WDW with service dog; tell me all about your experience!

[dclfun]

In a way, I wish there was proof needed although I certainly know how difficult this would be for OTSD's and would perhaps make all of us incur costs we can ill afford. We went to the pin event at Epcot this year and saw several service dogs. One was accompanying a guest with an invisible disability but was very well behaved, obviously trained, and was a chihuahua. On the other hand, there was a woman with TWO small dogs, each with a different color vest, both with a "hearing dog" patch, not "dog in training". The dogs were totally misbehaved, pulling the woman all over and running amok even though they were on leashes. There is no reason someone needs two hearing dogs and I really doubted they were SD's. Because of their poor behavior, because someone was in a public place where pets are not allowed with two dogs (which is very questionable as one was not in training with the other working which would be the only reason for two dogs) those things affect public perception and strain the places of business who need to accommodate the disabled with SD's. Disney bends over backwards to accommodate us but how long will they tolerate people claiming pets or emotional support dogs as SD's and allow them in the park, esp. when they are seen to have poor behavior. I have to wonder what liability they would have if one of these pets bites a guest.---Kathy

 

[mykidsintow]

You do have to wonder if having proof would be better.

I try not to judge other ppl and their dogs. I know that Lucas is very well trained. In our area he does perfectly. We have a a few "issues" we have been working on. He thinks for some reason he needs to let out one friendly "bark" hello at th site of another dog. This drives me INSANE. We just spent 2 weeks at the beach and took him tothe dog beach to work on this. He is doing much better, but there is still an occassional slip. It really stresses me out because to me he should not be "heard" at all by anyone unless he is notifying me or my husband of something extreme and he has tried to let us know in other ways. What can ya do?

Another huge "issue" we have at Disney specifically is SEAGULLS. He goes NUTS! I know he should not even notice a seagull. He is a bird dog and we don't have seagulls. We have worked with ducks, geese, robins, cardinals and other birds often seen in our area. He doesn't even flinch. He knows they are normal everyday enviromental animals and he doesn't react at all. I am not sure what it is about seagulls, but we don't have them to work on this issue. We were hoping at the beach to work on it, but we saw none.... So I know that while we are at Disney next week I am going to have to work on the seagull "issue" again. Not exactly a fun part of the trip, but if it keeps my daughter safe then its completely worth it.

Will people look at me and assue we have an out of control untrained dog when they see him acting stupid over a seagull? Probably so.

While I know we have an awsome very well behaved DS, I know no dog s perfect. When we have out "moments" I am sure we are judged. For this reason I try not to judge others. I know how extremely embarassing it can be for a dog to have those "off" moments.

 

[Turk82]

Just thought I would through in a "hi". I am going to Disney for the first time with my Guide Dog, "Jolene". Any quick thoughts, tips or suggestions? We will be there next month with my (slightly older) parents and I am seriously hoping to be able to get around on our own...but not sure how Jolene will handle everything (she's wonderful...but every dog has their limits) I also wonder about how crowded it will be and if she will have trouble finding a clear path for us to walk among the people...any thoughts?

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

What part of the month are you going? Obviously Thanksgiving week will be a very busy time, so you might be walking pretty slow trying to dodge the ppl who won't realize there's a dog down there (they're too busy looking at all the sights of Disney). If you have any sight, you may wish to use it to help her along the way.

When your dog needs to relieve herself, ask a cast member where the closest designated potty spot is. They have a disabilities pamphlet (one for each park) that mentions the general area the spots are in, but I don't know if they have a Braille pamphlet (maybe they do?). The pamphlet also tells which rides she cannot go on (you'll have to have one of your parents hold her for you at the exit while you go on the ride - if they want to ride, they can swap off on who holds her so they each get a turn with you or so two of you get a turn and then the other gets a turn, however you want to do it).

 

[Shanka]

We just got back from Disney a couple of weeks ago and we had "River" my daughter's seizure alert dog with us at all times. Our experience was amazing. Nobody gave us any problems and there were many rides she could go on as well. She loved the "It's a Small World" boat ride!
It was sometimes a challenge to find a place for her to pee. I skipped a few bushes here and there and always managed fine. Staff were always kind and wonderful too. Oh, and Sea World was the best! They have special areas here and there with proper "Service Animal" signs posted. I was impressed. If you have any questions about any of the parks and service dogs please pm me. I'd be happy to help.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

I got back from Disney on Friday. I noticed that in one of the backstage potty areas, there was actually a sign for an area to be an animal relief area. It was odd, though, 'cause there were some better-suited areas that were also closer to the entrance to the area there, IMO. (The place the sign was at was small and a steep hill.) This was the area behind Figment.

Several of the CMs are brand spankin' new and had no clue how to handle SDs, like they would tell us the wrong place to go (I have a memory problem so can't remember where to go on every ride) and not be sure about SDs (like the guy who told me SDs can't go through the line for Pirates, LOL!) and such. But we all still had a good time!

The crowds were a bit heavier than I expected, but they were manageable, especially with GACs to accommodate our special needs (several ppl in our group needed them, like somebody with mental challenges and somebody who had a hip replacement two months ago [he signed up for the trip before he knew he was going to have it]).

 

[Shanka]

On the first day we were at disney I asked about dog relief areas and they did seem very confused. That is when I decided that I can find appropriate spots for my dog without asking. I figured that if anyone had a problem they would approach me. Nobody had any problems with were I allowed River to rest and pee. I jumped a couple bushes at Epcot and the concession stand guy offered River a hotdog, which she wasn't allowed to have anyway. Everyone working there seemed to enjoy the dog.
I always carry pick-up bags and a bottle of water. I pick up the dogs mess and ALWAYS pour an entire bottle of water over the grass where she went. That way I leave nothing behind. So, if there was grass, I let River try to pee on it. It made for a stress-free trip with her. I did try tyo take her to an area where there wouldn't be people watching her because she simply won't go with an audience.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Sorry you had trouble finding the potty spots. I've only had trouble finding one spot - the one near the TTA and all that. That was on my 2007 trip.

This time, there was either a CM near the spot who took me to it (backstage) or a kiosk person called for a CM to take me to the spot.

At the resort (AKL), I found the best place was some dead grass/bushes just before the bus stop. This was extra good because it was convenient when we left for the parks in the morning and came home from the parks at night - no extra steps to take.

At other resorts we visited for dinner and such, I just found whatever spot I could use along the way. Yacht & Beach Club has a lot of grass out back, for instance. And there are spaces in between some of the bushes on the walkway to the buses at the Boardwalk, for another instance.