Service Dogs at Disney and Silver Dollar City- Ep 56 Confessions of a Theme Park Worker
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- Опубліковано 2 сер 2024
- Some of my favorite guests in the parks were the four-legged ones! Service dogs provided invaluable service, and great memories as well. Here's some memories, stories, and what to remember when you see them in the parks or around town.
Huge thanks for photos, information, and stories to Leila Silvia and to Susan Grill and Trained and Maintained Service Dogs!
trainedandmaintained.com/
A behind the scenes look at what a former worker at Disney World, Silver Dollar City, and Busch Gardens Florida experienced in his time working at the parks. From driving large safari trucks around live wild animals while cracking one silly joke after another, to spending 5 years as a photopass photographer at Walt Disney World and seeing and experiencing all sorts of things, to being a conductor and train robber on the famous Frisco Silver Dollar Line at Silver Dollar City. With 10 years of working in the parks, there's lost of stories to tell. Here is some of them...
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Just to update and clarify one bit of information: legally only dogs and miniature horses can be officially certified service animals. Emotional support animals, while playing an important role for some people, are not considered service animals for legal purposes.
SirWillow thank you!!
Now I want a miniature horse as a service animal.
Another update on service animals.... many states allow animals, other than dogs and miniature horses to be considered service animals. Federal law controls interstate travel. I have a service cat and I live in a state that recognizes cats as potential service animals. Her rights as a service animal are protected under state law. She enjoys the right to public access, use of public transportation and right to public accommodation. She can stay in a hotel room, or a 'no pets' apartment. I can't be charged extra for her. Some cats reliably alert (like mine) and can be socialized to be really good in public (as mine is). I have severe medication intolerances. My medications have to be compounded, because the dose has to be greatly reduced (usually at least 10% of the lowest dose given to humans). One med has a narrow effective window.. if I accidentally take too little, nothing happens; if I take too much, I will become impaired. My cat alerts me to this. There have been times when I thought I was OK, but my cat said that I was definitely not OK--and the cat was right. In my state, she can go every place I can go (even to a theme park.. Things get funny when I try to cross state lines, because under Federal rules and regulations, she's not a service animal. So, if I travel out-of-state with my cat, I have to plan ahead. My cat is obedience trained and socialized to dog standards.
There is no such thing as an 'officially certified service animal'. This is a shame, because there are many reputable organizations (many are charities) that train service animals. They are deserving of your support. . Yet, there are fly-by-night places that will sell you a vest and paperwork. There are plenty of people who will claim that their dog is a 'service animal'. A real service dog knows how to behave around cats just as my service cat knows how to behave around dogs. I had a fake service dog bother my cat when she was in the coffee house. Manager tossed the fake service dog out and the owner left in a huff. I witnessed two fake service dogs run wild through the aisles at our local mall--and it took a who group of patrons complaining about it before management threw the fake service dogs and their irresponsible handlers out. I hate those with fake service animals as much as I hate people who 'borrow' a handicapped placard to get a better parking spot during the holiday shopping season.
At a theme park, you might encounter service animals that are not miniature horses or dogs. It depends on that particular state's laws. I could bring my service cat to Six Flags New England because Massachusetts law recognizes that cats can be service animals. I wouldn't do it, because I'm pretty sure she really wouldn't enjoy it and I don't need her there.
BTW, my cat isn't the only service cat in my vet's practice. The vet has a kitty patient who reliably detects too high and too low sugar levels in a diabetic client and another who detects the start of a migraine before it happens.
Well-trained service animals are truly special. Not only do they have to help their handler, they have to have impeccable manners and training. There are very few animals that have what it takes to be a service animal. When you see them in public, assume that they are working. It's OK to be curious Most handlers, if they have the time and are up to it, will answer questions if you ask nicely. Please ask before you touch or give a treat.
I was photographing Aurora in EPCOT one time and we had a service dog in training visit us with his trainers. Aurora asked for permission to talk with the dog from his trainers and they said it was fine. So she knelt down and talked about the forest and her animal friends there and how much fun it was to hang out with them. This dog meanwhile lay down and curled up next to her while she was doing this and being very polite and well behaved. I told the trainers as we were scanning the band that this is why I worked there, to capture moments like that.
Thank you so much for making this video. I have a service dog for an invisible disability. So many times I've had people come up and distract her to the point where she has been unable to alert me to an on coming episode. It causes me extreme anxiety when someone comes up interacts with my service dog without my permission.
