Passengers can bring service animals on a plane, and don’t have to pay extra to do so. They just have to fill out paperwork, which largely amounts to attesting that it’s a service animal.
Emotional support animals aren’t supposed to be a thing on planes anymore, but it’s really an ‘honor system’ sort of thing.
That means that there are still plenty of animals on planes, even if it’s not the Noah’s Ark two of each animal situation that it used to be. The average passenger wanting to bring an emotional support animal also happens not to be very good at handling the paperwork in advance.
When you see an animal at your feet, encroaching on your space, do you ever stop to wonder why it is that you’re the one stuck giving up your space for the animal? Why is it that passengers are forced to pay the price when a seat opponent brings an animal onto the plane?
“Service Dog” in my leg space the entire flight. Should I complain?
byu/noteverythingnotyet inunitedairlines
Hey @Delta this isn’t supposed to happen two #ServiceDogs in the same row that don’t know each other?!? Why you put us at risk of a missed medical episode & I just had two fusions! Flight1682 to Houston pic.twitter.com/6xW2cD1TWX
— Michelle Z (@SpoonieandtheSD) December 12, 2023
The Americans With Disabilities Act generally places a burden on employers and businesses to make themselves accessible to workers and customers. The idea is that one party incurs the cost, rather than dispersing costs on those with a disability. That way people can be more included in society, whether as employees or patrons of stores holding themselves out to the public.
But airlines work differently. First, air travel accommodations are governed by the Air Carrier Access Act rather than the Americans With Disabilities Act. And second, the burden of accommodating those with disabilities – or who claim disabilities – generally falls on other passengers and not just the airline.
While airlines are responsible for providing wheelchairs to those who need them (or who just wish to board early), when a passenger requires more space that space usually comes from their seatmate.
You already do not get very much space in economy on a plane, so you’re the one least well position to provide the accommodation. Yet you’re the one stuck. Alternatives:
- Passenger pays for the space that they need, if their pet needs space then they buy space for their pet.
- Airline pays by providing a free extra seat. That’s closer to how the burden is usually treated under law elsewhere, though it surely seems unfair when it’s an emotional support animal where the passenger has simply filled out the paperwork claiming it’s a service animal.
There are real service animals, and animals that passenger call service animals. Does it matter whether the passenger actually has a qualifying need, for you to care that they’re taking up your space?
If your dog is taking my space, it’ll need a vet and you’ll need a surgeon.
@Walter you need a Xanax you cranky, aggressive thing.
@Walter – first of all you are a d**k. Secondly, you will end up in jail where you belong with that attitude.
@Gary – venting again about something that won’t change. My daughter has a service dog due to medical conditions and she has flown a good bit with the dog (a golden BTW). True service dogs are trained to stay at people’s feet. If the dog is larger sure it may encroach to some extent but airlines protect people with disabilities right to fly so that won’t change. BTW, I would much rather have a dog encroach on my space than the typical obese American (no offense but from your photo you could lose few pounds and I bet @Walter isn’t a picture of health either).
My last flight there was a “service dog” in the row in front of me. Quotes because when the passenger got up the first time the animal came over to sniff me, and the second time licked the leg of the woman across the aisle.
Was otherwise well behaved and occupied the space between the seats of a couple traveling together so not a big deal, but definitely a case of someone passing off a non-service animal as such.
Airlines need to quit putting up with the bullshit of $20 internet vests. Put the burden, when it comes to animals, back on the pax. Or just wait until one of these so called fake service animals bites the face off some kid..then que the big lawsuit and rightfully so.
It should be on the airlines to fix this. I think about other accommodations that one sees in the community (ramps, larger restroom facilities, parking spaces, etc.). And on the other hand , as much as I am an advocate for those with disabilities by profession, I really think there should be more responsibility placed on the service dog owner to provide documentation that their dog is a bona fide service dog. I think that’s a fair exchange for providing extra seating space for those with disabilities, including their dog, for the comfort of everyone on the sircraft.
It’s kind of like the Southwest issue isn’t it? Somehow ***all*** these families have kids with debilitating disabilities requiring service animals now. Anything in society requiring an honor system doesn’t work anymore. The doodle or pitbull wearing a service jacket doesn’t fool anyone. This probably makes me angrier than the wheelchair crowd because we would love to bring our pet too. Eventually the law will change and you will need to pay thousands to get a properly trained and certified animal.
@Lynn it can’t be on the airlines, it has to be codified in law.
Sorry. This has gotten way out of hand. I’m with Gary on this. Lots of comments from enablers will be forthcoming. Pets belong at home. Don’t subject me to your nonsense. Most of you (not all, but most) with the animal vests are scammers and fakers.
While some are piling on @Walter I rather thought his post at least revealed the extreme frustration some of us feel when confronted by this problem. The question never asked is: “How do we stop it?” Shaming companies like Amazon and Ebay into refusing to sell the faux “Service Animal” vests would be a good place to start. I personally mock the owners with a “Oh look, you got a service animal vest on Amazon”. And, although I hate looking for legislation, it may be the only answer.
I happen to love dogs. Cats , not so much, and, I am extremely allergic to them.
My personal best on a service (sic) dog was when one sat next to me on a DL flight from ATL to RSW and panted all over my edibles and drink the whole flight. Unusually we had the same plane from PHX to ATL, I had the row behind on that flight and got to watch a Pug dancing the pasodoble on what was to be my tray table the whole flight. And you ask why I use disinfecting wipes?
@Retired Gambler: Yes, and that’s an old picture Gary uses. BUT as a not infrequent poster to this blog might I kindly suggest that it’s a bit gauche to make personal comments on the physical appearance of the blog owner?
I do a fair amount of international travel and have noticed that it is ONLY in the USA that you see the large volume of people displaying this ridiculous dependency behavior. Everyone else on the planet seems to do just fine without their pets while they travel. Americans are such wimps!
What happen to the old days when dogs were handled as checked luggage and rode with the baggage?
