Disney stopped one of its rides for a service dog. Read about the confusion right here.
Service Dogs in Walt Disney World
Not only does Walt Disney World welcome human guests, but it also welcomes a special population of four legged friends! Service animals are allowed in the parks to do their important work!
Service animals can even ride select attractions with their humans. Naturally, you will not see a service animal on rides like Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Slinky Dog Dash, or the Barnstormer. After all, the nature of some attractions makes it impossible for an animal to ride safely.
Additionally, some attractions permit animals only with caution, and the owners need to speak with Cast Members to discover how to proceed. These include Kilimanjaro Safaris and Toy Story Mania.
There are also special relief areas for service animals to use provided that owners clean up after them. This provision helps keep the parks clean for other guests.
What about attractions that do not permit animals?
Disney has a plan for almost every imaginable scenario. This includes protocol for what to do with service animals who cannot accompany their owners on attractions.
For one thing, Rider Switch is available to owners of service animals. A member of the owner’s travel party can wait with the service animal and experience the attraction after the owner returns (or vice versa). If this is not an option, portable kennels are also available to house service animals while owners experience attractions.
An Unusual Stop!
Do you ever wonder why the ride you are enjoying comes to an unexpected stop sometimes? The reasons can vary. Perhaps a ride vehicle has broken down. Or, perhaps someone has jumped out of a ride vehicle. Perhaps the reason is that the Cast Members are accommodating a transfer from a wheelchair.
As I mentioned, there are attractions that permit service animals to ride along with their owners. One of these is Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
Recently, Cast Members stopped the attraction for a service dog. TikTok user @poodles_and_crafts boarded the attraction with her service dog Ezzie. The dog accidentally caused the stop, as her owner explains in her post.
From their perspective, the Cast Members monitoring the ride thought that Ezzie resembled a child who was improperly seated and restrained in the vehicle. You can imagine her owner’s surprise when she realized the announcement requesting the child sit down and use the safety bar was for her.
It is comforting to know that Cast Members make guest safety a priority. Errors like this are bound to happen, and it seems the owner has a good sense of humor about the whole thing.
Systems are in place to monitor ride vehicles just in case. After all, it is generally better to err on the side of caution where safety is concerned.
Have you ever shared a ride with a service animal? Share your thoughts with us in the comments or join the conversation on our Facebook Page.
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