My son has epilepsy and when the doctors were teaching us parents how to deal with seizures they told us about putting stuff in the mouth. The idea is supposed to be to stop them from "swallowing their tongue." This is physically impossible. What is possible however is biting fingers off of the well meaning helper. Or biting a wooden spoon in half. Or breaking a bunch of the teeth of the person having the seizure because of objects shoved in their mouth. It is almost always far more frightening for the onlookers than it is for the person having the seizure. And NOTHING GOES IN THE MOUTH!
My son was at Disney World when he was about 5 years old. We were able to get him handicapped access to all of the rides which helped immensely. The folks at City Hall were very positive and gave us great ideas to help him have a great time. He was more likely to have a seizure when he was tired and hot. Not having to wait in line for most rides and being able to move ahead into shaded areas for those lines we did have to wait for really helped. Staff were so friendly and helpful. There was even a cast member with epilepsy who got down to my son's level while we were waiting for a parade to talk about all the cool stuff he got to do even though he had the disease. It was the time of my young son's life.
Michael Dyer You put leather in the mouth a wallet or belt
Michael Dyer as for swalling the toung they may bite it off then choke on it or the blood from it, thats what they meant.
Wow, a thumbs down already? I know there are some that just automatically do that, but wonder what that one was for. I don't usually get them that quick.
like it then :-)
SirWillow the joys of UA-cam xD
You have over 20,000 subscribers therefore you have your own bot. Congratulations! You made it!! :-D
SirWillow don't let it get you down sirwillow! Your content is awesome!!
TheCountessAsuka LOL ok, that's hilarious. Can't imagine someone making a bot just to dislike my videos, but then there are some pretty sad people out there. :-)
THANK YOU. Helps bring awareness to service animals and helps stop people from wanting to come play with them.
I got a dream flight to Disney in Florida when I was four, we went to see the dolphin show and because I had the special badge so the people doing the show let me join in it was great the guy pretended to be my dad and I pushed him into the pool. I can't remember much but it was one of the best days of my life.
Dogs are amazing creatures.
Cats are amazing to. And cats are service animals to. For example for autism, diabaetes and seizure (spell the last word wrong probably)
I have a mood disorders in a form of autism. So I have a service dog her name is Bella in she is a yellow lab so when we do go to silver dollar city she helps me with the people in the nouns. So I do thank you for making this video it did help me with the people.
as a guide dog handler. I want to visit Disneyland but never sure if it was realistic. Great video with great information. And if you see a service dog DONT TOUCH THEM!!!! Let them work
Thank you so much for covering the topic of service dogs in the world. :) I got my service dog Baymax in December and we visited WDW at the end of may. The cast members were INCREDIBLE! He had many magical moments with cast members seeking us out to give him a bottle of water that "Mickey wanted him to have" etc. I had challenges with other guests though. So many people wanting to pet him and/or reaching down and doing drive by pet. I also experienced a ton of people taking pictures of him. It is awkward to say the least. I always gave the same answer of "im sorry but he is working and has to stay focused on me". Its amazing how bent out of shape some guests got. After the first two days I was so overwhelmed that I was stressed (which exacerbates my condition). Thank you for mentioning the medical alert task, that is one of Baymax's most important tasks. I pass out several times a week with no warning but he detects it and that gives me time to get so a safe place. I did have many guest that were wonderful and explaining to their children about what a service dog does. I never want to be rude to anyone but its really tough sometimes. :)
I went to CA Adventure in July on a hot day and saw a cute golden retriever service animal with yellow booties on to protect his paws from hot black ground. So cute.
I like service dogs. When I was in Boy Scouts my one friend had a service dog that was a German shepherd and that dog was so nice and my friend was always so polite with the dog warning the people in the room that he has a dog with him before bringing her in.
5:53 Hey Doc! Can you stop that surgery right now? *I wanna shake your hand* :D Dammit that would be something Id say xD
I think I may know what that dislike is about. As a service dog handler, I love this video, and most of what was said in it, but there are a few issues.
1) only dogs and miniature horses can be service animals by federal law
2) Susan has an.... interesting reputation in the service dog community. She's a very polarizing person, and she's done somethings in her business that a lot of people don't agree with. I've never met or her or done business with her, so I don't have a solid opinion. But from what I've heard, she's got some interesting practices both personally and professionally. Just a thought.
Love the video, and I hope this comes off as educational and not like I'm attacking you, sir willow.