Guy in front of me had an emotional support goldfish.
Security made him spill out the water for fear of explosives.
He started crying.
We all didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
On a recent flight from New Orleans I was surprised to see a dog in a carrier on my economy class row. I’m allergic to dog and cat dander and put on a mask hoping I wouldn’t start sneezing or coughing or have chest congestion. Fortunately, I didn’t, but I was disturbed by the fact that I might be subject to these animals on longer flights in the future.
Simple solution, as always. Remove government from the equation and the problem disappears. When individuals are confronted with paying the true cost of their decisions, most of the b.s. “service animals” will disappear. Sorry, but your “disability” doesn’t give you the right to impose hardships on other people.
The actual right answer is for government to codify licensing standards federally for service animals. No official license? Too bad.
Because they won’t do that, the only reasonable step people can take is to make airlines less scared of a lawsuit from the fraudulent service phonys than of another group. I’ve suggested in the past that people with severe pet allergies speak up more frequently. Allergies, especially severe ones, are a bona fide medical condition under the ADA and if airlines’ legal departments need a nudge to shift calculus into being more afraid of an ADA suit from people with severe allergies, then that’s what it’ll take to end this Noah’s Ark madness.
As a Seeing Eye dog handler, I think there are two distinct issues here, the fake service dogs, which people with disabilities despise as much as you do; and the amount of space all dogs take up, regardless of legitimacy status.
Speaking to the latter, I am 6’1. I’ve only ever worked larger German shepherds, and one of the realities I had to accept was having leg room obliterated when I worked these canines. Most guide dog schools train the dogs to fit under the seat in front of them. This is generally why blind passengers hate it when airlines insist on guide dog users sit in bulkhead rows. There’s nowhere for the dogs to lie except in front of you and in front of the passenger beside you. It would help if you, as the bystander, speak up when you witness a blind passenger try to explain to the flight attendant why the bulkhead row may not be the most feasible solution.
I don’t want to consume more space than what is necessary. I imagine this is applicable to other blind passengers. It is our responsibility to do things like remove the harness, situate the dog beneath the seat, and ensure the dog doesn’t get nosy during the flight. They’re highly trained animals, but ultimately, they’re still dogs. They get bored if they’re not sleeping. If you’re a dog lover and want to say hello, and have my permission, have at it, but there does need to be a little consideration on both sides.
As a non-disabled passenger, I imagine it is your right to ask to move seats if you are allergic or just don’t want to sit next to a service dog for any reason. If airlines can accommodate families, they ought to be able to accommodate such requests.
Thank you to everyone who can understand the complexities brought on by the influx of fake emotional support animals. It makes life more challenging, especially for people with legitimate need. There’s no reason why we should resort to the sort of attitude Sir Walter is promoting.
Retired gambler – GFYS. Your daughters accomodation does t include encroaching on others space you entitled nob.
I travel every other week and have seen 1 service animal in past two years. A blind man had a seeing eye dog. Other than that zero
Quick question to all of the know it ALLs.
What is a service dog ?
What training do they go through?
Probably none of you have no clue!!!
First and foremost service dogs are trained for many different purposes. Some more extensive then others.
Probably the most highly train service animal is the service animal that is trian for the visually impaired. (Working dog).
With that begin said at the end of the day they are dogs.
They bark, they like attention.
My neighbors service dog is trained for one thing and one thing only and it’s for his PTSD. Other then that it acts like any other pet.
Barks when someone knocks on the door, doesn’t like cats or ducks. Loves to play fetch.
Do your research before running your lips.
Just as no legitimate service dog certification exists within the United States, and just as service dog handlers do not need to carry papers’, members of the public (including staff at businesses) are not legally allowed to ask you anything other than two questions regarding your disability or your service dog. Apr 1, 2023
Granted, I usually don’t fly more than a dozen times per year. With that being said, I’ve seen several service animals ~ emotional support, if you will, and not even once have I seen any situation that caused havoc or inconvenience (I’ve had them in my row several times)
I’m not sure of the motivation behind the constant state of agitation regarding service dogs… or the other label. But, one thing I know, ….. screaming young children cause many times the grief and inconvenience than the dogs. I cannot even keep track of how many 5 year olds kicked the heck out of the back of my seat while their parents pretended not to notice. Yet, this never seems to make the news.
Oh well, must have been another slow news day.
I pay $125 per flight to keep my dog in a carrier under the seat. She weighs 11 pounds, is14, partially blind and deaf, behaved, and most people don’t know she’s there. She also counts as one of my two carry-ons. So not all people who bring pets lie about dogs being a service animal.
The solution for both passengers needing assistance and service animals is to provide a handicap placard for the former, and creating a similar device for people in need of a service animal. The handicap placard requires a physician to write an order on a state form for the placard, and take that to a government office. Then, to get early boarding, one should show a handicap placard, and to bring a service animal, they should need to show the government issued document. This prevents fake doctor’s notes, as the doctor has to put their license number on the form, and could lose their license. This way, the owner is licensed, not the animal. The document will have a number, which could be required on the reservation, so the airline can make appropriate arrangements, and check with the state to ensure it’s a valid name/number. If the state has an electronic registry, it might even avoid the need to present the document at the airport. It would also keep both of these categories out of the exit row (except on Southwest, of course).
James N spot on. I work at a major airport and deal all the time with passengers who have real disabilities. Most have no service animals! The vast amount of people with service animals have no true disability and will often time laughingly tell me they are doing this to avoid the pet fees.
It’s the same issue as the wheelchair thing – the government has created a legal loophole that only government can fix. “Service animals” must be accommodated, by law. The legal definition of “service animal” appears to essentially be anything any individual wishes. People like Gary and other commenters always use the term “legitimate” or “real” service animals – until the law actually defines what that is under these various disability accommodation laws, your terms “legitimate” and “real” are meaningless.
