HAL, which I guess are placed there to be used for poop-scooping? Honestly someone who actually handles a service dog needs to be a consultant for these companies.

[rangeley]

16 minutes ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

Raylene gets too close to the edge of the box, too - squats, and there it is, running off down the deck. One time it happened when some random gawker was standing there staring. Luckily I had a drool cloth and a plastic baggie in my purse that night.

 

I'm glad they your ship had the paper towels, at least, for your glamorous cleanup chore - I don't recall seeing any by The Box on HAL or Celebrity.  Just airplane barf bags on HAL, which I guess are placed there to be used for poop-scooping? Honestly someone who actually handles a service dog needs to be a consultant for these companies.

Barf bags for poop? Omg to funny

[Algebralovr]

1 hour ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Honestly someone who actually handles a service dog needs to be a consultant for these companies.

This!!!!!

They need to hire a consultant regarding disability needs (including SDs)!!!!!

 

I still can't get over the issue my last cruise with getting through the hallway in my WC.  

 

I have cruises planned for December and February coming up, and neither of the cruises is in an accessible room.  As of right now, I only need a cane, and don't expect that to change.  I'll just need to be careful.  We've not decided if we are bring to WC to be safe or not.  In Dec, we are taking Mom along as well, and she does have an accessible room.  She never has recovered from breaking her hip 18 months ago.  

 

After this, I have accessible rooms (mini-suites even!)  If we decide to take Scooter - I'll do my best to get that darn box on my balcony.  The wind tunnel on Celebrity is just too much when you are unsteady, and it is NOT accessible at all!

[Caribbean Chris]

6 minutes ago, Algebralovr said:

The wind tunnel on Celebrity is just too much when you are unsteady, and it is NOT accessible at all!

 

So true. And you get wet in the wind and rain on the slick decks en route to the deck 5 "tunnel."

 

Then there are the times they rope off with "deck closed for passenger safety" and even lock the sliding doors because it is so windy - so you have no way to get the poor dog to the box at the crack of dawn. I've had them actually say, "Oh, it's OK, you can just get someone to unlock the door for you."  Don't worry about that pesky safety stuff.

 

I think it was on our X cruise in 2018 that a very nice crew guy must have felt sorry for me - he led me from the wind tunnel box place on the starboard side through the crew corridors around the front of the ship and showed me a place he decided on the spot that he was going to move the box to, on the leeward port side. Much better for the rest of that trip.

 

I haven't broken the news to Raylene yet that the wind tunnel will be her new reality starting Thursday afternoon. 

[Algebralovr]

Poor Raylene!  

Which ship will you be on?

[Mavis and Me]

Hi Guys!
 

This probably sounds like a dumb question, but it was one that I THOUGHT I knew the answer to until the receptionist at a vet that I called confused me.  If I'm sailing into 3 different ports, do I need 3 different 7001 health cert forms, or just 3 copies of the one?  What addresses are entered for consignor and consignee?  Thanks!

[Caribbean Chris]

14 hours ago, Algebralovr said:

Poor Raylene!  

Which ship will you be on?

 

Silhouette! First time for us on that ship.

[Caribbean Chris]

6 hours ago, Mavis and Me said:

Hi Guys!
 

This probably sounds like a dumb question, but it was one that I THOUGHT I knew the answer to until the receptionist at a vet that I called confused me.  If I'm sailing into 3 different ports, do I need 3 different 7001 health cert forms, or just 3 copies of the one?  What addresses are entered for consignor and consignee?  Thanks!

 

You are going to Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and U.S. virgin islands, right? So in this case, all you need is one Form 7001. Your vet must enter microchip number and complete inoculation information. Below the inoculation info, it’s a good idea to add the date & names of your most recent flea & tick treatment and same for heartworm treatment.

 

(Some countries have their own country-specific documents you can find on the APHIS website - examples are Aruba and Curaçao. You won’t need to have the form endorsed by a regional USDA office vet, fortunately, for your ports, but you would for many places in the Caribbean.)

 

Enter your name, address, USA, and phone number as consignor. For consignee, I tell my vet’s office to put my name and mobile phone number then: “cruise ship passenger, (company & ship name), departing and returning to Ft. Lauderdale, with stops in X Island (date), X island (date) and X island (date). 

 

So far, that consignee description has never been questioned by my vet, by the regional APHIS office vets (when they had to endorse the forms), by the ships I’ve been on, and by the ports we’ve visited. Your mileage may vary.