Thanks for the information! I did not know that about the dogs and horses- definitely interesting information. And can understand the "professional differences" thing, but since that doesn't come into play at all in the video, I would hope that's not an issue. But it's good to know. She was a great help in answering some questions, giving some information that should be true of all service animals, and helped with the photos, so I'm grateful for that.
SirWillow I met Susan last year in tomorrow land and loved hearing about her work. I was all geared up to come to the parks and help her out thanks to her invitation to help me get service hours for my graduation requirement. However, when my mother and I found her instagram...let's say things are a bit more than questionable. Loved the video but I'd be careful about featuring Susan.
Some people call her the NSPL (Not sane poodle lady)
Samantha Ritchie ok the any animal can be an ESA is true, but you have a few flaws...
1) Regestration is fake.. in short a scam.
2) Federally ESAs dont have public access. So they cant be in the parks
Emotional support animals arent allowed in parks (at least not anymore - maybe they were 5 or 10 years ago idk) my aunt is an exec at disney and we were talking about service animals in the parks just the other day. She said only service animals (dogs and miniature horses) are allowed in. No pets or emotional support animals.
there was a trip in the past i went on and i saw this girl that was walking around and she had a big service dog even though i never knew why she had it. it was so cute though, she had it wearing a pair of mickey ears, it was the cutest thing i ever seen. that is one of my pet peeves seeing a person with a service animal and people automatically think, oh i didn't know the parks allow an animal come in but end up realizing at times from the owner its a service animal so and so has to have it with them because of a particular reason. on a good note in my person opinion, so glad the parks go out of their way to allow that into the parks for those particular people to have them with them while trying to enjoy their time like everyone else in the parks.
Diana's story made me sob, bless her ❤️
And yes more people need to understand that service dogs and pets are working and can't be distracted from what they do!
Most I do is give a smile to the dog and tell the owner how cute their dog is. I remember the one time me and a classmate were on a bus with a blind lady and her service dog and the cutie rested it's head on my classmate's lap! Boy was it hard for my classmate NOT to pet the cute dog but she refrained from doing so.
I would just like to say thank you so much for making this video! Someone who has struggled greatly with extreme cases of anxiety especially in crowded situations, and have someone who is considered getting and will hopefully get a service dog soon this video really hit home. I've seen service dogs if you absolutely amazing things. Thank you for helping educate people on leaving the dogs alone to do their job service animals are very important and hearing these awesome stories just made my day so much better!!!
Thanks you so much for the 'psa.' I've been around adults and kids of varying abilities my whole life, yet it still amazes me how many people don't respect the service animals, or even get upset that a service dog is in a restaurant or movie theater.
thanks again my dog is a service animal and love s kid's and pow vets
he has saved me many times
My primary school had 2 therapy dogs named willow and tony and I went for a session with willow once for my autism and we had to go to the school library to make sure no one interrupted, but it was still great she was so sweet!
I'm raising a Seeing Eye Puppy right now (giving him back to the SE in a month) and it's been a great experience. We are able to take him places and he gets so much love and experience being around people.
Thank you Disney for making Diana's last years th best. Diana is happy in heaven now...
I once met a lovely lady on a train with a service dog, he was a large standard poodle and the owner had cystic fibrosis, the dog was able to balance her if she had a coughing fit and being her bag if she needed it. It was very interesting to hear her speak about it xxx
I loved this video on service dogs. I don't work in a theme park, but in a grocery store. We have about 60 customers who are regulars and have service dogs for various reasons. I have told all the employees in my department to leave the animals alone that they are working. Also, if they see other customers who try to interfere with animals to stop them quietly. That way the owners don't get put on the spot. We also keep treats for the animals usually in our aprons, and put them down for them to find in the department (all with the permission of their owners). That way the animals aren't distracted by us, but it's our way of saying we care.
I'm on my way to Disney world today and I'm listening to this and am in tears driving to my nail appointment. My brother has autism and while he doesn't have a service dog cause he has a pretty good handle with crowds most of the time and between our family we can tell when he is shutting down, but she is there for protection when he goes on runs because he's such a sweet giving person, and because he doesn't know how to tell if someone is a good person or not. She also calms him. Some people made fun of him for his autism at work once and he was crying on his bed cause he's never had that happen before and she just laid on him and would nudge and kiss him till he started laughing. Service dogs are amazing and as cute as they may be. They're working.and should be treated as such. Thanks for sharing this video SirSillow
Willow**
Thank you for taking the time to make video
Thank you for educating the public on service animals....getting this info out is so important.