The airlines should give people the option of buying an extra seat if you want to travel with your pet and allow pets larger than they currently do to occupy that space. Others can claim they have allergies but that makes no difference if a true service animal is on board so why would it make a difference in this case? If it’s not a pet but is a true service animal, that animal is highly trained and is not going to interact with other passengers (or with those animals who are pets). Those people that are truly in need of a service animal should not have to pay extra for their need to travel. It is beyond imagination that anyone would begrudge them that animal even if it did intrude into their space. I’m sure not going to hold my breath for the airlines to voluntarily make more space when a passenger requires a service animal. On one flight I was on, the passenger next to me was disabled and kept tilting into my seat space. Yes, an annoyance, but what kind of ass would I be if I reacted badly to that? As a civilized society, we need to make allowances for those less able bodied. As for the unmitigated anger and hate of people such as Walter, they need to get some therapy.
@FF2
This doesn’t mean what you likely think it does:
“Probably none of you have no clue!!!”
“…the government has created a legal loophole that only government can fix.” Ugh!
“For politicians, the red tape that ensnarls citizens is a feature, not a bug, of government.” Don Boudreaux
We have to regularly fly with our service animal. She is a registered, trained and well mannered. The agents and TSA regularly comment favorably on her behavior and interaction with crowds. They know the difference but cannot confront passengers. When we went through the process, which is expensive, we were matched with an animal for our son that matched our lives and what was required which was traveling via air every other week. The best choice was a border collie because of their intelligence and size being able to fit under the seat in front of us or in between our legs on commuter aircraft. I agree that these animals should not encroach on other passengers space or being offensive nor have a free seat. I shake my head on what people bring on the aircraft. We have a service ID, state registration, and health records and show them on request. There should be a federal standard and identification for service animals, not just a vest.
Just my opinion
What’s the reason we can’t have small bags at our feet for takeoff and landing?
Either impeded egress or projectile.
An unsecured large dog represents both safety hazards.
@ Greg: So what do you propose passengers with guide dogs do to travel via airplanes?
LOL this whole discussion around service animals again?
Yes people misuse it
No if an animal sniffs you it still can be a service animal
Owners of service animals are not the problem the Airlines are. They just ignore it. Make no accomodations or similar.
I’m a librarian. I had a woman come in and need help filling out paperwork. She told me she wanted to take her dog on vacation with her, and the airlines denied her paperwork. She needed help filing an appeal. She asked, “Why do airlines make this so difficult?” I answered, “Probably because people keep saying their pets are service animals, when they’re clearly not.”
She told me this dog was not well behaved, barked at everything, and didn’t like being on a leash. Just why? Get a dog sitter.
The most common service animal for Americans seems to be the obesity assistance dog.
Much like the owner, it spends the flight begging for snacks and passing wind, and doesn’t properly fit in the space allocated.
@AC – Your daughter just needs to get over it and buy an extra spot rather than blaming everyone else.
Just an FYI not all service dogs are highly trained such as a working service dog for a blind person. I have a 17 lb dog who is NOT trained but has acquired the ability to wake me up when having I have medical episode and get help if I don’t wake up. Because of this natural ability that he has, my doctor has provided me a letter stating my need for him.
If I am traveling alone he always travels with me, and regardlesss of his small size I always either get a first class seat or purchase an extra seat. I do this because I feel that it is rude to encroach on anothers space. If I am traveling with someone the little guy stays home.
I feel John H’s suggestion is the best that I have read. I get so frustrated when I see people with a fake animal. It makes it harder for us that need our service animal.
walter with the dirty mouth has less regards for disabled persons needs than for his own selfish self gratification, obviously he’s more concerned about discriminating against service animals and their owners like he is about the people he is using derogatory comments about and to,should people like walter even be allowed on airplanes with normal people that have some respect ,his disability seems worse than anything read so far
THERE is a cure for this
1 bring a dog whistle with you.
2 bring one of the squeakies from a dog toy.
Annoy the dog and the owners.
Sitting in 1st class. A guy one row behind and across the aisle had two little doggies in cages with him. One of them had diarrhea and took a dump in his cage stinking up the whole plane. The man took the dog into the rest room to cleaned the cage resulting in closure of the rest room. Why did everyone on the plane have to breath that foul air so that he could bring his dog?
On an Embraer once with 3 “emotional support dogs”. One was supposed to be seated next to a woman with a phobia against dogs. Fortunately flight attendant could accommodate, but allergies and phobias are not uncommon. Those too are disabilities.
First off, I would MUCH RATHER have a flight full of fur kids than even ONE human crotch dropping. These sentient beings may have a true reason for going where they are going and this is the best way to do it.
BTW I h8 people in general.
@Nick, service dogs aren’t just the standard lab, golden, shepard, etc. I have a service dog, she is trained, she does her job, she is a doodle. It’s not about the breed, it’s about the services they provide. There are breeders out there that train doodles and other non standard breeds, look it up.
Mets fan in nc- there are three service animals on my flight right now. They are far from a rarity.
I have a service dog I try to get a window seat dog goes against side of plane and my other leg keeps her in my leg space unless the person flying next to me says they don’t mind her in their space. I also tell person next to me to let me know if she gets in their space
Wow you all – compassion in the US is completely gone. Has anyone actually thought of the reasons why someone needs to fly with a dog? I don’t fly around with my dogs for fun but I have had to fly with them on occasion and I paid for them. We move out of the US to another country across the ocean. I wasn’t trying to interfere with all your lives, torture or make people miserable – just trying to get from A to B like everyone else. My dogs were put under the seat and no one even knew we had them until we got off the plane and let them pop their heads out. By the way the costs were significant – not just for the flight but also the vet and paperwork from USDA required for each dog cost hundreds of dollars – between 500- $1000 each for everything.
Service dogs are needed for some and disabilities are not always blatantly seen. A flight is a few hours – a disability is a lifetime. Compassion and grace would go a long way for that person.
I do agree if the dog is large that the person should inform the airline ahead of time and the airline should give a free seat next to the person to not but a burden on the passenger seated next to them.
