Disney Guest Behavior Has Gotten So Bad, Not Even Service Dogs Are Safe

Since the end of the pandemic, guest behavior at Walt Disney Parks around the world has gotten out of control. There have been numerous fights, obnoxious behavior, and even a fight with a fake service dog.

The Washington Post said that after returning to everyday life after years of the pandemic, people simply forgot how to act in public, and these outbursts at Disney properties around the globe are just another example of how some people just forgot themselves.

But at no point have any of the people involved in these Disney altercations ever hurt an animal, let alone a service dog. Sure, perhaps we could excuse two drunken people getting into a fight outside the train station at Magic Kingdom or some drunken fools putting their feet in a fountain at EPCOT. But under no circumstances can we forgive hurting a service dog.

And just when you think that it can never happen, there it goes and happens. According to an incident report released by the Orange County Sheriff’s office, an unidentified man kicked a service dog while in line at Space Mountain in Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Central Florida.

According to the report, two women were waiting in line for Space Mountain earlier this summer. Both of the women had service dogs with them. One of the dogs was an Australian Shepherd named Meeko, who is a medical alert dog. A man behind them reportedly got too close and stepped on Meeko’s tail.

One of the women told him to back up, and the man got angry and started yelling at the two women. When the line moved forward, the man allegedly stepped on Meeko’s tail again and kicked him.

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The two women went on Space Mountain and an hour later reported the incident to Disney World police, who called the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to investigate.

Since the incident occurred an hour before the women said it and because of the dimly lit nature of the Space Mountain queue, the offending person could not be identified positively. As a result, the Sheriff’s office could not pursue a criminal case.

What Are Medical Alert Dogs?

According to The First Responders Foundation, medical alert dogs can sense when a person is about to have a medical emergency. This skill cannot be taught to dogs. Instead, it is innate within the animal, meaning that medical alert dogs know when their handler is about to experience an emergency.

If a medical crisis has already occurred, the dogs are specially trained to get their handlers to safety and alert any nearby people that an emergency is occurring.

These service dogs are miracles and help keep their handlers alert to the potential for an emergency and keep them safe after one happens.

Disney’s Service Dog Policy

At Walt Disney World Resort, a service animal is a dog or miniature horse trained to work or perform tasks for and assist guests with disabilities.

Disney World does have a strict policy for entering a park with a service animal. There are some attractions that an assistance dog can ride with their handler, but Space Mountain is not one of them.

Disney has even set up special “relief areas” around its theme parks for service animals.

Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on a personal Disney Parks guest experience. No two guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Disney Fanatic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.