Great video, I worked for many years in a school for kids with additional needs. We had 2 service dogs at the school, we called them staff dogs. One was specially trained to listen to the children, it was amazing to watch kids who were mute with people open up and read to the dog! We also had one that was trained for children who were dealing with emotional and physical outbursts. Instant calming effect
Mezza This may seem a bit nitpicky, but what you're referring to are called therapy dogs. Service dogs do tasks for one person and have public access rights. Therapy dogs help many people and are often used in hospitals and schools as emotional support instead of doing disability mitigating tasks and do not have public access.
QueenOfDirt According to the U.S. Department of Justice, "service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA." These dogs were within the school but didn't work all children. They were specifically trained to work with only a couple of children with similar needs. They were also trained to guide some autistic children through the school so they were also able to walk independently between classes.
Mezza Did they work with one child each? Because according to this FAQ from the ADA website (www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html): "Under the ADA, a service animal is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person's disability." The same page also states that therapy dogs do not do tasks though, so I'm actually really not sure what label these dogs would fall under. It's honestly just nitpicking on my part, they're pretty close to service dogs if they perform tasks, they just don't qualify legally. It's probably fine to call them service dogs anywhere but a courtroom.
QueenOfDirt they were specially trained for singular children but would also use transferable skills such as the listening skill with other children when the main child wasn't needing support. So for the mute autistic child who would use her dog for moving around the school, dealing with busy situations etc when she was settled in a sensory learning session the dog would often sit with another child in the same room (so still aware of the main child) and "read" with a child helping them open up verbally.
Mezza That's really cool! I've never heard of a situation like that before. So if I understand correctly, the dog acted as a service dog for a specific child, but also acted as a therapy dog for other children sometimes?
I loved this so much. I actually have a friend that has a service dog.She trains service dogs too.
We bring our Service dog to Disney all of the time and the Cast Members are AMAZING with him. They really go out of their way to accommodate him. They also love hearing about what he can do and are usually shocked. He is able to detect when my partner's Blood Sugars are too high or too low and reacts accordingly. THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO! He also has his own FB page courtesy of my partner. We have a wonderful photo of Dax with Chewbacca. They are identical twins separated at birth. They let us take off his service vest and put on his Chewy belt. The photographer got this amazing shot of Dax giving Chewy a hug and kissing him. Its his profile photo now.
That's awesome! I'd love to see that photo!
What a touching story about Diana! Thanks for sharing.
Wow, another great video. Really touching, but sad. It's always so hard to leave some of those golden retrievers alone, but they're just doing their job.
On another note, I just learned the other day that my language arts teacher used to work as a character at Disneyland! I knew that she used to be an actor, and that she LOVES Disneyland, but I never knew that! The things you learn in school...
To grow up in Florida without going to wdw is indeed a crime. I grew up 11k miles away and flew all the way to Orlando just for disney! And I came back a few times too. It's just worth the jet lag and long long flight, so magical! Thanks to all cast members for making it so wonderful for me and my family and all people out there who have ever been there!
This is so, so important and I'm really glad you posted it! Most people don't think about this, me included!
Thank you so much for your help in the parks. It really makes a difference to those of us who need our service dogs to stay alive.
Great video! Dianna's story brought tears to my eyes! You did well telling it without crying because I wouldn't have been able to without tearing up.
A few weeks ago there was this Service Dog trainer with the dog she was training at my school. Sometimes when the dog was on a break she would walk him into the classrooms and let all of us pet him for a minute or two. The dog seemed pretty well trained because he would block out all of the "so cute" and "awww" . I think this may have also been a small part of the dogs training. One time when the dog walked into the cafeteria a bunch of my peers would run up and be petting it for a few minutes. I would never do that. When the dog walked into the classroom and walked by me I would just gently pet it for 2 seconds. Remember that this may have been part of the dogs training and the trainer may have wanted to see how the dog reacted. Luckily the dog wasn't there for someone or else that would have been a different story.