I always travel with my cat. I just wish that instead of paying an extra $100 to have her in a carrier at my feet, I could instead buy a second seat for her. Airlines didn’t make that an option though. Even with an extra seat, I’d still have to pay the additional $100 per direction to have my cat take the place of my carryon.
It’s really unfortunate that ableism is so rampant in this country and probably worldwide. It’s really depressing to see that people have no understanding of what it is like to live your life with a disability. I truly hope that people become more aware and more kind.
if you cannot go 2-6 hrs w/o your emotional dog, goat, horse, peacock, parrot etc
perhaps you should be spending more time in your analyst’s chair
this situation is way out of control to the detriment of those of us who only want to get
from point A to B in some degree of relative comfort and safety
I HATE fur babies!
Next time one encroaches in my space I’ll be making a coat out of it a la Cruella DeVille.
You damn dog nutters!
When commenters call them “fur kids” or “fur babies”, it’s real easy to guess their opinion. Few dogs and handlers seem to be professionally trained like the Service Dogs that assist a disabled person (mainly the Seeing Eye Dogs/Guide Dogs for the Blind). Then there are the Fake service dogs such as most are on the airplanes and in grocery store shopping carts. All well trained Service Dogs know that it’s “four on the floor.”
@RJ, If you read the comments, you will find there a few idiots/trolls on this subject. But, understand the common thread here is 1) fake service dogs are loathed (not the dog, but the owner), 2) reasonable accommodation to true service dogs is appropriate/expected, 3) the accommodation in (2) should not be borne by other psssagengers, and (4) most of these service animals are a ruse to get a pet on board uncaged. We spend most of our time focused on (1), (3), and (4).
Rarely are any of the pets masquerading as service animals being transported to a new home.
@Retired Gambler
Somebody hurt you, so you get to spread hate here? Hell is wrong with you?
I’m a disabled veteran. I have a service dog for mobility and PTSD.
I fly with him. I purchase premium seats for additional leg room. He is positioned under the seat in front of me and between my legs unless circumstances do not permit it. He doesn’t bark or disturb the other passengers. Service dogs are to be seen not heard or petted unless permitted.
I try to book a window seat. This way my dog does not have to be disturbed if someone needs to go to the head. His size lets him fit under the seat easily unlike labs, golden retriever’s, labradoodles, etc. By the way, his breed is an American Bulldog Terrier mix rescue. He was trained to be a service animal from the age of four months. He is my only animal and important lifeline.
I have a REAL Service Dog..My condition and needs, requires him to be “Off-leash”..
I’ve had my ADA Right trampled on for over a decade..
Furthermore, it’s the small town Sheriff’s Offices that Violate my Rights more than anyone else..
Even after I show them the ADA Laws,they still Refuse to comply..
Be thankful that you are not ♿ and have compassion for owners that need the lifeline they provided. Are you so self centered that you can’t allow yourself to sacrifice a little
Gary, service animals are NOT pets! My daughter’ service dog is for mobility, anxiety & because she’s on the spectrum. The 3 of us fly together and in the bulkhead seats, so no one else’s space is affected. Her dog was trained for 14 months. You seem pretty ignorant of services they can provide and only selfishly caring how it affects you!
True service dogs are highly trained animals and it takes a couple of years. I’m sick and tired of some in our society caring more about themselves than others while trying to pass off fake service dogs and trampling on my rights. The US has become a country of nothing but self serving people who care more about themselves than their neighbors. For people who truly need service dogs I have no issue but the rest of you with fake service animals you all need to stop being so selfish and start caring about others.
Im a diabetic with seizures and my little guy doesn’t look or act like a service dog but when my sugar is low and im about to go down he knows he is in my face a under my left hand and or lickings my ears and wining. My own Dr saw this first hand and asked for him to get his medallion. Soooooo what do people have to say to that? Im just saying not all service dogs look or act like the old school service dog. There’s a new breed of veterans and disabilities. Times have changed . It’s time for people to become more educated.
I have a service dog. I purposely leave my service dog at home if I have a family member or friend who can provide the same services to me. I do not wish to encroach on other people’s space, or affect those who are allergic or afraid of dogs. If it is possible to leave him home I do. In the situations when it is not possible, I seat myself in areas away from other people as much as possible. This being said the OP has every right to be able to sit with her feet in front of her and move a little bit for her flight. Both of those dogs are taking up the space that she paid for. Again if the owners need those dogs to be with them, they should be with them, they should not have to pay more to have them there, but at the same time they need to have enough room to keep their dog in their space not someone else’s. My service dog is a great Pyrenees. He is huge and 160 lb. I would never try to fit him on a plane unless I purchased an extra seat with enough room for him without getting in someone else’s space. People have a right to the space that they purchased just as much as a disabled person has a right to have their service animal with them.
All you haters…I have a hearing dog who goes everywhere with me..and never even one time in our travels around the world….has there been a problem with ( fake) service dogs. ..if a dog acts like smells like a service dog that’s all you need to know. Stop making accusations that you don’t know about. Personally I think everyone should have a service dog
These fake vests have been around long enough that the DoJ and ADA need to start certifying and documenting service animals. The honor system is a complete failure in this aspect.
Flying is uncomfortable for everyone, unless you are in 1st class We travel with my hearing dog (10#Chihuahua) who is trained and caged during travel (for his safety so he won’t get trampled) and directly under my or my husband’s seat. Please can we be a little more giving for those who have larger animals?
In all the years of the Internet, this is only the third time I have felt compelled to comment on a story.
I find it quite fascinating that this article from a website which I regularly read and appreciate the information derived from it, was written in a rather slanted way. More as an unresearched op-ed piece.
Yes, there are passengers who abuse
the pet/service animal travel rules and make it difficult for those of us who have a legitimate need. As such, I generally try to fly in business or first class but as a person who not only was a travel agent and worked for the airlines in the 1980s, I agree that the abuse of “emotional support“ assistance pets and true “service animals“ has definitely strayed from its original path and intent. I suggest a tranquilizer if one can’t handle the modern air travel and are emotionally affected, but I state that as my opinion.