 

Give the ship at check-in one copy of your 7001 and Bahamas paperwork plus rabies certificate, and write a note attached telling them you have retained the originals if they need them - with your stateroom number to call. The ship’s port paper officer will take care of copying what you gave them to provide to port officials on arrival.  I make one other copy to take ashore with me (I was stopped for papers once getting off a tender in Central America - it can’t hurt.)

 

Keep your original papers handy in your tote bag or purse when you disembark, just in case. I was once asked to produce them in Miami when we were pulled over and the dog was inspected by a USDA official as we got off.

Edited November 13, 2019 by Caribbean Chris

[rangeley]

Chris, Have a great cruise!!! 

[Algebralovr]

9 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

Silhouette! First time for us on that ship.

Have a great cruise!
We love Silhouette.  I've spent 8 weeks on her over the last 5 years.  Of course, she is pretty much like her sisters.  But she always has a great crew.

 

Barb

[Caribbean Chris]

Thanks, Cindy!

Barb, so great to hear that you like the ship so well. 

I’ll report back after it ends.

Chris

[Wendsong]

On 11/5/2019 at 1:26 PM, notentirelynormal said:

I'm really new to this.  Really new.  I am trying to get my dog registered as a Service Dog but for the life of me can't figure out how to do it.  All I can find are third party websites that tell me to fill in the blanks on a generic form, pay my money, buy a vest and viola!  She's a service dog.  Am I missing something?  Even my doctors don't seem to know the procedure.

All you need to know about USA service dogs is found at the US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section https://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm. To be a service animal (miniature horses can also be, but not cats or other animals), the handler - you - must have a medical need for it (disability) and the animal must be trained to meet that need. You need an annual up-to-date authorization letter from your doctor and the animal must be on leash unless it is unable to assist you while on leash.  Additionally, there are only two questions which may be asked of a handler: "Is the dog a service dog?" and "What service does the dog provide?" It is unlawful to ask what the handler's disability is. ADA prohibits this due to medical privacy considerations. 

 

There are no requirements for registration and there is no central, official registration organization in the US (or anywhere that I am aware of). The animal is not required to wear any identifying tags or harness, and, except for sterile environments, is allowed to go anywhere the public is allowed. The only exception is if the animal is unruly or defecates, it may be asked to leave, though the handler may stay without the dog. All rules for service animals other than these are made up by various people and organizations which "register" or "certify" service animals. However, they are not legal, nor required, even tho' they claim they are.

 

The state of California requires that service dogs be registered with them because they are exempt from annual licensing process. Once they are on the State service animal list, they no longer require a county license or fees and the handler is responsible for assuring the dog is up to date with immunizations. You might want to check with your state to see if they have similar regulations.

 

Because the public and obviously some service dog handlers are unaware of the law, I have obtained Service Dog Identification cards and certificate for my dog from an on line site: https://www.workingservicedog.com. It is inexpensive, has the dogs picture and an ID number". The back of the card states "the handler is not required by law to present this ID card and does so voluntarily". I must have my dog for balance, so I have a harness with a handle that I can hang on to. It states he is a working dog and DO NOT PET. He is considered a Mobility dog. Most officials don't go beyond my telling them he is used for Mobility. Only once did I get grilled at an airport by an over zealous security guard to the point where I had to declare my disability before she was satisfied. 

 

There is certain training that is essential for service animals, such as learning to go under a table or chair, walking on a lead (being carried is a no-no, but not illegal). My dog knows the command "Forward" to go through the security check point by himself and wait for me on the other side. He can back-up, turn around and come to my left on command. Other dogs can do much more, I realize, but his mobility efforts, plus picking up things dropped on the floor and providing balance are what his duties are. The rest is just convenient and good citizenship.

 

The cruise lines and other countries have put additional requirements on our dogs not required by US law, but then we won't be in the US, will we? He is now being taught to do his business on command. He is a fast learner and won't be a problem. I bought him a 4 x 4 childs swimming pool to practice with. He has 3 months and will be tip-top by the time we sail.

 

I am very grateful for the information provided to me by the people here on this site. I have found a Vet that knows the procedures and have gotten most of the answers regarding the requirements of the cruise line and the countries we will be visiting.

 

I hope this sorts it out for you. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Caribbean Chris]

On 11/13/2019 at 12:08 PM, rangeley said:

Chris, Have a great cruise!!! 

 

Great so far!!

 

I have to laugh because life really is like Forrest Gump’s Box of Chocolates when it comes to dog relief boxes. You never know what you are going to get.

 

After we boarded and had lunch, my husband checked - no box. He reported it to guest services desk staff on the way back. After a few hours and the safety drill had passed, I decided to introduce the dog to her new wind tunnel reality. 

