Companion/Service Dogs

[LockShockBarrel]

See that makes sense to me, I think it's perfectably reasonable to expect that a certified trainer by involved with a service dog in training. I very much agree with you that businesses should step up with asking people with misbehaving dogs to remove the dog, and at my workplace we regularly at least ask people if an animal is a service animal (and I've had to inform some of the management they can't ask what disability the person has), but I guess this kind of falls into the "people are afraid to inforce a policy" issue like we've talked about in EVC posts.

 

[videogal1]

THere are already Service Dog tests that can be given (basically high power obedience tests). Even that would weed out a lot of the dogs that are being passed off as Service Dogs.
We live in Minnesota, which does actually require service dogs to be certified (which is probably out of compliance with the ADA< but what the heck). They require that the dog be trained by a certified trainer - although the training can be done by the owner working with the certified trainer. (Sorry if this is not exactly what Minnesota law says. I actually read the law a few years ago and am trying to summarize and paraphrase it). After passing the test, you get a card with a picture of the dog with the user (that was not much fun trying to get DD and her dog both with their heads in the same picture. Funney, but not much fun).
But no one would ask to see the papers and I would not want to have to show it all the time.

I still think the way to solve the problem is for businesses to be aware and comfortable that they don’t have to put up with poorly behaving dogs. And that they can tell someone to remove their poorly behaving dog, even if the person says it is a service dog.

So, a Service dog alerts to a medical condition by barking a warning...trained to do so by a "certified trainer". Is this a misbehaving service dog? or a misbehaving "certified trainer"?

Minnesota state law, as summarized by you, like the Texas state law, is unenforceable....but what the heck? eek!

 

[SueM in MN]

So, a Service dog alerts to a medical condition by barking a warning...trained to do so by a "certified trainer". Is this a misbehaving service dog? or a misbehaving "certified trainer"?

Minnesota state law, as summarized by you, like the Texas state law, is unenforceable....but what the heck? eek!

And, then you get into how the trainer is qualified ( I think the law might actually say something also about being trained by a recognized training program.
Certified, how, by who? Recognized, how, by who?
And how will anyone looking at our dog know this?
The name of his program is on his vest, but you can buy vests and put anything you want on the vest. Would anyone know?

So, I agree with you that none of it would be enforceable.
When we were thinking of getting a dog, we investigated to find someone/some program good to train it. People with disabilities whose dogs provide tasks/services depend on their dog doing what needs to be done without having to worry about whether or not the dog is behaving. The dog has to be way beyond that point to be a good service dog.

But, someone claiming their dog is a service dog just to keep it with them may not be that concerned about behavior. So, if their dog misbehaves, it doesn't hurt them because they are not reliant on total obedience and most businesses won't do anything. The people hurt are the ones with actual service dogs.

 

[Disneykidsdad]

We will be taking our daughters service dog to WDW for the third time this July.
In the past, when we went to the Animal Kingdom, we put him in the kennel for the time we were in the park. We never stay more than a half day. Now that Disney only has one kennel I wondered how we were going to get him to it on the day we went to the Animal Kingdom. There is no bus service to the kennel and we never have a car. After many phone calls I finally got my answer from Bell Services at the Boardwalk Villas (where we will be staying). They are going to provide us with "taxi vouchers" for whenever we need to drop the dog off at the kennel and pick him up. Hopefully this will become standard practice with service dogs. Now that's Disney Magic!

 

[livndisney]

We will be taking our daughters service dog to WDW for the third time this July.
In the past, when we went to the Animal Kingdom, we put him in the kennel for the time we were in the park. We never stay more than a half day. Now that Disney only has one kennel I wondered how we were going to get him to it on the day we went to the Animal Kingdom. There is no bus service to the kennel and we never have a car. After many phone calls I finally got my answer from Bell Services at the Boardwalk Villas (where we will be staying). They are going to provide us with "taxi vouchers" for whenever we need to drop the dog off at the kennel and pick him up. Hopefully this will become standard practice with service dogs. Now that's Disney Magic!

Does Disney offer taxi vouchers to other guests using the kennel?