Because my medical condition does not require a large animal, but rather a small dog (that is ALLOWED to sit on my lap) able to smell my blood and detect diabetic changes in it so for his comfort, travels in a carrier kept underneath the seat in front of me. In the event he detects changes in my blood which could be of consequence, he will alert me by softly barking and acting fidgety.while inside his carrier bag, this affects no one. The legroom for someone who elects to pay for a cheap economy seat and knows that the airlines have continually decreased the amount of space in that class of service, is making that choice on their own. To pay an additional $15 – $35 for a seat which offers a whopping 3 inches of extra legroom is your option, as is changing seats if available all the way prior to departure as stated by one of the other readers commenting.on this article, is yours.
If there is a situation, address it with the flight crew. Even 40 years ago, we were trained to deal with everything that could knowingly arise. I feel your article has been written as a complaint more than it has as an objective statement on the topic of travel with true service animals. Such as a blind individual who requires a larger size service animal.
You have decreased my impression of your website, but there are plenty others which are capable of composing a report or article objectively and without bias.
Perhaps if you, the author, had a disability, you may have written this in a different tone. I know that I will be clicking on less stories from.viewfromthewing.com as this was a very poorly researched and written report.
If you want to write a story complaining about passengers who abuse the policies, then make that the topic and remember to include the airlines’ decisions in your writings. But do not write this story in a manner which implies anyone with a legitimate need creates an inconvenience for your legroom. I would like to write a story about parents who let their children misbehave during flights and do nothing about it – but that would be the headline, not something, misleading and lacking a “both sides of the coin” article as you have composed.
Kind regards,
A passenger with a true disability
Your article really slants towards an agenda against anyone with a disability and has a service dog. I have a service dog. She and I trained for a year before certifying with our organization. We continue to train monthly because it is important to keep my dog’s skills sharp. I have to show proof of her service dog certification before we fly. Our organization works with the airlines so we don’t have difficulties when we fly. The trained service dog isn’t the problem. It is the narrow mindedness and discrimination towards those if us with disabilities and service dogs that is the problem. People like you. I am sorry you chose to behave this way. Shame on you.
You are a very self centered writer. Although it can be annoying that people bring fake service dogs onto flights and into just about any public area, that doesn’t give you the right to discriminate against trust service dogs and their disabled owners. Service dogs need to be trained and well behaved, and I feel as though stricter rules should be placed on service animals to prevent those who are not true service animals from being allowed in public areas. You should also never say accommodating those with a disability is a burden, that is flat out disrespectful of you. I highly frown upon you and how you choose to treat those with disabilities, yes I know, not much room is provided on planes, however, true service dogs and their owners are shown how to position their service dogs onto a position that doesn’t disturb others. although this isn’t taught at all facilities, it is taught at most. Those who do not respect your space most likely do not have true service animals OR where never properly taught at their training facility, which then falls onto them and their training facility. Do not ever disrespect those with disabilities ever again, you are a very horrible person for this and if I didn’t have human decency this message would’ve contained many inappropriate terms and words to call you. Fix yourself before you wreck yourself even more, nobody is going to stand for your disrespectful acts towards those who can not control their disabilities. And to add onto that, you are also disrespecting your retired service members that gave you the country you have, so, be more respectful or stop flying, and help those with true service dogs bust those with fake, they would appreciate less yapping annoying dogs distracting their technically medical equipment, not dogs. So again, fix yourself, you’re disrespectful and a horrible human being.
In response to the commenter suggesting passengers be required to show their handicap placard in order to bring their service animal on board, the placard is normally displayed in their vehicle parked at the airport in a handicapped spot, so that is not an option. Not sure where you live, but my state allows only one placard per handicapped person, and you must give them your old placard back when renewing it, can’t have two placards for the same person.
I’m highly allergic to dogs and it’s getting harder not to sit next to someone’s canine — fake service animal or not. The discussion on this topic leaves out the fact that there are competing medical interests here.
Reading some of the replies here makes me glad I’ve not flown domestically since before the pandemic. Internationally we seem to get fewer wackadoodles but some of you are the ones who perhaps should be caged.
“My condition and needs, requires him to be “Off-leash”..” um what
“Furthermore, it’s the small town Sheriff’s Offices that Violate my Rights more than anyone else..” um yes because leash laws?
What is your answer? Stop all service dogs? The one belonging to the veteran who has suffered physical and mental pain? The blind teen who can now be independent? Or the diabetic whose animal can warn her of low sugar? The person with seizures who relies on his service animal for to make sure he is safe from falling or worse? Lobby for uniform, regulation service animal wearable identification and owner ID. You realize your preaching for YOUR special privileges? And I don’t give a hoot helping someone who needs it, paying a couple dollars more each for the seat/space. I do hope I never have to hear from someone like you when I fly.
@Kayla
You are soooooo wrong. Gary is 100% correct about these fake service animals. Maybe read what he wrote instead of crying for sympathy when you are missing the point.
All I’ve got to say is if your fake service animal bites me, even a little bit, be ready to sign over all your money now and in the future.
Plus one for Gary. I don’t disagree that people who have true needs should be able to have to have their service animals, but there should be higher levels of proof/documentation that these animals are medically required. It’s a very sad state of affairs, but too many people are simply taking advantage of the honor system.
Southwest gets offended about a crying but it does nothing to stop all the people that fake a disability and seat on a WC in order to enter the plane first an grab a good seat without paying the fees Last time I flew with them I counted 47 ( plus their family members) Most of them walked off the plane with no issue once we got to our destination.
