Companion/Service Dogs

[Disneykidsdad]

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.

WOW...finally a voice of reason. All I was trying to do was let people know that Disney was once again going out of their way to their guests. I never once asked for a taxi voucher. That was Disney's idea. I just asked how I was going to get the dog to the new kennel if I chose to do it. We choose NOT to take our daughter's service dog to the AK for his comfort and safety. And no, when we are with her she doesn't require the dog 100% of the time. He is not a medical alert dog or a seeing eye dog. So everyone let's cool your jets.

 

[livndisney]

WOW...finally a voice of reason. All I was trying to do was let people know that Disney was once again going out of their way to their guests. I never once asked for a taxi voucher. That was Disney's idea. I just asked how I was going to get the dog to the new kennel if I chose to do it. We choose NOT to take our daughter's service dog to the AK for his comfort and safety. And no, when we are with her she doesn't require the dog 100% of the time. He is not a medical alert dog or a seeing eye dog. So everyone let's cool your jets.

I don't think people asking questions/providing information on a message board to warrant this reply. It seemed (at least to me) that you were under the impression the dog was not allowed at AK. So I and others posted the correct information, that you could in fact take the dog to AK.

As far as "not asking for the voucher", there was no mention of that other than your original post where you stated "after several calls" they ageed to provide the voucher. You also stated that you hoped WDW providing taxi vouchers would become the norm for those with service animals. This may be considered "better" access than the "equal" provided by law. So others reading this thread should not expect this to be the "norm".

 

[Disneykidsdad]

I don't think people asking questions/providing information on a message board to warrant this reply. It seemed (at least to me) that you were under the impression the dog was not allowed at AK. So I and others posted the correct information, that you could in fact take the dog to AK.

As far as "not asking for the voucher", there was no mention of that other than your original post where you stated "after several calls" they ageed to provide the voucher. You also stated that you hoped WDW providing taxi vouchers would become the norm for those with service animals. This may be considered "better" access than the "equal" provided by law. So others reading this thread should not expect this to be the "norm".

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!

It must have been you because nowhere in my original post (above) did I even imply that that the service dog was not allowed in AK. I don't know how you could assume that "after several calls" means I asked for the vouchers. All I was trying to do was let people know what Disney is doing for us. I never meant to get into a pi$$ing contest with anyone. I'm sorry I even posted it.
It won't happen again. To those of you who might benefit from any information I might come across, sorry, I won't be posting it here.

 

[SueM in MN]

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

I stand corrected on that point that they do not provide transportation.

I do think that if someone chooses to bring a pet along is a little different situation than someone bringing a service dog. The pet is likely to be staying there for longer periods with possibly the guest visiting occasionally.
The Service Dog is there more for respite.

And, I still don’t know how people will get their dogs back and forth to the Best Friends kennel if the kennel doesn’t provide transportation. I think instead of the question being “why do they provide it for Service Dogs?” , it should be “Why don’t they provide transportation for everyone using the kennel?”

Since the kennel doesn’t provide transportation, maybe Disney does to anyone who asks (they, after all moved the kennel from a place on the bus routes to a place that is not).

AND - NOW, the PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT>
Everyone, please settle down. There is no need to argue about things. The OP of the kennel information was trying to post helpful information. Some posters were trying to clarify and then there were re-clarifications.
There is sometimes a fine line between nice and not nice, especially when it’s just words with no facial cues, body language or voice tone attached to the message.

So, eveyone, play nice and don’t make me assign points or close this thread.

 

[crashbb]

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.

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.

Sorry, I was going with the information from videogal, which seemed to imply that the animal did need to be needed 100% of the time. In re-reading it, I see that that was the rule IN THE PAST, not now.

 

[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!

It must have been you because nowhere in my original post (above) did I even imply that that the service dog was not allowed in AK. I don't know how you could assume that "after several calls" means I asked for the vouchers. All I was trying to do was let people know what Disney is doing for us. I never meant to get into a pi$$ing contest with anyone. I'm sorry I even posted it.
It won't happen again. To those of you who might benefit from any information I might come across, sorry, I won't be posting it here.

