Last day of a LONG 10 day visit.....& a question!

[promisesfound]

Well the crowds were about double what we experienced this time last year-sooooo many tour groups. Kinda overwhelming. And they were sleeping all around Epcot, I mentioned it to a cast member who seemed uninterested so then I contacted security & when I told her the deal she said "yeah, it's the tour groups from South America." Mmmm okay, guess Epcot is a hostel at certain times of the year.

Now I know part of the FASTPASS+ plan was to even out the ride wait times, but it's making things miserable. 60-70 minute waits for most e-ticket rides & even usual walk ons like Small world or Living with the Land had 10 minute or more waits. Today, at one point even the people mover was covered over. I have NEVER seen a line at that one in the "off" season much less a line that practically ran into the astro orbiter line!

Lots of ride closures too, due to break downs, all told we experienced:

Test track break down 3 different days
Buzz -1 day
TOT -1 Day
Pirates-1 day
COP -1 day
Living With the Land-1day
Fastpass+ system down 2 days

Sat was extra magic hours for Magic Kingdom till 2AM, park was supposed to close at midnight. We ended up leaving a little after 11 due to crowds & cold but on our way out we noticed all the carts & such were being closed & packed up-45 min before closing!!!

But now my QUESTION! I have been here a few times-3 in the past 12 months & though I know people bring service dogs to Disney, I have never actually seen one. This trip we have seen 10 dogs-and it's not the same dog over & over because they are all different breeds & people! Only 2 were actually in a park the rest were around resorts (mostly POP where we are staying). I was just wondering if some law has changed-frankly all but 1 person looked remarkably healthy, most of the dogs didn't even have a badge to say what kind they were-just a "service dog" vest which makes me think they were either possible fakes or maybe emotional support dogs-which don't usually get the same rights as qualified service or psychiatric dogs. I know legally you can't question a persons disability but this is a place with lots of kids. If someone is just passing thier pooch off to bring Fido along & the dog bites someone, who is responsible that person or Disney or both?! It was just a new sight after never seeing 1-to seeing so many on one trip!!!

 

[candacewi5]

Hi there! We are currently at Pop also and we happen to be traveling with my son's service dog. Please understand that not every disability is visible or obvious. You would never guess my son was anything but a full of it 8 year old. However, he does require a service dog who travels everywhere with him.

On the other hand, we have also noticed a very large number of dogs throughout the parks wearing vests. After having a service dog in our family for over 5 years, we know what is expected behavior wise from a working dog. Quite a few of the dogs we have seen would have never made it through a reputable service dog training program based on basic obedience and behavior standards alone. That alone does not mean they are not service dogs, but it really does create some doubt as to the validity of the service dog claim. The dogs in question could have come from a less than great (or reputable) training program or private trainer. The dogs could have been "trained" by the person owning the dog. The person handling the dog could legitimately be helped by a service dog, but got scammed or ended up with a service dog not fully meeting their needs. The dog could be just their pet and the person is pulling a fast one. There are many ways for people to end up in that position.

My family is very aware that people try to pass their beloved family pet off as a "service" dog for many selfish reasons. It is an issue we have a difficult time coping with. The false service dog also creates a lot more questions, doubts, and difficulties for my family and other families working with hidden disabilities. It makes us very angry to see the family pet being passed as a service dog.

Unfortunately, the ADA laws for service dogs create some areas where people have the ability to lie about the purpose of their "service dog" and the businesses have to take their word for it. The ADA laws were created to try and give the disabled a bit of privacy regarding their health, disability, and unique needs. There is no certification, registration, or other proof required to be provided by a person with a service dog. Legally staff are allowed to ask the following questions of a disabled person with a service dog:
1) Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
And
2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

Staff cannot ask about the person's disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.

Emotional support animals are not given the same access rights as a service animal either. However, people aren't always honest.

Many of the people we know with service dogs through the organization our dog was trained through would gladly pay a small licensing fee to a national certification program. People passing their pet off as a service dog makes our lives much more difficult and tedious than it already is. It is a widespread problem that hurts the disabled who rely on service dogs.

I hope this helps answer some of your concerns. If you happen to see us in the next few days, stop us and say hi. We are the family with the golden retriever in the red vest.

I hope you are having a great trip! We are really enjoying ourselves, but are beyond exhausted too. The parks have been a lot more crowded than we anticipated also. The hordes of your groups have made things a bit more interesting for us too. Fortunately, we somehow seem to be on a different schedule than them. We do see the groups occasionally or in passing, but haven't really gotten caught by the groups yet. I am hoping that luck holds through Friday!

 

[Suvadoo]

Hi there! We are currently at Pop also and we happen to be traveling with my son's service dog. Please understand that not every disability is visible or obvious. You would never guess my son was anything but a full of it 8 year old. However, he does require a service dog who travels everywhere with him.