I do not have a service animal. I fully support people who actually need a service animal. I don’t understand all the hate in the comments section. The author was complaining mostly about people who have “fake” service animals and the fact that the ADA forbids asking for proof of an animal’s actual status. Considering the impact on other travelers I don’t think it’s too much to ask that people have a document signed by a professional, third party individual stating that the animal is a service animal. The honor system no longer works in our country because so many (not all) people have been raised with a complete lack of accountability and a massive sense of entitlement
Ah come on folks (many of you posting for the first time here), one can simultaneously support legit service dogs and their masters and despise those that just buy a vest for their pet. It is not the least bit discriminatory, hateful, etc. to expect a service dog to be trained not only in their primary service, but also to “stay in their space.”
And, bringing up the “veteran card” is a red herring. The right of a person to a service animal is unaffected by their military service or lack thereof. “I know you need a service animal, but you can’t as you’re not a veteran,” and, “Because you’re a veteran, you can call your pet a service dog (wink, wink),” are two sentences no one should be allowed to say.
Maybe the high toad folks?
Dave W. wins with best post of them all.
Honestly, for both people who agree with this post and people who don’t agree with this post, the latter of which are mostly people who have legitimate service animals, you seem to be forgetting one thing that might honestly make a lot of these issues disappear. A lot of this being an issue is solely because of Airlines trying to increase their profit margin by jamming as many seats as physically possible into a plane. For people who have service animals, please understand, people aren’t even happy with how close other people are to them. You know that the amount of space between each single passenger has been getting smaller and smaller over the past years. Therefore, it is going to be given that passengers are going to be upset when that little space between passengers is now being occupied by a dog. Essentially, everyone deserves to feel comfortable on a flight. Everyone is paying to use this service. There are still people with service animals who are not happy about how tight this space is for their dog to occupy. This is also partially the reason why, like one person mentioned above, people with service animals will often buy premium seats, to have the additional space. People are not saying that they don’t want service animals in public, with maybe the exception of fake service animals. People are tired of constantly losing the very little space that they have due to Airline policy. Stop taking your anger out on each other and start asking Airlines why airplane cabins don’t have more space so that people are allowed to spread out a bit more when seated and everyone can have personal space while also still having space for what or whoever they are carrying with them.
Service dog or emotional support animals that are kept in a carrier should not be confused with animals kept on a leash and free to lay/sit in the cabin. Please make this distinction if you are going to continually beat your opinionated drum on this topic. Hint: 2 articles loathing this is enough.
Perhaps people should start bringing dog repellent when they fly.
I am a dog breeder so I love dogs. But I recently flew on SWA in bulkhead row with man with large standard poodle at window seat, wife in middle row, me on aisle. Unless man has PTSD dog is not a service dog and was moving all over all seat areas, clearly not trained. There were at least 20 people who arrived in WC and only 3 who actually needed them. Once at gait most jumped up and walked all over terminal. One man was carrying his came. I walk with a walker from a stroke, nun had came, and another stayed in WC.
When boarding called many supposedly needing WC, rushed the gate agent to board first. When the gate agent motioned to me. A woman pushed in front of me to board until the nun told her he meant me. This abuse is getting more prevalent. This needs to stop.
Airlines used to allow enough space between seats that almost everyone… tall people, fat people, people who need a little extra baggage, people with animals, people with infants, people with disabilities, people who reclined… had room to stretch out, eat, work, be reasonably comfortable even in coach.
Then people demanded cheaper and cheaper seats and the rewarded the airlines willing to sell them to them. Here we are now, passenger vs. Passenger.
But your incessantly crying infant is fine?
I cruise a lot. Emotional support aminals have been banned on cruise ships in the last couple of years. Earlier this I came across a “service dog” that was missing an eye, needed oxygen, and was carried around in a stroller. Please tell me what tasked they performed.
1) Uncaged dog(s), with unrestrained cages in the cabin are a massive safety issue – the more uncaged pets there are, the bigger safety issue it becomes. This of itself should be the end of the discussion, but because we live in such a self indulgent era of society it isn’t.
2) As much as I like dogs, not everyone does. People should not be subjected to animals infringing in their personal space. Or even worse, triggering allergies and phobias.
Take the train, a car or buy the seat next to you and put the dog in a cage. Sorry, not sorry.
How dare those useless disabled people inconvenience me just because they want to enjoy the same freedom of mobility I have. Don’t they know they should just lock themselves into an asylum and never come out where I might have to, gasp, walk a few steps further because they took the best parking spots just because they can’t walk, or maybe even move my feet a tiny bit because their service dog is big enough to cushion them when they fall?! Screw those cripples, what about ME and MY NEEDS??? I paid for this seat, so instead of being angry at airlines for being greedy af and making seats untenably small I’m gonna shame all the disableds. To hell with them! Bring back eugenics!!
Most of the whiners must have read the headline, then immediately launched into their woe-is-me sob story and/or angry tirade. For the tl:dr folk, Gary is not against true service animals on the plane. The end.
I especially enjoyed the the woman who ‘just knows’ her dog is a service dog, and that’s good enough for her! Flying is so great!
Obviously, the writer has never been seated next to an obese person! Talk about having your seat space compromised. The author’s logic would require an obese person to be given an adjoining seat, or forced to buy one. And who decides how obese a person must be before this kicks in. And what about the person who bought that seat, are they kicked off the flight to make room for the obese person? What about a person with a screaming kicking baby? Same questions. A person who emits gasses or has a bad odor? Get the idea? Let those who need dogs, or even the ones who just love them, alone. People with dogs are among the kindest, most caring, and most generous people on earth
I’m disabled and have a service animal. The United States or each state needs to make a legal license for animals because there’s a lot of people that miss use the privilege
Since when do we, the public, all bear the cost of someone else’s emotional needs? If there’s a patient on board a flight that requires an emotional needs animal and the ADA states that that medical accommodation is required to be provided for free, why do private citizens have to bear that cost, with infringement of their personally bought seat and space? Require the airline to dedicate “free space” to that accommodated passenger away from passengers who made payment for All of their own seat space. Why aren’t the infringed upon passengers and airline companies suing the ADA for their protected rights? File a Class Action Suit. What are you waiting for? It’s not about sympathy and understanding. This is a matter of common sense. If you need an accommodation, then figure it out at your own personal cost, or find a donor. Someone who pays for the space that your animal needs, so it isn’t up under my legs. That’s infringement of MY EMOTIONAL NEEDS. I too have CPTSD, and this situation, as described, would put me over the top. If a passenger has a bonafide emotional phobia about space infringement, you think that’s okay to trump your needs over theirs, AT THEIR FINANCIAL AND EMOTIONAL COST? Ludicrous! A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST THE ADA TO CHANGE THE ACCOMMODATION so that there is no undue infringement on the rights of others on a aircraft, or any other confined space is what needs to happen. All of you with photos & videos, band together and find a good lawyer. This is craziness. Sue for immediate full airfare reimbursement on the spot if there is no other animal free seat available on the flight. That’ll get a second look these ridiculous impingement of peace. What if you have unknown allergies againt the critters? Amazing. Support animals yes, but not in the intimate space of others.