Great topic. I always smile when I see a service dog. Haven't ever seen any others. But my blind babysitter as a child had a service dog. So I was taught from a young age to let them be. That they had a job. And the only person that can give them attention then is their handler. So I always keep my distance. I did accidentally get a seeing eye dog in trouble on the bus once. I use a granny cart to carry my stuff on the bus because I'm disabled from chronic pain. It was winter and I had a plushy blanket with me or keep warm. Cold really hurts me. A gentleman got on with his dog and sat down across from me. a few minutes later I see the dogs nose moving as he sniffs. It took me a couple of minutes score I blurted out 'oh he's smelling my cats'. Then I had to explain what I meant. The gentleman had a little word with his dog about it. Which is just as well since he needs to stay focused but I didn't mean to get him in trouble. Still I'd have probably said something even if I didn't accidentally blurt it out.
It's great to see you explain this to everyone.
I think if I was being followed by those annoying people wanting photos I'd 'accidentally' kick them. Or charge a hundred bucks a photo.
I have seen some pictures and videos featuring service dogs that are to cute for words.
This is a crucial message that I wish everyone could hear! (People can be so inconsiderate!) Thank You Sir Willow! I love your videos because they help me enjoy these parks. I have been to Disney, but I have a strong aversion to crowds, so I never enjoyed my time there. Now that I am also mobility disabled (and actually quite comfortable being something of a hermit), I truly appreciate the parks through videos like yours. I'm sure you would be surprised at how many people's lives you enhance with your videos. Thank You, and God Bless You!
As a service dog handler and AP to Disney land (California) I thank you! For this video, the more education on this we can get out there the easier it is for me and other handlers to live our lifes. So again, thank you!
As a LB person my future will probably have a guide in it. So I love hearing stories about what might happen with such matters.
Love this video even more so as a PSA about service animals than a video about your experiences! Thank you for helping bring this to light.
Not going to lie, this made me cry (happy tears, of course). I've been considering getting a service dog to help with my (horrible and sometimes painfully debilitating) anxiety. The only thing that's been stopping me is not knowing what would happen if I brought it with me to Disneyland (I'm a Southern California native).
This has been one of my favorite videos of yours!!!
I can't wait for me and my service dog to visit Disney! ❤️, we are so glad to see that the park is so welcoming to service dogs 😁.
Service dogs meeting Cruella is hillarious
I love how concerned you and others were for the animal's well being.
As for guests with disabilities, I wish you could have met my sister. You would have loved her. In a w/c, mostly non-verbal but a smile that would light up your week. Total people person, just loved to be around and with family, friends and happy folks.
Good topic to cover, Thank You
As someone with a working dog, I'm so happy to see this!
Thank you for making this very important video! I have a friend who trains service dogs and I'm sure they would be delighted to see the great information you've presented here.
Ny mom had a miniature service horse for a few months, (too expensive) it turned lights on and off with it's nose. I never met it and I didn't know there was such a thing!
I know what you mean about migraines, I didn't know about those dogs either, amazing!
There was a lovely service dog on my college campus that helped one professor detect seizures. He loved playing with students. We even had a joke that I was his "girlfriend" XD. That was all done with the professor's permission, though. I wouldn't recommend trying to play with a random stranger's service dog.
Thank you. As a handler I get yelled at by parents for telling their kids no. Have kids crawl into the stall with me in the restroom, have people throw things at my dog, have people throw things at me for saying no, have had cops threaten to arrest me for "harassment" for trying to run from a kid who wanted to pet my dog, had a cop threaten to arrest me because while explaining what happened I was speaking loud (Im nearly deaf in one ear I naturally speak loud and I told him that.) Had people yell at me for telling a child they couldnt feed my dog a brownie. Had people kick my dog. Had people try to snatch the leash. Had them come up and yell WHATS WRONG WITH YOU WHY DO YOU NEED A DOG. Had people go "It says do not pet, but it's ok you can she wont know she's blind" Had parents threaten me with bodily harm for telling their child no. Had people reach into the car to pet them.
(Its against the law in my state to interact with a service dog)
Wow, that's awful! I'm so sorry all that has happened to you. Parents need to teach their kids some restraint. And learn some themselves, apparently.
People dont get it sadly
In the thumbnail Pluto was in his element.
I just want to thank you so much for this video. As a guide dog user, I run in to people trying to distract my dog all the time. People don't realize how dangerous a position they put a service dog user in when they try to pet, talk to, or otherwise interact with a working dog. My dog is four and still acts puppy-like, so she can be easily distracted at times. Mostly, she's learned to tune out people and our problem is other animals, but sometimes a person calling "Doggy" and bum-rushing her is too much to ignore. The sad part is that most of the little kids know not the pet her, it's the adults that cause the problems. But again, thanks for this informative video.
