Dog on board???

[Jennifer Garay]

I went on a disney cruise in April. On board there was two dogs. One was most definitely a working service dog. The other....not so much...it was a tiny dog that was wheeled in a carrier and dressed up. I thought emotional support animals were not allowed on ships, so how the heck was this allowed.

 

[Cheburashka]

I went on a disney cruise in April. On board there was two dogs. One was most definitely a working service dog. The other....not so much...it was a tiny dog that was wheeled in a carrier and dressed up. I thought emotional support animals were not allowed on ships, so how the heck was this allowed.

Yuck. I love dogs but want a break from them on vacation, especially when cruising. I hope this doesn't become a trend.

 

[princesscinderella]

Sometimes service dogs are trained to smell a drop in insulin level for a severe diabetic and wouldn’t necessarily need to look like a service dog. They could be dressed in frilly clothes to embody Disney fun, but still be on the job.

 

[lanejudy]

There is A LOT involved to bring a service animal on a cruise. I am 99.9% sure nobody would go through that just to bring a pet. As PP mentions, there are definitely tasks a small dog might be trained to help with a disability.

 

[n2mm]

I went on a disney cruise in April. On board there was two dogs. One was most definitely a working service dog. The other....not so much...it was a tiny dog that was wheeled in a carrier and dressed up. I thought emotional support animals were not allowed on ships, so how the heck was this allowed.

im thinking we were on the same cruise. April 23-30 ?

 

[Jennifer Garay]

We did magic from April 21 to 25. Apparently chihuahuas (i think it was) can be trained as a service dog for medical emergencies. It just certainly isn't the image that comes to mind when you think of a service dog.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

There's no reason why a small dog in a carrier can't be a service dog, so unless it misbehaves everyone is just going to treat it like another service dog.

Emotional support animals (there are no standards regarding training for ESAs) are basically pets, and are not allowed on the ship. The owner has to present it as a service dog (an animal trained to perform a task that assists with a disability). Service dogs are considered medical equipment, not pets. That said, as long as it behaves there is no way to tell whether or not it is genuinely a service dog.

 

[ArielRae]

It may have been a food allergy dog. Owner may have a severe food allergy. It smells the food before the owner eats it and signals if safe or not.

 

[Marthasor]

Not DCL, but we were on a Celebrity cruise on which a guest had a small dog in a wheeled carrier with him at all times. His dog was most definitely a service dog - there was no petting, playing, etc. It was the quietest, most well-behaved dog I've ever encountered in my life. IMHO, it's incredibly impressive what dogs can be trained to do and, in this case, I assume, it was a life-saving skill.

 

[JGamy]

My daughter had a Papillion ( 5 lbs.). It was her hearing service dog. She is legally deaf. Some small dogs are service dogs.

 

[insureman]

It may have been a food allergy dog. Owner may have a severe food allergy. It smells the food before the owner eats it and signals if safe or not.

That must be what my beagle is. She'll surf the dining room table (when no one is looking) and smell the food, the only issue is she eats it too. Bad dog.

 

[tvguy]

There was a service dog on our cruise on the Magic way back in 2003. They had a plastic bin with turf in it at the back of the ship for the dog to use as a bathroom.

 

[insureman]

There was a service dog on our cruise on the Magic way back in 2003. They had a plastic bin with turf in it at the back of the ship for the dog to use as a bathroom.

I saw this too in 2004 on the Magic. It was out on the secret sundeck on deck7 I believe before they took it over for some type of machinery room.

 

[linco711]

I went on a disney cruise in April. On board there was two dogs. One was most definitely a working service dog. The other....not so much...it was a tiny dog that was wheeled in a carrier and dressed up. I thought emotional support animals were not allowed on ships, so how the heck was this allowed.

You need to educate yourself on service animals before judging. I’m sure they were needed. Not sure why you were so upset by having them onboard? It’s wonderful that having them allowed their owner to enjoy life like others.

 

[Cheburashka]

You need to educate yourself on service animals before judging.

Talking about judging, your post is extremely judgmental to the OP. You can share a different opinion without making it a personal attack.

The dog of concern was dressed in a costume, which raises a very reasonable question of whether it might or might not have been a service dog. The OP raised a valid concern, as "emotional support animals" are not allowed onboard, and people sometimes try to pass those off as service dogs.

 

[linco711]

Talking about judging, your post is extremely judgmental to the OP. You can share a different opinion without making it a personal attack.

The dog of concern was dressed in a costume, which raises a very reasonable question of whether it might or might not have been a service dog. The OP raised a valid concern, as "emotional support animals" are not allowed onboard, and people sometimes try to pass those off as service dogs.

Seriously….now you’re sticking your nose in the owners business. Service animals can be dressed any way the owners want, and they do not have to wear anything identifying them as such. It’s not your business if the dog is a service animal or not. The owners just need to have their paperwork. This is between Disney and the owner. Why is it your business to worry about what Disney allows onboard?

 

[Mango7100]

Talking about judging, your post is extremely judgmental to the OP. You can share a different opinion without making it a personal attack.

The dog of concern was dressed in a costume, which raises a very reasonable question of whether it might or might not have been a service dog. The OP raised a valid concern, as "emotional support animals" are not allowed onboard, and people sometimes try to pass those off as service dogs.

And if that dog is not properly trained (which an emotional support animal doesn’t require any training legally since emotional support animal is a broad term with no regulation) and bites someone on board, Disney and that owner would have a fat lawsuit on their hands. I have had people ask me constantly to write letters classifying their pet as an emotional support animal literally for the sole purpose of wanting to take it on vacation or in stores. I refuse. There are certainly tons of legitimate service animals for a variety of mental/social/physical conditions, but there are a lot of people who abuse the system and make it harder for people with legitimate situations.

 

[linco711]

And if that dog is not properly trained (which an emotional support animal doesn’t require any training legally since emotional support animal is a broad term with no regulation) and bites someone on board, Disney and that owner would have a fat lawsuit on their hands. I have had people ask me constantly to write letters classifying their pet as an emotional support animal literally for the sole purpose of wanting to take it on vacation or in stores. I refuse. There are certainly tons of legitimate service animals for a variety of mental/social/physical conditions, but there are a lot of people who abuse the system and make it harder for people with legitimate situations.

Exactly….Disney and the owner would have to deal with any problems.

 

[mousefan73]

The pet relief area I saw recently on the wonder was just off the jogging track... No turf or anything... I was thinking ok that is kinda gross. but I assume service dogs are also trained maybe to go on a diaper sheet in said area??? I wonder if anyone that has severve pet allergies needs to note this in their reservation as even a deep cleaning of stateroom wont get rid of all the dander. So I hope they always use the same rooms for service pet guests and keep the rest pet free.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think the issue is assuming any dog in any embellishment makes someone think it can't possibly be a service animal and in more recent years the go to is "they must be just an emotional support". We all get it, people like to make up stories to have pets with them but not all places are really all that suited for that to be more likely. A cruise ship is a confined vessel, things like bathroom access, food, etc all of that is so limited it really becomes a much larger burden to just make up all of that to have your dog with you.

A dog dressed up most certainly can be a service dog. Do people not think those with service animals do things for Halloween or other such holidays? Or just random days? Like they aren't allowed to do that? That ends up being a problem with other people being presumptuous as if those with service animals need any more of that stuff. A service dog would need to be able to treat any adornment as a non-distractor and not interfere physically with their tasks at hand, other than that that's it.

I don't think the OP meant anything other than just working (no pun intended) with a preconceived notion of what service animals are and aren't.