Real simple, charge for an extra seat, and most of the cheats will disappear.
And limit it to trained dogs that have received 12 months of more of certified training. How hard is that.
You want a horse, a peacock, or a salmonella infested lizard… take a truck or car.
How unreasonable is that?
Sheesh
This is just how it is. Don’t blame people for their disabilities. Our lives are already hell. Just be quiet and sit there. You already have an advantage of being able to do everything you want to to do. You can relax for 4 hours and accommodate. Don’t be selfish.
My only comment is in regards to the video with the Service Animal that is a miniature horse. The woman who has her got her for 2 reasons. Firstly she was allergic to dogs. Secondly one of the things that she needs her is for mobility and a miniature horse is excellent for that. The horse is thoroughly trained including being potty trained. When she flew with her she made sure that she bought a seat with the most leg room and paid for an extra seat to make sure that they had plenty of room. Her Service Horse was perfectly well behaved on the plane.
On my Top 10 Worst Peoples List, are American dog owners. Especially the most irresponsible ones: Those who allow their dogs walk unleashed. You all are the most selfish and entitled group who I’ve met, and I traveled over 40 nations. I find it laughable that you dog nutters are whining about people who don’t want to be around your mutt as being “selfish” and “inconsiderate,” when you’re behaving in the same fashion. You dog nutters have taken this entirely too far with your pets. I’m a Disabled Veteran diagnosed with Chronic PTSD and agoraphobia, and I would NEVER even consider inconveniencing others due to my individual personal issues. People have been traveling on flights for decades without pets, and they survived the trip just fine.
In my estimation, it’s selfish to inconvenience others because you want to bring your mutt with you. There are people who are legitimately terrified of dogs, or had traumatic experiences from dogs, and what you’re saying is, “my wants are more important than your needs and desires.” If you need your dog to travel, then drive your car, but don’t inconvenience others. If your animals so much as sniffs me I’m finding a reason to sue you. If I’m ever on a flight with any of you, I will do absolutely NOTHING to accommodate you or your dog.
Believe it, or not, there ARE places where your animal does NOT belong: Grocery stores, airplanes, and trains for starters. I have zero qualms with telling people how disgusting and nasty they are for having their animals in the grocery section. You people are crazy!
Wow. Just wow. I’m not sure you, or any of the other resentful nutjobs, actually understand the NEED for having a service animal. Do you think anyone enjoys having either a medical or psychological issue that they physically need the animal? If we could all just walk, talk, and be selfish all the time then no one would need any support. For anything. I mean really. Who cares. Gary, you’re a jerk.
To all of you pet owners complaining about your ‘rights’ to bring your pet on an airplane, and saying anyone who pushes back is selfish, have you put your selfishness aside to think about the other paying passengers? There are LOTS of people who are deathly allergic to your pets. Now you are not only allowing your animal to take up the small amount of space that they paid for, you are also making it very difficult for them to breath. I am one of these people and when I have asked flight attendants about it in the past, I am the one who is asked to move to a different seat, away from my family, and it’s never an upgrade. Perhaps airlines need to make a special area for kennels that is temp controlled and have a way to keep the kennels from moving around in a designated spot below the passengers. Anyone with a true service animal, will have any inflight needs met by one of the fabulous flight attendants and will be greeted at the plane door by airport personnel and escorted to the animal claim area. Anyone with an ESA, can retrieve their animal in the same designated animal claim area. This allows you to bring your animal, wherever you’re going, while also allowing people with allergies to continue to breath without the use of inhalers, being heavily medicated, sometimes needing to use an epi pen and spending the first day of their vacation in the hospital getting breathing treatments, all because you just had to have your pet on the plane. And to be honest, this doesn’t even talk about the rights of people that are terrified of dogs or other animals, or people that don’t want to hear or smell your animal during their flight. It doesn’t matter why people may not want your pet on the plane, they (we) are paying passengers and you are infringing on our rights.
First and foremost, thank you for serving our country. We wouldn’t have the freedom we do without our veterans as far as your message to dog owners, you absolutely need counseling! Your anger is beyond acceptable and you have no right to talk to dog owners the way you did. Get your own private flight if you can’t stand dogs. Again, please seek therapy as you need it desperately.
Having been an airline employee for 30 years, I can confidently say: the real animals are the flying public.
@Hugh Mungus, thank you for your service.
While most people are honest, there’s always a few bad eggs who try too use the system for their own benefit. Most people need to have medical paperwork stating the service is qualified, you forgot to mention that Gary!
It’s not just sign a pice of paper that you acknowledge that says you decide there a service animal. It’s wrong for you to stereotype people with needs and need a service animal for basic living, just so you can get people to post on your site, and stir up a hornets nest! Just stop!
