Vacationing with a Hearing Dog

If you're interested in vacationing with your hearing dog, you might be very interested in the stories of people who have "been there, done that". Here are a couple. BTW, it sounds like a little preparation and forethought go a long ways to ensure a good vacation for all.

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Cruising with a Hearing Dog by Eileen Kosterich

January 2002

Editor: My appeal for additional information regarding cruises paid off! So far I've received two great stories to share with everyone. (We'll publish the other one next week.) This one is by Eileen Kosterich describes her cruise experience with her hearing dog Zach. BTW, she wanted me to be sure to share the phone number for Dogs for the Deaf, so here it is: 541-826-9220. And here's Eileen's story.

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London? No. Mexico? Un Uh. Canada? I dunno. Disney Florida? Yup! Cruise? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Well Disney does everything so well, let's ask them. YES!!!!

So that is how Zach my certified hearing dog took a vacation in Florida and a Cruise to the Bahamas. He took us along cause he wanted to have someone to play with. For your info Zach is a beautiful beige standard poodle that I was lucky to get from Dogs for the deaf in Central Point, Oregon.

I had asked for certain accommodations before hand and was assured that they would be available. I also talked to the cruise division about the toilet facilities for my dog. Since Zach would be the first dog ever on the Wonder I really worked hard to make sure he would be comfortable. And off we went.

We arrived at our Disney hotel where everything was ready and waiting for us. The little suitcase with assistive listening devices was in our room. As was the closed captioned TV. Immediately we were off to the parks exploring and going on rides. Zach went on the Pirates of Penzance ride and the Norwegian boat ride. He even got to see the ghosts in the haunted house. He made sure to tell us when he didn't want to go on certain rides, but we already knew them.

It was so nice to be on vacation with Zach and have everything work out well. Companion Service dogs are allowed in public places all over the United States and the islands that have agreements with the US. That includes transportation, hotel accommodations, shows, amusement parks, boats etc.

The people at Disney were very helpful and we felt so comfortable being there with Zach. Most everyone responded with smiles and questions. And they all loved Zach. Though Mickey and Pluto were a little put off. They are people dressed up in costume and it is hard for them to maneuver so we kept our distance whenever we felt it would be difficult for the characters.

Zach had no problems doing his business on land. There are several areas that are designated for animals to relieve themselves. And no one ever stopped us from any areas. They were too surprised to see us. Smile.

After 3 days on land we were whisked to the boat and on our way to the Bahamas and Castaway Cay.

(This isn't an advertisement for Disney). We checked into our cabin and went up to the service desk to find out where Zach's on board relief center was. Now here's the part where things get a little fishy. No one had told the people on the ship that we were promised an area out of the way with some bark chips set up for Zach. In fact no one had told the people on board that a dog was coming. In fact Zach was the first dog to ride on the Wonder. And only one other dog, a seeing eye dog had ever been on the Disney Magic boat.

Well being Disney again, they went to work. Someone scooted over to the local pet shop, bought a huge crate with puppy training pads. I actually laughed when I saw them and thought oh well, if Zach has an accident then he has an accident. Afterwards I thought it would have been better for them to buy mulch. Well Zach is such a well-trained dog he wouldn't go anywhere on the ship. I even took dirt from a plant and spread it around hoping it would make him feel more at home.

He was fine going for 5-8 hours without relief, but there was a 17-hour stretch and Zach refused to go. We tried everything, but he kept his dignity. We were allowed off the ship early at 5 AM the next morning and Zach was one very happy dog. They were not supposed to let anyone off the ship at this time, but they called the island harbormaster and everyone agreed that the dog must go.

The people of the Bahamas were also very accommodating, but it was a big surprise for them to see Zach, I don't think many of them had seen a poodle before. The next day we went to the Disney Island of Castaway Cay and again Zach was right at home.

We all had a wonderful time and have such great memories of a family vacation all together.

Don't put off going on vacation because you are nervous about your hearing or your dog. Go! You will have a good time and you will be able to be together. Be creative! Plan ahead and make the arrangements!