 

She made a beeline to the brand new wood box - filled with good quality mulch and sized for a Labrador — that is, a Labrador puppy. Box was only about 18 inches square!  She stepped into it as far as possible and of course the pee puddled right onto the deck. 

 

Back to the drawing board for the on board carpenter, and when I took her back to the tunnel after I fed her, behold! there was a thing of beauty (ensconced next to the puppy box) and sized the usual roughly 4’ square. She blessed it with more pee AND poop, the best of all worlds. And the same again this morning. 

 

So the dog and I are happy campers able to truly enjoy the cruise!!  The Silhouette staff really was responsive in solving the problem - we are very favorably impressed. This ship is very much like Reflection, which was my previous favorite. All of the crew are terrific. 

 

Off to a great start.

 

[Caribbean Chris]

Big box, little box.

 

We attended the Cruise Critic Meet & Greet this morning - lots of officers attended, introduced by the cruise director, and it was very nicely done, with coffee and pastries. 

[Algebralovr]

Sounds like they are taking good care of you!  

 

I'm glad they don't have your box shoved unti the shelf there, but that your pup gets the entire 4x4 box to use. That was an issue on Solstice last year- they shoved it under that shelf against the wall.  That storage area was just full.  Finally, we ended up with 2 boxes next to one another, and basically had an area of about 3 x 7 (one of the two boxes wasn't full size the entire way).     Scooter ended up using one box to pee and one to poop.  It was funny.  

 

If it wasn't for the wind tunnel to get there, the area would be good.  The lip making it not-accessible, and the wind tunnel are just an issue.  

 

My other issue with taking Scooter on a Solstice-Class ship is that we have to avoid the lawn, and I like the Alcoves and the Lawn Club Grill.  That grass is just SO TEMPTING!!!!!   On the one last year with Scooter, we had successfully used the box in the wind tunnel and then took a walk.  We started to walk next to the grass and I swear his eyes lit up!  OMG GRASSS!!!!!  We had to NOPE right out of there.  🙂

 

Thanks for the reminder to sign up for the meet and greet for my next couple of cruises! 

[Caribbean Chris]

9 hours ago, Algebralovr said:

 

My other issue with taking Scooter on a Solstice-Class ship is that we have to avoid the lawn, and I like the Alcoves and the Lawn Club Grill.  That grass is just SO TEMPTING!!!!!   On the one last year with Scooter, we had successfully used the box in the wind tunnel and then took a walk.  We started to walk next to the grass and I swear his eyes lit up!  OMG GRASSS!!!!!  We had to NOPE right out of there.  🙂

 

Barb, I’m laughing reading about the S-class lawn. Similar episode with Ray, getting a whiff of real grass and picking up the pace trying to aim toward it. I remember going to some gathering up there in the lawn club grill and I kept hustling her along as fast as I could go along the walkway to get past it. I doubt I’ll take her up there this cruise.

 

You were right about Silhouette - great crew.

Edited November 16, 2019 by Caribbean Chris

[rangeley]

13 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Big box, little box.

 

We attended the Cruise Critic Meet & Greet this morning - lots of officers attended, introduced by the cruise director, and it was very nicely done, with coffee and pastries. 

Oh my! Poor Raylene. We are so disgusted with this whole service dog system. Besides the giant tree bark, to walking a mile to take them potty. Why put 2 boxes in one place and not place one at each end of the deck. John couldn't open the door to take the dog or get by all the cleaning carts in the hallways. If you have a balcony, the box needs to be placed there. We all have to put our heads together and figure out what to do about this. There were supposedly 5 SD on this ship. I only saw Horty and a little dog someone was passing off as a seizure dog. Too bad it was never with the person who had the seizures. And only worked at night. 🤔. Ugh. 

[Kaik9s]

9 hours ago, rangeley said:

Oh my! Poor Raylene. We are so disgusted with this whole service dog system. Besides the giant tree bark, to walking a mile to take them potty. Why put 2 boxes in one place and not place one at each end of the deck. John couldn't open the door to take the dog or get by all the cleaning carts in the hallways. If you have a balcony, the box needs to be placed there. We all have to put our heads together and figure out what to do about this. There were supposedly 5 SD on this ship. I only saw Horty and a little dog someone was passing off as a seizure dog. Too bad it was never with the person who had the seizures. And only worked at night. 🤔. Ugh. 

seizure dog only worked nights and never with their person? Sounds strange, having worked with people who have seizures the dog shouldn’t leave their side!? Decisions, decisions, which box should I use😆is how I’m reading the look on that cute face! 🐾

Edited November 16, 2019 by Kaik9s