Dogs on board???

[jessemon]

One of them piddled on the floor in the area between the buffet and the restaurant part, and the owner just carried on as if nothing had happened....someone could have slipped in the wet spot. I found this appalling, and the owner just kept walking, and yes, I'm sure he knew. I was sitting at a table where I saw it happen, and had to tell one of the staff so they could mop it up.

Is this the norm? I have NEVER seen this on any other ship in my 10 plus

By the way...after my teasing here a little bit I do have a question for you. Why didn't you ask this person if they were going to clean up after the little piddler...?????

[PINEVIEW01]

I actually just called Carnival to ask if pets are allowed and specifically told the rep about the dogs. He put me on hold and checked with customer service, and apparently if their papers are in order, and they have had all their shots, some people can bring certain types of pets onboard.

You've got to be kidding:eek: If this is a new policy, I may stop cruising. Bad enough you have to deal with the new bread of brats in the Lido, don't want pet dogs too.

 

I too have seen a couple of the well trained/behaved service dogs but pets......

[jessemon]

Again' date=' Carnival doesn NOT permit dogs onboard unless they are certified service animals. These animals come in all sizes and all breeds.

 

Before the animal can be brought onboard, Carnival must receive medical information on the animal, the passenger and the type of service dog it is.

From their website:

 

Carnival Cruise Lines does permit guest to travel on board with specially trained service animals (e.g., dog guides, hearing-ear dogs, working dogs). Please note that many of our exciting ports of call have established strict entry requirements for animals. Therefore, guests with service animals who wish to disembark in ports of call should contact the Department of Agriculture to determine the policy of each destination regarding admission of service animals to the particular country. [i']Pets are not permitted onboard.[/i]

 

Smaller service dogs are used for many reasons. Many can alert their owner of an impending seizure...or for those with certain types of heart failure/disease - and impending attack. Some service dogs are for severe emotional conditions or other infirmities.

 

It's not up to anyone to judge why it's a Jack Russell, a poodle or an Irish Wolfhound. It's simply nobody's business.

It is someones business though when it pees on the floor in the Lido restaurant....Namely the owners.....Who it seems from what the "OP" said could have cared less and walked away.

[kyrisong1]

By the way...after my teasing here a little bit I do have a question for you. Why didn't you ask this person if they were going to clean up after the little piddler...?????

Now THATS the question I would have asked them, to leave your dogs (or childs) mess there for someone else to handle is really low.

[PINEVIEW01]

It is someones business though when it pees on the floor in the Lido restaurant....Namely the owners.....Who it seems from what the "OP" said could have cared less and walked away.

You can't nave any non service dog in a resturant, why would they be in allowed in the Lido??

[jessemon]

You can't nave any non service dog in a resturant, why would they be in allowed in the Lido??

Well, let me refresh the tread so far....No one knows if they were or were not services dogs. And "NO" dog except a service dog is allowed on a ship. Anyways...if it is a service dog of any kind it has run of the ship when with the owner.....

[Umbarger]

Yes, service dogs come in every size and breed. Go to the disabled board and read this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=585728 These are people with legit service animals.

 

However, just like handicapped parking, people are always trying to abuse the system.

 

Every cruise line allows service dogs. So avoiding Carnival won't help you. Believe it or not but an emotional support animal is considered a service animal.

 

Legit service dogs are very well behaved and would never pee in the wrong place. Service dogs are given a litter box at a certain place on the ship. For this reason I don't think this animal was a true service animal.

 

Anyone could book a cruise tomorrow and say their 'pet' dog is an emotional support dog and as long as it has all it's shots could get it on board. It's not the right thing to do but some people do it just to get their pets on board. Shame on them.

[PINEVIEW01]

Your right if they are. I just can't beleive the owner of a certified dog would allow it to pee and walk off

 

I'm not going to let my DH know this or he will insist on taking his:cool:

[MoneyGuy]

On our last cruise we saw two dogs. One was a service dog and the other was a pet. I have no idea why the pet was on board.

[Umbarger]

Your right if they are. I just can't beleive the owner of a certified dog would allow it to pee and walk off

 

 

 

Never. A certified service dog would never pee in the wrong place. They can and will hold it. They are highly trained and know when and where to 'go'

[home_sea_home]

I am actually a dog trainer, so I understand all the training the different types of service animals there are. In fact, a good friend of mine has a small dog that is certified by her therapist as her "emotional support" animal. I have seen dogs detecting seizures, as well as ones for deaf people.