 

[Disneykidsdad]

Does Disney offer taxi vouchers to other guests using the kennel?

Not sure but I would think it would only be for service dogs and not the family pet.

 

[livndisney]

Not sure but I would think it would only be for service dogs and not the family pet.

I wonder how that would work with equal not "better" access.

 

[crashbb]

Are service dogs not allowed at Animal Kingdom? How does that work for those who *need* their dogs (which would be, I would have thought, most people with service animals)?

 

[Disneykidsdad]

Are service dogs not allowed at Animal Kingdom? How does that work for those who *need* their dogs (which would be, I would have thought, most people with service animals)?

They are allowed but there are alot of restrictions. With good reason. They can't go on the safari ride (too bumpy). They can't go to the bird show (Flights of Wonder) (might scare the birds on stage). And there are parts of the nature walk too. All with good reason. So you can still bring your service dog but have to abide by these rules. We choose to kennel our daughters dog. He is in a cool, safe place and we can go wherever we want.

 

[livndisney]

They are allowed but there are alot of restrictions. With good reason. They can't go on the safari ride (too bumpy). They can't go to the bird show (Flights of Wonder) (might scare the birds on stage). And there are parts of the nature walk too. All with good reason. So you can still bring your service dog but have to abide by these rules. We choose to kennel our daughters dog. He is in a cool, safe place and we can go wherever we want.

I guess I am confused-there are restrictions in all the parks (understandably). Is this information not correct:

Restrictions for Service Animals
Due to the nature of the experience, service animals at Walt Disney World Resort are not permitted on the following Disney Theme Park attractions:

..Magic Kingdom Park

· Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

· Peter Pan's Flight

· Space Mountain

· Splash Mountain

..Epcot

· Mission: SPACE

· Test Track

· The Land: Soarin'™

..Disney's Hollywood Studios

· Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

· Star Tours – The Adventures Continue

· The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

..Disney's Animal Kingdom Park

· Affection Section at Rafiki's Planet Watch

· DINOSAUR

· Kali River Rapids

· Expedition Everest

· Primeval Whirl




Due to the nature of the experience, Guests with service animals visiting Walt Disney World Resort should check with a Disney Cast Member for attraction and boarding information at the following Disney Theme Park attractions:

Magic Kingdom Park

· Prince Charming Regal Carrousel

· Stitch's Great Escape!

..Epcot

· Imagination: "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience"

· Innoventions East and West

· Spaceship Earth

..Disney's Hollywood Studios

· The Great Movie Ride

· Toy Story Mania

..Disney's Animal Kingdom Park

· "It's Tough To Be A Bug!"

· Kilimanjaro Safaris

· Aviary area of Pangani Forest Exploration Trail

· Aviary area of Maharajah Jungle Trek

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plain-text/#/SERVICE ANIMALS

 

[dclfun]

They are allowed but there are alot of restrictions. With good reason. They can't go on the safari ride (too bumpy). They can't go to the bird show (Flights of Wonder) (might scare the birds on stage). And there are parts of the nature walk too. All with good reason. So you can still bring your service dog but have to abide by these rules. We choose to kennel our daughters dog. He is in a cool, safe place and we can go wherever we want.

This information is not correct. Service dogs are allowed on the safari, at the Flights of Wonder show and in the aviary. If a SD is misbehaving then a Guest can legally be asked to remove the dog. We've done all of these attractions. In the FOW show they have a specific location for us to sit.--- Kathy

Edited to add- Animal Kingdom is my favorite park and we live locally. We have spent literally HOURS on Pangani Trail.

 

[SueM in MN]

I guess I am confused-there are restrictions in all the parks (understandably). Is this information not correct:

Restrictions for Service Animals
Due to the nature of the experience, service animals at Walt Disney World Resort are not permitted on the following Disney Theme Park attractions:

..Magic Kingdom Park

· Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

· Peter Pan's Flight

· Space Mountain

· Splash Mountain

..Epcot

· Mission: SPACE

· Test Track

· The Land: Soarin'™

..Disney's Hollywood Studios

· Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

· Star Tours – The Adventures Continue

· The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

..Disney's Animal Kingdom Park

· Affection Section at Rafiki's Planet Watch

· DINOSAUR

· Kali River Rapids

· Expedition Everest

· Primeval Whirl




Due to the nature of the experience, Guests with service animals visiting Walt Disney World Resort should check with a Disney Cast Member for attraction and boarding information at the following Disney Theme Park attractions:

Magic Kingdom Park

· Prince Charming Regal Carrousel

· Stitch's Great Escape!