On the other hand, we have also noticed a very large number of dogs throughout the parks wearing vests. After having a service dog in our family for over 5 years, we know what is expected behavior wise from a working dog. Quite a few of the dogs we have seen would have never made it through a reputable service dog training program based on basic obedience and behavior standards alone. That alone does not mean they are not service dogs, but it really does create some doubt as to the validity of the service dog claim. The dogs in question could have come from a less than great (or reputable) training program or private trainer. The dogs could have been "trained" by the person owning the dog. The person handling the dog could legitimately be helped by a service dog, but got scammed or ended up with a service dog not fully meeting their needs. The dog could be just their pet and the person is pulling a fast one. There are many ways for people to end up in that position.

My family is very aware that people try to pass their beloved family pet off as a "service" dog for many selfish reasons. It is an issue we have a difficult time coping with. The false service dog also creates a lot more questions, doubts, and difficulties for my family and other families working with hidden disabilities. It makes us very angry to see the family pet being passed as a service dog.

Unfortunately, the ADA laws for service dogs create some areas where people have the ability to lie about the purpose of their "service dog" and the businesses have to take their word for it. The ADA laws were created to try and give the disabled a bit of privacy regarding their health, disability, and unique needs. There is no certification, registration, or other proof required to be provided by a person with a service dog. Legally staff are allowed to ask the following questions of a disabled person with a service dog:
1) Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
And
2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

Staff cannot ask about the person's disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.

Emotional support animals are not given the same access rights as a service animal either. However, people aren't always honest.

Many of the people we know with service dogs through the organization our dog was trained through would gladly pay a small licensing fee to a national certification program. People passing their pet off as a service dog makes our lives much more difficult and tedious than it already is. It is a widespread problem that hurts the disabled who rely on service dogs.

I hope this helps answer some of your concerns. If you happen to see us in the next few days, stop us and say hi. We are the family with the golden retriever in the red vest.

I hope you are having a great trip! We are really enjoying ourselves, but are beyond exhausted too. The parks have been a lot more crowded than we anticipated also. The hordes of your groups have made things a bit more interesting for us too. Fortunately, we somehow seem to be on a different schedule than them. We do see the groups occasionally or in passing, but haven't really gotten caught by the groups yet. I am hoping that luck holds through Friday!

This is a great post. Thank- you

 

[promisesfound]

Candace, I think we have seen you guys around because I do remember seeing a lab. And please know I was not being rude, I know there are "unseen" disabilities-not all are obvious. But I agree about the family pet thing. I have a dog I've missed more than my friends this week & hate that Disney doesn't have at least ONE pet friendly resort, and I'd love to take him everywhere with me but am not gonna pay the $600 it would cost to board him at Best Friends.

And as much as I love that dog, I can't imagine trying to pass him off as a service animal & having to take him around the parks all day! It would be kind of like having an infant or small child-it would severely limit your ability to do so much, why pay all the money to come here under those circumstances if you don't have a legitimate need for the animal?! I saw one on the monorail lady might-it was a Scotty. And he got all tangled up with a stroller. The mom was unthrilled & so was the dog owner!

People are crazy I guess!

I'm glad you guys have been able to avoid the groups! We leave this afternoon,
Hope the rest of your week is fabulous!

 

[heatherrrrz]

I would absolutely love if my dog was service dog so we could take her. She's remarkably well behaved around people, not dogs so that's out. We've taken her to nursing homes while my grandmother was in it and she went around to every room brightening up people's days. Sorry for rambling, I agree alot of people do try to pass their dogs off as service dogs. Shouldn't Disney make these dogs wear the vests so that they know they're reputable?

 

[candacewi5]

Promisesfound, I did not take your post as rude, merely curious. I always try to help when people have questions about service dogs because some of the information out there isn't always correct.
I hope you have a safe trip home. It looks like you will miss the warmer weather here!

 

[candacewi5]

I would absolutely love if my dog was service dog so we could take her. She's remarkably well behaved around people, not dogs so that's out. We've taken her to nursing homes while my grandmother was in it and she went around to every room brightening up people's days. Sorry for rambling, I agree alot of people do try to pass their dogs off as service dogs. Shouldn't Disney make these dogs wear the vests so that they know they're reputable?

Service dogs typically wear vests when working, however it is not required. The vests, however, are easily purchased online and you don't need any kind of proof your animal is a service dog to purchase the vests. It makes it easy for us to replace equipment for our service dog. Unfortunately, it also makes it easy for the people who are faking it too. I really wish the people who falsely represent their dog would understand What their actions do to the truly disabled with a service dog. I can guarantee any one of them would gladly give up their disability rather than keep it to keep their dog with them all the time. Having a disability and needing a service animal is not easy and the fakers make a difficult life that much harder.