As above posters have said, actual "service dogs" ARE trained not to eliminate outside their defined areas. However, ones like my friends (emotional) are not necessarily required to be trained. It is completely up to the owner to clean up after their dog, since it is their pet. I have had people in my training classes watch their dog urinate, and then just look at me as if to say "Aren't you going to clean that up?". At which point I hand them a mop or towel!

I would hope that Carnival is pretty strict about their paperwork requirements (i.e. needing a valid doctor's signature). Otherwise, I may take my lab mix on our next cruise!!

[woodey]

Yes, service dogs come in every size and breed. Go to the disabled board and read this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=585728 These are people with legit service animals.

 

However, just like handicapped parking, people are always trying to abuse the system.

 

Every cruise line allows service dogs. So avoiding Carnival won't help you. Believe it or not but an emotional support animal is considered a service animal.

 

Legit service dogs are very well behaved and would never pee in the wrong place. Service dogs are given a litter box at a certain place on the ship. For this reason I don't think this animal was a true service animal.

 

Anyone could book a cruise tomorrow and say their 'pet' dog is an emotional support dog and as long as it has all it's shots could get it on board. It's not the right thing to do but some people do it just to get their pets on board. Shame on them.

My DW is disabled..she has MS and fibromyalga we do have a service pet which is a cat...legal and legitimit paperwork and all.....and is a emotional support animal....We would never carry the cat with us on the ship....or any animal for what it matters ..the only Animal i think that should be allowed is a seeing eye dog. during a cruise my DW does not need the support she is happy enough just being away from home and on a Cruise.

[jessemon]

My DW is disabled..she has MS and fibromyalga we do have a service pet which is a cat...legal and legitimit paperwork and all.....and is a emotional support animal....We would never carry the cat with us on the ship....or any animal for what it matters ..the only Animal i think that should be allowed is a seeing eye dog. during a cruise my DW does not need the support she is happy enough just being away from home and on a Cruise.

Well said and good point. My wishes go out to your wife and may she enjoy many more happy cruises with you.....;)

[wasiii]

Well, let me refresh the tread so far....No one knows if they were or were not services dogs. And "NO" dog except a service dog is allowed on a ship. Anyways...if it is a service dog of any kind it has run of the ship when with the owner.....

 

.....that makes absolutely no sense.

 

Now if you said let me refresh the thread so far', then I would understand.

 

wasiii

 

just getting you back for the don't/doesn't comment before. See, we all make mistakes.

[pe4all]

We had looked into becoming "puppy handlers" to train seeing eye dogs. While that didn't work out for us, we do know that even the puppies have to wear "service dog jacket" when in public, so people know not to touch them. DD has a seizure disorder, and we recently looked into getting a seizure dog for her. Decided not to, as the care of the dog on our cruise vacations (and in general) would have been more inhibitive to dd's lifestyle than it was worth. (her seizures are not frequent, and are luckily, not grand mal) We do know we could have gotten many breeds of dogs - most being labs, but some seizure dogs are lap dogs. But again, when in public, they all must have their service jackets on- to identify them as "working dogs", not pets. I definitely hope the cruisers on Carnival had true service dogs - not pets. That would be a terrible thing to start- allowing small pets on board! But the best way to know is to ask the owner!

[salty dingo]

I set next to a large black lab in the dining room on Celebrity Mercury. He was very good but did leave some fur on the carpet when he got up and left. He was clearly a service dog. They are not that uncommon, but in all my cruises I have only seen that one. No cruise line permits pets onboard, except for Cunard, for transatlantic crossings, and they have a special kennel deck where the dog stays. You cannot roam about the deck with a dog except for a service animal.

[MamaTene]

Lovely older lady had her dog with her. Had statement from MD that stated dog was needed for emotional support. She goes NOWHERE without the dog.

Was always in its carrier when on deck. She did have balcony room and brought along own "astroturf" like grass for the dog. Also had area roped off area all the way forward that was used for exercise area for dog.

