Traveling to North America from now on America) with an assistance dog is truly a breath of fresh air. I know of no country where they are so knowledgeable and so tolerant of assistance dogs. Of course, there will be exceptions; I know that because I've read about them online. But I have had virtually no bad experiences myself. And that's nice.
Emergency workers, such as firefighters, military personnel and nurses, are highly respected in America. If you work or have worked in one of these professions, Americans admire them. There are many former military personnel in America who struggle with PTSD and often have an assistance dog to support them for this. This makes there a good awareness about and with assistance dogs and therefore it is also much easier to be able to travel in this country with an assistance dog.
Flights to America take a minimum of just under eight hours. I don't want Sophie to have to do anything on board the plane, so I make sure she has had a meal well in advance, think 4-6 hours. That gives her enough time to let the food digest and be able to do her needs one last time before departure.
Sophie is trained to hold everything up. Somehow, since the first time she flew, she has realized that she cannot do anything aboard the plane. She usually wants to drink little to nothing during a flight, and she also takes minimal food. Should the need arise, at least I have stuff with me to clean it up.
Larger airports in America have dog toilets, or Pet relief areas as they are called in English. You shouldn't imagine too much of these; they are usually small areas with a metal bin with artificial grass and sprinklers. But it's better than nothing if you're passing through and want to let your dog do his needs. Sophie does not like it and more often than not does not pee there. I always try to find a patch of green outside the light port if possible.
As mentioned, America is a country where they are well versed in assistance dogs. When traveling with your assistance dog, they are authorized to ask two questions:
You do not have to answer the second question in detail or explain your disability.
I have been to two locations with Sophie so far: in New York City and in Florida. In my experience, New York City is really different from Florida. You can do just fine with your assistance dog in New York City. I did notice that it is important to indicate in advance that your assistance dog is coming with you. Especially in restaurants/ They are usually not very large and it is nice to have a table where your dog can lie quietly. So mention it when you make your reservation.
With all the other activities we did and the hotel we stayed at, there was no problem at all.
In Florida, it's different. There everyone is a lot more relaxed, more laid back anyway, at least where we were; on the west coast, in Cape Coral. During our stay there, with the exception of one time, I didn't encounter any restrictions. Several times I didn't even mention in advance that she was coming with us. The only time Sophie couldn't come was on a boat trip in the Everglades to see alligators. But anyway, one wonders how much fun that would have been for Sophie. The boat races through the water at breakneck speed and with a lot of noise. So we didn't do that and I'm glad.
So my experiences in America have been positive.
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