In an effort to clarify what I was saying this is the post I was referring to-you stated:

"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 posted the info from the WDW website because judging from my previous Service Dog research I thought the info you provided was not correct. I wanted you to have the correct info, so you could make the right choices for your family to enjoy your vacation.

I did not want you thinking you had no choice but to board the dog.

The rest I will leave alone. I do hope you have an enjoyable vacation.

 

[disney travel bums]

Hi all we are taking our dd2's service dog with us next week and can't wait. This will be our first time taking him. Last year we didn't b/c he wasn't done his training, instead he stayed with the trainer.

Before we go we are stopping in Atlanta and going to the Aquarium, the zoo, the coke museum and the museum of natural history.

I am just wondering what sort of tips you may have when we are at disney. We are giong to Hollywood, Epcot and Magic Kingdom we aren't fans of AK so we won't be going there.

We know that he will need breaks and let him have lots of water. But are there anyother tips you can give us that you did that would be great.

We are also on the hunt for a cooling coat for him

Also we are staying at Pop Century. We want to go to the pool can we leave Crosby to rest in the room? he doesn't bark but I am sure will need the rest in a nice cool room.

thanks

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Carry a water dish with you. And at least hourly stop near a fountain and fill it up for him to have a drink. He cannot tell you when he is thirsty and in the heat and humidity we have down here he will need lots of water.

 

[SueM in MN]

Service Dogs are not allowed on certain attractions and one of your group will have to stay with the dog while the rest ride.

You can find out which attractions these are by looking in the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of this board (or follow the link in my signature).
You can also pick up a park map for Guests with Disabilities at each park which lists those attractions.

Keep in mind that your dog is like likely to be exhausted before the end of the day because of all the walking, the heat, the general commotion and the constant movement and noises. It is. Hard work for the dog and he may need frequent breaks just to be 'not working' for short periods. Our DD's service dog has not been to WDW, but when he goes out shopping, he gets pretty tired.

 

[Disneykidsdad]

Hi all we are taking our dd2's service dog with us next week and can't wait. This will be our first time taking him. Last year we didn't b/c he wasn't done his training, instead he stayed with the trainer.

Before we go we are stopping in Atlanta and going to the Aquarium, the zoo, the coke museum and the museum of natural history.

I am just wondering what sort of tips you may have when we are at disney. We are giong to Hollywood, Epcot and Magic Kingdom we aren't fans of AK so we won't be going there.

We know that he will need breaks and let him have lots of water. But are there anyother tips you can give us that you did that would be great.

We are also on the hunt for a cooling coat for him

Also we are staying at Pop Century. We want to go to the pool can we leave Crosby to rest in the room? he doesn't bark but I am sure will need the rest in a nice cool room.

thanks

This is the cooling vest we use for our daughters service dog.

http://www.ruffwear.com/Swamp-Coole...revents-Canine-Heat-Exhaustion-from-Ruff-Wear

We wet it and keep it in the fridge overnight. If you don't have a fridge, just use cold water. But the most important thing you will need is boots for the dog. We have boots called MUttLuks. You can get them in Petsmart and Petco. The pavement gets very hot. Try and get them before you go so the dog can get used to them. Put them on and quickly take the dog outside for a walk. He will walk funny for a few minutes, then he should be fine. Just make sure they are on tight. You will have to ask the CM's at WDW where the potty areas are. They are all "back stage" and someone will have to escort you to them. They do not supply bags for clean-up. Not all the CM's know where the areas are so leave yourself some time for them to locate one.
If you are going to leave your dog in the room, then make sure you let the resort know and maybe put out your do not disturb sign. You may want to consider dropping the dog off at the new kennel. We did that last month on the day we went to AK. It was very nice and very clean. The dog was taken out for walks and kept out of trouble. Better than leaving him in a strange room alone with the chance of him causing damage. Let me know if you have any other questions. And get ready for alot of questions and people taking pictures of the dog. Have a great trip!