Wow, that's honestly something I would never have though of... I am sure I have been guilty of this before. None the less, very legitimate point.
I've already been to Disneyland three times with my mobility and autism service dog. Best experience ever! The cast members are incredibly helpful when it comes to boarding rides. My service dog, Sugar, and I had the most magical moment with Mickey when he waved to Sugar and hugged me. Sugar looked like she wanted nothing to do with him by looking away.. Poor Mickey
Hi! Just wanted to say I recently came across your channel and I have already watched pretty much every video! I'm going through a really tough time in my life right now and these videos are a great distraction and I find them really interesting and fun to watch!
I'm from Australia and never had the chance to visit Disney or any kind of park like they have in the USA. So thank you so so sooo much
THANK YOU. No one has done a video like this yet (I've looked several times, the closest I've found is Handlers talking about their experience with taking their SD to Disney), and I, as well as (I would assume) many other Handlers appreciate this more than most could understand. Everything was explained perfectly, and I'm much less nervous about when I'll get to make my first trip to Disney, which my wonderful SD will be joining me for.
(For those who don't know, it is illegal to ask what the dog is for or why the person has them, the only questions a business is allowed to ask regarding the dog's job is if the dog is a service dog, and what tasks it performs, so our awesome Sir Willow handled his encounters with them BEAUTIFULLY.)
Thank you for the kind words! Not having a dog, there's always that worry in the back of your mind on whether or not you covered something like this right and did a good job. So your comments are very encouraging that I accomplished what I hoped I would. Thank you!
You're welcome :)
I saw a video of a service dog training at Disneyland, young goldie named Annabelle and she was just loving on Pluto and Curella.
Great video I'll share on Facebook cause I think this is really important
My dad used to work at a restaurant, and he saw a service pony. (You were talking about different animals you saw in the beginning. I wanted to share.)
My friend is blind and has a service dog. One day I had a really bad cramp and it made my cry. The dog wanted to go get my coach but he was tied up to the stands and couldn't move so he just made his head on my lap and let me pet him until my coach came over to see what was wrong. He knew something was wrong with me and knew I needed help.
Awesome video. I knew (or suspected) some of this, but not to the extent you explained. Thank you so much for the education!!
Oh - you put a much-needed smile on my face - thank you for that too! :)
wow, I came for the cute dogs and stayed for all the important information 👍
Another amazing video, you do a fantastic job of reminding people about common courtesy without being too judgemental and by reminding people that not all disabilities are visible to the naked eye. Thank you Sir!
This was a great topic to talk about and lovely stories as well! Wonderful video as always ♡
What a beautiful video! I wish everyone in the world could see this.
Made me cry 💗
Thank you so much for making this video!
Cool video. I loved seeing characters getting some interaction with the dogs as well. It broke routine for all of us to see something different. I do recall seeing many dogs in training at the theme parks, although not the poodles you pictured.
I have a friend with a service animal for mental health reasons. While the dog may not be performing a visible task like picking an object off the ground, she would be in tune to my friend's stress and anxiety of certain surroundings and be able to lead her away to a quiet area or simply lay on top of her (her dog was an american mastiff) to calm her down.
During one highly emotionally stressful period of my life, whenever we went to class together the dog would lay on my feet. Or sit next to my legs and lean into me. Because we sat together, she knew my friend was okay and safe where we were to give me a little help.
Because of them, I saw first hand how oblivious people are to service animals or the stupid questions they asked.
Thanks for making this great and informative video. As a person who is blind who will soon get a guide dog, I am glad that theme parks such as, Disneyland are very accommodating.
My legally blind volunteer cooridnator, she has a service boy dog, and sometimes she lets me or other coworkers pet him. The dog is a real ladies "man" and social butterfly!!!! All of us at my work always respect the boundaries too when this dog is working.
Love this series!
Great topic and a very nicely done educational video too. Thanks for all the videos.
great to remind people that real service animals have a job to do, and hopefully, this helps people refrain from claiming their personal pets as service animals.
Thank you so much for making this video! I have been a few times to Disney world with my service dog Sampson and everything e for some reason more than other places people think it's okay to pet the dog that has a sign that says "do not pet". I have type one diabetes as well as a few other chronic illnesses that I need Sampson for and him getting distracted isn't just annoying, it isn't safe!
I remember the first time I tried to pet a service dog. I was young and I still feel bad.
