Charlie's Clues: Service Dogs in Las Vegas

As promised from before I thought I would share some tips on traveling to Las Vegas with a service dog.

 

1. Talk with hotel when you book your room and let them know you are traveling with a service dog so there will be no surprises when you arrive. (When you stay at a hotel with a service dog should not be charged any sort of pet deposit or pet fee and if they try tell them that is against the ADA).

2. Be prepared for a lot of people and crowds.  I chose to only go out with Charlie during the day and early part of the evening because Vegas just gets too crowded at night.  It is possible to go out with your working dog at night just remember to always be between people and your dog, meaning walk next to a wall if possible and have your dog skimming the wall so that people wont step on him or bump into him and so he doesn't solicit attention from people.

3.  I would say for the most part the hotels & casinos seem to be well versed in ADA and service dog laws so I didn't seem to run into too many problems.  Be prepared with an ID for your working dog just in case and make sure he/she is always wearing his/her working vest.

I just wanted to thank Glenn, a manager from the New York, New York hotel, who saw Charlie and me at the casino and through a great conversation and his interest in Charlie's abilities he bought me and my friend Tracy lunch at any restaurant at the hotel.  We chose Gonzalez Y Gonzalez, a mexican restaurant, and the food and service was terrific.  

I highly recommend the fresh guacamole made at your table. Tracy, Charlie, and I had a fabulous time and truly appreciate Glenn's generous hospitality. Next time I go back to Vegas I will most definitely be staying at the New York, New York hotel.

 CP wanted nothing to do with my fancy drink, but here he is on the floor of Gonzalez Y Gonzalez.

I will say that if you are traveling with a service dog to Las Vegas the New York, New York hotel seems to be an ideal place to stay.  The staff was extremely welcoming and friendly to Charlie and me.  4 stars and two paws up rating from Charlie Pants.

 

Interesting hotel carpets at the Tropicana hotel.  CP lays like this when he is bored. Punk.

Pictures of us in Vegas here, here, and here. 

 image via 

PS. have you been on the New York New York roller coaster. Amazing! Don't worry Charlie did not go on it :)

Charlie's Clues: Dog Teeth Cleaning

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A couple of weeks ago I decided that Charlie needed to get his nasty teeth cleaned.  His breath was killing me and he hadn't had his teeth expertly cleaned in several years.  I was leery of having him put under anesthesia to get his teeth cleaned and not to mention it is quite costly ($250-300).  I heard about the Well Animal Institute here in Denver, Colorado that offers anesthesia-free pet teeth cleaning for only $150-165.

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Why choose anesthesia-free dental cleaning for your pet? The SAFER Option : Zero anesthesia or other drugs used means safety from potentially harmful side effects and recovery times of commonly used drugs. The AFFORDABLE Option : Runs approximately $165.00 per pet. The HEALTHY Option : The same perfectly cleaned and polished teeth you’d expect from any cleaning, to assure improved breath and long term health. Is your pet exhibiting signs of dental disease? Bad breath Yellow/brown plaque on the teeth or near the gum line Red and swollen gums Pain or bleeding when your pet eats or the gums are touched Drooling Loose or missing teeth Pawing at the mouth

We decided to give it a try (well honestly Charlie had no decision in the matter).  

This is how it went down.

We went to the vet that was hosting the Well Animals Institute teeth cleaning clinic and Cindy, one of the owners, took Charlie into a room just off of the waiting room.  I was advised not to be in the room because the dogs do better when their owner isn't in the room watching, but I was allowed to observe through the door window.  Cindy wrapped Charlie up tightly in a blanket (I completely forgot to take pictures but you can see how it is done via the video on the bottom of the blog), but it looks like this.

 

The tight blanket was to help Charlie feel safe and secure and so he couldn't wiggle around.  Then she talked to him all soothing like and stroked his face and mouth and just started cleaning his teeth...and he let her. I was shocked.  She used a regular looking dental tooth scraper.  It was amazing and only took about 20-25 minutes.  Charlie came out of the room a new man with sparkling teeth. Check them out.  I highly recommend you try anesthestia-free teeth cleaning for your dog or cat.

Watch this video on how the anesthesia-free teeth cleaning is done.

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