..Epcot

· Imagination: "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience"

· Innoventions East and West

· Spaceship Earth

..Disney's Hollywood Studios

· The Great Movie Ride

· Toy Story Mania

..Disney's Animal Kingdom Park

· "It's Tough To Be A Bug!"

· Kilimanjaro Safaris

· Aviary area of Pangani Forest Exploration Trail

· Aviary area of Maharajah Jungle Trek

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plain-text/#/SERVICE ANIMALS

The ones that are listed as not allowing Service Dogs are for fairly obvious reasons - like roller coasters or thrill rides with no way to safely secure a dog, or suspended rides like Soarin’ or Peter Pan.

The Affection Station at AK might not seem obvious, but all the animals are walking around free and my guess is that it is for the safety of the animals that might become upset by a dog just being there.

The ones that are listed as "should check with a Disney Cast Member for attraction and boarding information at the following Disney Theme Park attractions:”

are mostly ones that have something that might be upsetting or uncomfortable to some dogs, so the CMs need a chance to tell the person so they can decide whether to bring the dog on. Or, there may be special boarding (for example, at the Carrousel, a CM may hold the chariot for the person with a Service Dog). And, some people may choose not to go on some things (like the Aviary) with their dog because their particular dog has a strong attraction to birds. For example, our dog has been thru bird hunting training and he is a ‘flusher’, so I am not sure we would want to take him into the aviaries. At very least, before going in, I would want to know the fastest way out.

 

[livndisney]

The ones that are listed as not allowing Service Dogs are for fairly obvious reasons - like roller coasters or thrill rides with no way to safely secure a dog, or suspended rides like Soarin’ or Peter Pan.

The Affection Station at AK might not seem obvious, but all the animals are walking around free and my guess is that it is for the safety of the animals that might become upset by a dog just being there.

The ones that are listed as "should check with a Disney Cast Member for attraction and boarding information at the following Disney Theme Park attractions:”

are mostly ones that have something that might be upsetting or uncomfortable to some dogs, so the CMs need a chance to tell the person so they can decide whether to bring the dog on. Or, there may be special boarding (for example, at the Carrousel, a CM may hold the chariot for the person with a Service Dog). And, some people may choose not to go on some things (like the Aviary) with their dog because their particular dog has a strong attraction to birds. For example, our dog has been thru bird hunting training and he is a ‘flusher’, so I am not sure we would want to take him into the aviaries. At very least, before going in, I would want to know the fastest way out.

As I said, I understand that some attractions are not suitable for a SD, just as some attractions are not suitable for some of our "issues". I think the pp has misinformation as far as what is "allowed". Kathy clarified what I thought was the correct information, by sharing her experiences.

 

[SueM in MN]

As I said, I understand that some attractions are not suitable for a SD, just as some attractions are not suitable for some of our "issues". I think the pp has misinformation as far as what is "allowed". Kathy clarified what I thought was the correct information, by sharing her experiences.

I agree with you.
I just quoted your post to get the list from the Disney website into my post.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I think some guide dog schools or trainers don't always have the correct information in regards to wear the dogs are allowed, at least they didn't in the past. Years ago we were told we shouldn't go to the zoo because the predators would be attracted to the dog and the herd animals would see him a predator. Many a missed zoo trip for me as a kid as a result.