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

It would seem to me that since the OP was so upset by this situation, she could have just settled this whole thing by just asking the offending passengers if their dogs were service or pets. Maybe even a trip to the Pursers desk to complain and to know why those dogs were on board?

 

Why didn't you? ;)

[Sparky58]

It would seem to me that since the OP was so upset by this situation' date=' she could have just settled this whole thing by just asking the offending passengers if their dogs were service or pets. Maybe even a trip to the Pursers desk to complain and to know why those dogs were on board?

 

Why didn't you? ;)[/quote']

 

No kidding...if OP was upset enough to never cruise with Carnival again, not to mention starting a thread here, why not just simply ASK someone - either the people with the dog or Carnival staff - for an explaination?

 

I also find it very hard to believe that Carnival actually told someone that ANY pets are allowed as long as they have shots and papers...but I guess this just leads back to that old proverb, 'believe nothing of what you hear, and half of what you read'.

[beansatw]

I guess it wouldn't bother me if there were dogs onboard -- but the minute they start hogging chairs or wearing jeans to the dining room, then we'll have an issue.

 

:D

[okgirl]

There were at least 2 different little white dogs that looks like shihtzu's and a jack russell terrier. I am quite sure they were not service dogs. As I said, I was quite surprised.

 

Service dogs are sometimes quite small, especially when they are trained to alert on seisure and/or blood sugar problems.

 

My understanding is that Carnival requires documentation substantiating that the animal is in fact a service dog.

 

But there is no excuse for the owners not being responsible for cleaning up after their pets, I would have spoken to the MD in the buffet about the situation, he should have confronted the passenger.

[SmerkyGrl]

I guess it wouldn't bother me if there were dogs onboard -- but the minute they start hogging chairs or wearing jeans to the dining room, then we'll have an issue.

 

:D

 

Amen to this!

[Elaine515]

Well they must have been qualified as service animals, however I've never seen a service animal that hasn't had perfect behavior, they are very stingently trained, they have an area they use for toileting away from the public areas, and service dogs are NOT puppies.

Unless someone pulled some unsavory strings to get these dogs catagorized as service dogs when in fact they aren't.

Smaller dogs can be just as helpful as the little ones as service animals btw, they are using them for epileptics too, somehow a dog can tell when a seizure is coming on and will warn their owners.

I think a true service dog is a wonderful and amazing thing, and equal freedom for people restricted from alot of experiences in life because of a handicap.

Carole

 

There have been other posts in the past on this subject. "Service dog" is a very subjective term. People have been known to get their "pets" called service dogs so they can travel with them, and not because they need any assistance, but because they miss their "babies". LOL. They're animals, not people and unless someone really needs them for assistance, I have a real issue with this practice. Who decides what a "service dog" is? A Dr? Some doctors will do anything to shut their patients up.

 

 

Yes unfortunately people will, can you believe it "lie" to get their pet dogs become "service dogs"... my neighbor did it and bragged to whoever would listen. Obviously she is at fault, and NO, I am not friends with her but I also blame the Vet who lied along with her, signed the papers and even went as far as telling her where to go online to purchase one of those 'SERVICE DOGS" banner for her dog to wear!!!

 

Truly if the dog is well behaved and not bothering me, I could care less. I personally leave my 3 animals at home because I don't want to take care of them... I'm on Vacation!! But, if I saw the dog piddling where the piddle didn't belong, then yes, you can bet I would be complaining... That is deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegusting...

[BullDogChief]

Yes...but there are fossils so there "is" proof.....:p

PS: By the way the don't exist...they used to exist...

 

Oh, I think some dinosaurs do exist...ever seen an alligator or crocodile...or my dad? :D

[BullDogChief]

No kidding...if OP was upset enough to never cruise with Carnival again, not to mention starting a thread here, why not just simply ASK someone - either the people with the dog or Carnival staff - for an explaination?

 

I also find it very hard to believe that Carnival actually told someone that ANY pets are allowed as long as they have shots and papers...but I guess this just leads back to that old proverb, 'believe nothing of what you hear, and half of what you read'.

 

Ummmm, maybe I read it different than you but I don't recall OP ever saying they would never cruise Carnival again...or, for that matter, even being upset...what I read said OP was surprised and was posting this thread to merely ASK others if they had seen anything like this before...how does that translate to being upset and declaring never to sail Carnival again? :confused: