The summer months are typically very busy ones at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. Families from all over the world travel to Central Florida and Southern California to spend time with Mickey Mouse and Friends, ride exciting attractions, eat delicious food, and splurge on must-have merchandise.
However, there is a BIG downside to traveling to Disneyland and Disney World in the summer — the extreme heat. It is extremely important for guests to stay hydrated, take plenty of breaks, and get in the shade whenever possible.
Now, we live in an age where a lot of people take their pets everywhere, and that even includes Disney. But what do you do with your dog while you are in the parks? Sadly, some guests have taken to leaving their four-legged friends in their cars, sometimes for hours at a time. This is becoming even more of a problem at Disneyland, where many of the guests are locals.
One guest set off a storm of debate when she and her boyfriend noticed that a dog had been left in a car at Disneyland’s Mickey & Friends parking garage.
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Jennifer Mendez was visiting The Happiest Place on Earth with her boyfriend and two-year-old daughter when she noticed that a dog had been left in a car. There was a note on the window saying that the dog was fine and the temperature in the car was set at 72 degrees. However, it still did not sit right with her.
Jennifer’s post set off a flurry of debate, but the moderators removed it before things got too heated.
There were a lot of people who did not think that a dog should be left in the car while its owners went into the theme parks. They worried about something happening to the car and the air conditioning shutting off. They encouraged Jennifer to contact Disney security. She said that she did, but they told her that they couldn’t do anything because the dog did not appear to be in distress.
However, many people defended the owner, pointing out that the car the dog was left in was a Tesla. Teslas come with a setting called Dog Mode. That allows the owner to set the car to a certain temperature, and it will remain at that temperature as long as the battery is charged more than 20%. When the battery drops below a 20% charge, the owner will receive a notification.
They believed that the dog was perfectly safe and noted that it was not in any distress. Based on the original post and comments made before the post was taken down, it appeared that the dog was in the car for at least an hour. But we do not know when the car arrived or when the guests came back.
Taking Your Dog to Disney
Disney knows that guests don’t always like to leave their pets behind when they go on vacation. So, for years, Disneyland and Disney World guests were able to drop their pups off at a Disney kennel, where they would be walked, given a treat, played with, and allowed to relax in giant air-conditioned rooms.
Sadly, Disney shut down the Disneyland Kennel Club when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and did not reopen it when the parks reopened a year later. This has frustrated many guests, since Disney has not given a reason for keeping it closed. With so many locals visiting the parks, it would seem like a good idea to give them a safe place to leave their dogs while they enjoy the parks.
Walt Disney World Resort, on the other hand, does still have its Best Friends Pet Care available to guests. The pet resort will keep your dog for the day, or even overnight, for the length of your stay. They offer different services, including grooming and bedtime stories.
There are even several hotels on property that are dog-friendly. Guests who need a dog-friendly hotel so their pooch can stay with them can choose from Disney’s Art of Animation, Port Orleans – Riverside, the Yacht Club, or the Cabins at Fort Wilderness.
Recently, four puppies had to be rescued from a hot car that was parked in a Disney Springs Parking Garage while the owners went to eat at a restaurant. Sadly, only three of the puppies survived. The owner blamed Disney’s slow service for leaving the puppies alone for so long. He has left the country, but Orlando prosecutors are working on getting him extradited to face charges of animal cruelty.
Do you think guests should bring their pets to Disney and leave them in the car with the air conditioning running? Let us know in the comments!