I love seeing the service dogs around Disney World. Their cute little Mickey hats and little boots for the hot pavement are adorable. Still, they're working. I don't take pictures of the dogs and I don't bother them. Still, it's the cutest thing to see at the parks besides maybe a little kid and a character.
Great to hear the efforts made to help families in need. I have chronic hybrid migrane / tension headaches since I was in grade school; maybe Izzy is trying to warn me I'm going to have a worse than average day when she acts crazy despite her not having any service training! ;)
This is an excellent video.
I remember being at Epcot one time and this woman had a chihuahua in a purse she was carrying around. Not sure if was in fact an emotional support dog or a special service animal but considering it barked at me, I have my reservations.
Flint Hawkins a service dog should not bark at anyone unless its trying to draw attention to their person so they can get help. An ESA or emotional support dog is not a service dog with public access. An ESA is just for non pet housing. They are a glorified pet.
I wouldn't say an ESA is a glorified pet, but those people that stick their dog in a purse and then claim ESA are the reason why people think they are just pets. I have family members with PTSD and their ESA is vital in them being able to function outside their homes. It's the jerks that want to be Paris Hilton or some other celeb that make it all go wrong.
Ya that's why I'm pretty sure it was not a service dog and just some dog the lady wanted to bring with her. The only animals that can be considered a working animal in public are certain dog breeds, of which a chihuahua is not one of them, and some small pony breeds
TheCountessAsuka- At that point I think you can consider that dog a working animal because they have a distinct job that is very important. The same goes for animals that do a similar job for people with anxiety disorder or such.
Exactly, hence the title of Emotional Support Animal. It's the people that falsely claim their little pookie as an ESA that drives me crazy. The big issue is that ESAs are vital for people but are not regulated. Service Animals and Therapy Animals are regulated and have to go through special testing to earn that certification. ESAs are not regulated so anyone can claim their pet is one and you can't question it or even remove them from the park/store/building. I could put my cat on her leash (she is leash trained), take her to the store and no one can say a word as soon as I claim she is an ESA. IMO, ESAs should be licensed and regulated just like SAs and TAs. It would make it much harder for princess to bring pookie and get away with it.
Great Video!
great video! this issue needs to be talked about more among the public
Your videos are great! You deserve a millions subscribers!!!
SirWillow u have me crying over here , this is so sad but so nice... ugh.
THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!!!
when you said sugarloaf it made me remember a robotic horse who sacrificed itself witch that caused a migrane
Izaiah Ham Whaaaaaaat???
Wow, awesome video. Didn't know how much went into encountering service dogs. Thanks for the tips, SW :D
Wow! The audio quality on your videos is really improving! You are one of my favorite channels! :)
Thank you for this particular video. I've seen far too many videos where people are having to defend their right to have their service dogs and for people to leave them alone. I'm training a therapy cat, but his job will be very different. He's a cuddlebug who purrs constantly and likes to give headbonks. There aren't as many therapy cats, so it'll be fun to take him to places where people need love. From nursing homes, hospitals, prisons and beyond. I saw a story recently about a therapy pig that goes to the airport to hang out with stressed travellers! Let service animals be. Let the therapy one's love you up instead
It makes them feel useful! 😉
Amen!
great video
I like to tell guests at the park that my service dog and I are not a park attraction. I think the guests see a dog and think it must be a part of the Disney experience and come charging for pictures and pets. I love watching the kids educating parents on service dogs too.
We have a service dog at school, a really nice labador and sometimes he's free from work. Then he just wanders around the school. A few months prior he came into the classroom to see if he could get something out the trashbin...
the bathroom anecdote, though... ive done my fair share of customer service jobs and seen my fair share of weird (and sometimes yucky) things people do, but, woooooow on ppl literally taking pictures of OTHER ppl's dogs under the dang bathroom stall!!! what the heck have these people never seen a dog before?! geeeeeez!!!! 😂
Try getting sudden onset strange kid inside the stall with you to pet the dog.
I know someone with a service dog and they hate when people distract there dog, he usually say: "leave my dog alone he is working" and folks ignoring him. That makes me angry, I have helped with training a seeing eye dog it felt scary to depend on the dog to guid me everywhere and I felt so annoyed every time someone asked: “can I pet your dog”
I do know from cosplaying that handlers do LOVE showing off their skills. I've seen some poodles in training color dyed all different colors and in costumes and their handler talked to me at length of how it was all done. Still can't believe a dog would stay still as long to get their fur dyed.