The past times I was at Disney with our dogs they actually really enjoyed the safari ride (but they DO have to be leashed to the truck) and we used rider swap for anything the dog wasn't allowed on. The only incident we ever had with taking the dog on a ride was at Spaceship Earth when a CM tried to tell us he wasn't allowed because of the Rome scene with the smell. This was corrected and on we went, and the dog didn't even seem to notice the smell

 

[videogal1]

We will be taking our daughters service dog to WDW for the third time this July.
In the past, when we went to the Animal Kingdom, we put him in the kennel for the time we were in the park. They are going to provide us with "taxi vouchers" for whenever we need to drop the dog off at the kennel and pick him up. Hopefully this will become standard practice with service dogs. Now that's Disney Magic!

Why are you putting your daughter's service dog in a kennel for a visit to AK? Will she not need her Service dog? Is this now a Disney requirement? Does the dog not do well in that kind of environment?

I would not (and did not) put Cash in a kennel for them. They cannot require it. Zoos cannot prohibit people from entering with a service dog. In deciding whether or not someone was sufficiently disabled to need a service dog the courts used to consider the dependance on a dog that the handler had. People who showed that they could be separated from their dogs and function well enough were often judged not to be substantially disabled enough to need them. It's been a long time since I had this fight with WDW about AK access and I'm surprised to see this come up again....
I remember that they requested that we not enter the area where the special foods were mixed for the animals. That made a little sense... we did, however go through the bird area with no problems... and Cash a bird dog, too... how embarrassing for him..

 

[livndisney]

Why are you putting your daughter's service dog in a kennel for a visit to AK? Will she not need her Service dog? Is this now a Disney requirement? Does the dog not do well in that kind of environment?

I would not (and did not) put Cash in a kennel for them. They cannot require it. Zoos cannot prohibit people from entering with a service dog. In deciding whether or not someone was sufficiently disabled to need a service dog the courts used to consider the dependance on a dog that the handler had. People who showed that they could be separated from their dogs and function well enough were often judged not to be substantially disabled enough to need them. It's been a long time since I had this fight with WDW about AK access and I'm surprised to see this come up again....
I remember that they requested that we not enter the area where the special foods were mixed for the animals. That made a little sense... we did, however go through the bird area with no problems... and Cash a bird dog, too... how embarrassing for him..

I am sure boarding a service animal is not a requirement by WDW. As I understand the pp boarding the SD is a choice they are making.

 

[crashbb]

So then we get back to - why does WDW pay for their taxi, when they wouldn't pay for anyone else's taxi?

And, I could be way off here, but wouldn't the ability to spend the day without the dog, negate it being a "service dog"? Aren't service dogs, dogs that the person requires to be with at all time (hence they are allowed places that other animals are not)?

 

[SueM in MN]

So then we get back to - why does WDW pay for their taxi, when they wouldn't pay for anyone else's taxi?

And, I could be way off here, but wouldn't the ability to spend the day without the dog, negate it being a "service dog"? Aren't service dogs, dogs that the person requires to be with at all time (hence they are allowed places that other animals are not)?

First, we don’t know that they would not pay for anyone else’s taxi. Things were different when the animal care centers were someplace that it was possible to get by bus. Now, the only way is by taxi - and it is possible that the vouchers are not paid for by Disney, but are provided by the boarding kennel and just handed out by Disney. That would be a smart business decision.

And, the question about the service dogs is the same logic as saying that someone who uses a wheelchair or ECV must stay in it all the time, otherwise they are not truly disabled and don’t need the wheelchair or ECV.

Just because an accommodation is not needed 100% of the time doesn’t mean it’s not needed.

 

[livndisney]

First, we don’t know that they would not pay for anyone else’s taxi. Things were different when the animal care centers were someplace that it was possible to get by bus. Now, the only way is by taxi - and it is possible that the vouchers are not paid for by Disney, but are provided by the boarding kennel and just handed out by Disney. That would be a smart business decision.

And, the question about the service dogs is the same logic as saying that someone who uses a wheelchair or ECV must stay in it all the time, otherwise they are not truly disabled and don’t need the wheelchair or ECV.

Just because an accommodation is not needed 100% of the time doesn’t mean it’s not needed.

According to the Best Friends Website, they do not provide transportation.

"Do you provide pick up/drop off to my hotel?
We do not offer transportation services."

http://wdw.bestfriendspetcare.com/faqs