 

[Escape2Disney]

Service Dogs are not allowed on certain attractions and one of your group will have to stay with the dog while the rest ride.

You can find out which attractions these are by looking in the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of this board (or follow the link in my signature).
You can also pick up a park map for Guests with Disabilities at each park which lists those attractions.

Keep in mind that your dog is like likely to be exhausted before the end of the day because of all the walking, the heat, the general commotion and the constant movement and noises. It is. Hard work for the dog and he may need frequent breaks just to be 'not working' for short periods. Our DD's service dog has not been to WDW, but when he goes out shopping, he gets pretty tired.

I have to agree here. I have a SD who's been to DLR with me twice. I noticed a few things that are different for him when we're there:

1. He drinks more water than he does at home.
2. He's so focused on his 'job' that he doesn't tend to 'ask' to relieve himself as he would on a normal day. I need to keep track of his input and give him an opportunity to go when I think he will need to.
3. He's not a fan of fireworks at the park. They are much louder than neighborhood fireworks. To avoid exposing him to that stress, we leave early.
4. He instinctively knows his job is to care for me. With the crowds, noise, etc., he seems to be 'hyperfocused' on my care (even more so than at home). In turn, I need to be aware of how exhausting that is for him. We take a mid-day break in the room for quiet time, and I pay attention for signs of stress or exhaustion when we're out and about. Since I know him so well, I can see when he needs a break and I ALWAYS honor that.
5. He always needs more breaks at Disney than he does in our every-day life.

Someone asked about leaving the dog in the room. I have done that a couple of times. I talked to the hotel staff at check-in, and we came up with a plan. I promised to put the do-not-disturb sign on the door if he was in there alone, and they promised to call my cell phone in the rare case that he would disturb anyone. I never did get a call, but I wanted to be sure that they had a way of reaching me just in case.

On a side note, ONE time, I had the sign on the door and housekeeping went into the room anyway. When I got to my room, a cast member showed up no more than a minute later to apologize. I guess the housekeeper saw my SD, and went back to her purse and got some dog treats to give him. She fed him a bunch of treats and hung out with him for a while. The CM that was telling me the story was very apologetic - saying she should have never interacted with the dog. I agreed she should have asked first or just came back when the sign was gone, but all's well that ends well! Her heart was in the right place.

 

[SueM in MN]

Our dog did not like boots and we read they wear out pretty fast.
Our dog's vet and trainer recommended a product called Musher's Secret.

http://musherssecret.net/index.html

It is a mixture of waxes and other food quality ingredients ( so it's OK if the dog licks his paws). It provides a breathable barrier from both heat or cold and still allows the dog to perspire between his pads. Our dog LOVES getting his pawrub to put the Musher's Secret on.
We can tell when it is wearing off - when he starts walking with as little touching of the ground possible, we know it's time for getting him into a cool spot off the pavement for a while and apply more. It does last a long time, not necessarily something to put on every few hours.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Carry a water dish with you. And at least hourly stop near a fountain and fill it up for him to have a drink. He cannot tell you when he is thirsty and in the heat and humidity we have down here he will need lots of water.

Better yet, get either a Pet Top (goes on many brands of water bottles - be sure to get the kit with the short-neck adapter) or a bottle that has a Pet Top-like spout built in (JeffersPet sells these, as do other sites). This way, you don't have to stop and sit somewhere to water the dog and then find a place to empty out the water he doesn't drink (and, thus, waste bottled water [tap water is nasty in FL!]). With these tops, all you do is open the top up and flip the bottle upside down to water the dog, then flip it back rightside up and close the top to go on your merry way. Do still water your dog only outside or in a bathroom due to etiquette and because the Pet Tops aren't perfectly sealed, so sometimes drip, especially with certain brands of bottled water.