Walt Disney World resorts start pilot program to allow dogs

Disney might hate poor people but I certainly hate people who feel that they have to travel with their dogs. Leave Fido at home. It drives me nuts to sit down at an outdoor restaurant and see a dog sitting at the table next to me. I like dogs, I just don't like yours in public with me. Or leaving dog hair all over the bed that I am going to sleep in.

And yes, I understand that service dogs fall into a different category and I am OK with them.

I am a proud dog owner but would never bring him to WDW. I just do not get it. You can't take them to the park (yet) and can't take them in to restaurants/stores. I just don't understand this other than a money grab. Makes me wonder if this will backfire with regards to guest complaints and potential dog fights/injuries.

Hack Wilson said:

I just don't understand this other than a money grab.

Add me to the list that doesn't get traveling with pets.

With that said, this is the opposite of a money grab, it's customer driven. More people than ever expect to travel with their "fur babies" (ugh) wherever they go.

I have friends who don't take their dog to the vet because "it's cheaper to get a new dog." I guess you can't argue with that...

vet : dog :: ink : printer

Cool! Another reason not to go back.

I love our dog, I always bring him to camping, hiking, jogging, etc, but I will not bring him to parks, why? Because poor dog won't get any attention while I go to parks, he would be alone in a hotel room, which would make me feel guilty. I'd feel much better leaving him at a friend's or my parents'.

I will feel bad for the dogs who have to be alone in hotel room while the family is out having fun...

Maybe they will bring a lousy t-shirt back for their dog.

After spending 12+ hours at the parks a few days in a row and being exhausted, I really don't want to be woken up by a barking dog.

Take the dog to Knoebels, where everyone’s welcome. There were quite a few the weekend I was there, and a few people told me they’ve even taken their dogs on slow rides like the train.

And I imagine the park doesn’t suffer from a mouse problem at night. Those dogs spend their day hoovering the grounds for any dropped food.

This is interesting. While I definitely see more people travelling with pets have also noticed several hotels reversing their pet policy in the last couple of years.

We were checking in at a hotel in Niagara Falls that had reversed their pet policy over a year ago and staff were dealing with an angry guest that showed up with their dog. The manager explained that the decision to no longer allow pets was due to people leaving their barking dogs in rooms for way too long and to accommodate guests that had severe pet dander allergies.

My previous girlfriend had a dog, and we took her to Royal Pacific at Universal once. It was a non-issue. In fact, we traveled quite a bit with that little fart machine. I was surprised that Disney's position was new, actually. Mind you, it's restricted to service dogs, but the parks and even the cruise ships have "pet relief" areas.

That’s a requirement under ADA.

I find the attitude or perception towards dogs displayed here vs out here in Germany or Europe in general rather interesting. In Germany you can take your dog on the train/bus, in restaurants or parks, nobody cares really. In restaurants the dogs even always get a bowl of water.

But the dogs in Germany are so much better behaved and trained. I saw a guy leave his dog on the sidewalk outside of a church in Germany while he went in. The dog was not leashed, he virtually didn't move a muscle while he waited patiently for his master to return. Same with restaurants, the dogs do get a water bowl but you don't even know they are there, they never bark.

Millennial dogs from the United States are so narcissistic and lazy. They expect everything to just be given to them, and when it's not they just throw a fit. I blame the parents.

I have family members that travel quite a bit with their dog or sometimes dogs. They usually leave the one with friends or board her and bring the older one but she is an unusually amazing dog so I can see having the option would be nice for someone in their position but there's no way I'm taking either of my four legged brats on a vacation if I ever manage to actually take one. I'm under no illusion of them being children. Too many people are these days. I suppose there are people (not poor ones) who stop at Disney as part of a larger trip that is more pet appropriate than the park is and need to stash their dogs somewhere for the day or two.

Get ready for rooms that smell like dog pi$$. They might be charging cleaning fees, but is Disney going to replace the carpet when the animals have accidents? Brining a dog to Disney doesn't make sense if one is going to spend the day at the parks.......

The dogs have to be "well behaved." How is that determined?

I've stayed in countless hotels that allow dogs. None of them have ever smelled like dogs. I think Disney can handle it.