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FOX 35 helps Florida veteran cruise with service dog
A veteran in Florida finally got to live out his dream and set sail with his service dog. It only happened eight months later than expected.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - A veteran in Florida finally got to live out his dream and set sail with his service dog. It only happened eight months later than expected.
A veteran and his four-legged friend take to the sea
The backstory:
FOX 35 first introduced you to Willmarck Gonzalez when issues with his service dog paperwork over the summer prevented him from cruising. Months later, he figured out the issue and just got back from the best cruise he's had with his mom and service dog, Pippa, thanks to help from FOX 35.
"It was a great cruise. It was a real nice cruise," said the disabled veteran Willmarck Gonzalez, who was beaming with joy on Tuesday.
Things weren’t so nice for him back in June when we first met Gonzalez.
"It was very sad, especially on Mother’s Day. It was something I wanted to do with my mom," said the veteran, holding back tears when he shared his story with FOX 35’s Esther Bower months ago.
He shared his story after he was refused from boarding a cruise because he didn’t have all the paperwork he needed for his service dog, Pippa.
FOX 35 got involved and reached out to MSC Cruises. The cruise line ended up giving him a full refund, and he was able to board this time around with no problems.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you."
What they're saying:
"Thank you to you for contacting MSC Cruises, and they did right by me," he said.
Willmarck’s best advice is to start any kind of paperwork for service dogs months in advance, way before you arrive at the port. What he missed on his first try was getting Pippa’s international permits for the countries they were visiting.
"It was so great just knowing, ‘Hey, come on board, welcome,’" said Gonzalez.
This time around, they were welcomed by everyone. Pippa also made a ton of friends.
"Every time we walked down the hall, it was like ‘Pippa, Pippa.’ Everybody knew Pippa by the end of the cruise," he exclaimed.
The cruise was jam-packed with special memories he made with his mom and best friend—from eating to sightseeing and swimming.
"Being able to go with my mom was amazing, just boarding the cruise was amazing, just knowing my mom was with me – that was great," said Gonzalez.
He says he will definitely cruise again and encourages anyone with a service dog to give it a try. Just make sure you’re prepared with paperwork.
"I just want to say thank you to you," he concludes. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
The USDA also has an online tool to help you figure out what information you need if you’re traveling out of the country with an animal.
MSC also shared a new statement with FOX 35 after Gonzalez successfully cruised with the company:
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The Source: The information in this article comes from reporting done by FOX 35's Esther Bower through an interview with veteran Willmarck Gonzalez, and from MSC Cruises.