Well, this is a problem with a lot of things. Some people are going to abuse certain privileges. But specifically, this article is flawed in such a way as to say that everyone should be able to act as judge, jury and executioner of the matter and so the only solution to everyone’s gripes is to just do away with it entirely or make it so difficult that its no longer feasible to get a service dog or animal to pass the benchmark. Because let’s face it, there are a lot of people put there who don’t like dogs at all and don’t want to give a care about anyone else’s phobias. You have a lot of bullies and control freaks put there which is also contributing for the need of support. We also have a lot of people who are just plain jealous! And they don’t want to see anybody happy out there traveling. So what do they do? They complain and make things up and try to make the case that “everyone has to pay blah blah blah” when thats really a bunch of nonsense. There are a lot of much more important issues to tackle right now. Number one is this bullying going on. Number two overcharging for everything. Three lack of good customer service. Treating peopke like cattle. No leg room at all. No food or drinks. What about that mask wearing BS? POLITICAL BS. Lack of safety concerns. Poor quality of everything and we are just trying to get somewhere and maybe ro actually enjoy life a little bit. This reptilian draconian BS running rampant. Lack of empathy at all. No manners from anyone- even the service staff has no respect for anyone anymore. So, yes. Some of us humans are going to need our dogs and companions. And anybody that doesn’t understand that is probably lacking in the priority and values category. There are more important things to worry about like how your luggage is being handled and whether or not anybody accepts legal tender anymore or somebody wants to stick you with a needle with God knows what and micro-manage your life down to a gnats behind. Have a nice day!
I have absolutely no problem with qualified service animals (dogs) being permitted on planes. But, they must be qualified. Just as people with handicaps/disabilities can get a permit for their car to park in designated spots, why can’t people with service dogs be required to carry a similar permit that grants their dog access on a plane? It doesn’t have to specify what disability, just that it has been certified, trained and medically required. No document, Fluffy doesn’t fly. I have see too many so called service dogs (fake harness you can get on Amazon) that misbehave, are on a flexilead wandering around, be aggressive, etc. A true service dog (Pilot Dogs, Canine Comoanions for Independence and similar) are put thru extensive training and provide the necessary help an individual needs.
A flex lead is not necessarily a sign that the animal is not really in service. My son has a service animal to alert for an impending seizure. His helper is only supposed to perform this task because my son is unable to voice commands. Thus, the hard harness required to lead someone would be inappropriate.
As an animal lover “But I don’t fly with my animals” It simply doesn’t bother me if there are animals on the flight or not and honestly if you can’t afford the cost of your flight because the airline charges everyone 50% more because of animals, then you should seek more adorable transportation.
I find only people that do not like animals or are not empathetic have problems with animals in society regardless if they have a medical paperwork or not.
Yeah not only is this guy completely….. It is a very very extenuous background search done on the dog it has to be verified medical records training records I speak from experience I have a qualified diabetic alert dog that is made over 150 flights cross country with me she’s also saved my life several times as I’m insulin dependent. My dog has to show proper paperwork that is checked quarterly everything has to be up to date training medical records everything has to be checked days before we board the plane so it’s not just people bsing their way on with a emotional support animal or pet if you see a service animal on a commercial flight it is a vetted legitimate service animal.
Does this guy know how disgusting he comes across regarding disabled people? Personally, I believe emotional support animals should be given the right to remain with their human the same as service dogs. Put your pitchforks down, please. I suffer from severe PTSD. Large groupings of people can cause anxiety attacks so debilitating that I usually end up having to leave and miss out on life experiences. My panic attacks keep me from shopping in stores, attending any sort of gathering, and it borders on agoraphobia. Depending on the trigger and environmental factors that I have no control over, my panic can even become dangerous for the source of the trigger. Flying in a plane is something I always wanted to experience. However, my mother survived a plane crash, as did her father and her father’s girlfriend, who owned and was piloting the plane herself. The plane was destroyed but they all survived. Flying is, naturally, going to create anxiety for me. I can’t afford any MORE anxiety to be cop-knocking on my mental health’s dilapidated door. Compound the natural circumstantial anxiety with the demons from my past and now we’re cookin’, folks! Now I would be literally trapped in what I’ll believe is a death machine (illogical but my brain won’t accept that and behave accordingly), surrounded by strangers, with no ability to physically escape but also no ability to escape the trauma the panic attack itself causes in addition to the absolute anguish I experience while my brain tells me my life is in immediate danger & my body responds in kind. Can you imagine to yourself how exhausting that might be? I don’t experience hallucinations but I do experience the physical response of fight, freeze or flea. My heart is aging faster than my chronological age and general health would do without the effects of PTSD. Stress kills. As it is, I’ve been in heart failure and need a pacemaker. I’m 40, 5ft tall and around 110lbs. Panic attacks are not some state of mind and I can get over it if I just try hard enough. This is a physically debilitating health condition and my emotional support dog has allowed me to return to the land of the living. Meet Harley. Harley is only Petsmart obedience trained, she is a purebred dog but I got her from a shelter when she was about 11mos old. She had witnessed her previous humans violent murder, she was covered in mange with huge patches of fur missing and scabbed skin everywhere and I could count her ribs. She has trauma all on her own but I knew it the instant she came up to me and put her neck on my neck and wrapped her arms around my waist, that she was the one for me. She sensed my turmoil as I was so heartbroken seeing her in such condition. She was so attuned to my emotional state AND knew exactly how to comfort me. There are service dogs currently being trained to assist vets with PTSD but it’s a pilot program and the training alone can be upwards of $25k or more and here, my shelter dog with no service-related training whatsoever does the exact same thing for me but naturally. She immediately senses the shift in my emotional state and will stop whatever she’s doing to come put her neck on my neck and wrap her arms around me. And I do mean whatever she’s doing: playing fetch in my aunt’s backyard, playing with a neighbors dog, sniffing something cool while on a walk, midstride while chasing a squirrel and even when eating a yummy steak. I physically feel the panic recede from my body, like water on a fire. But I can’t take her on a flight with me without paying double. I work in the field of nonprofit social services – I don’t make very much money and usually can’t afford a plane ticket just for myself even. My dog does perform a vital service for me but she didn’t cost thousands of dollars so I guess her service and my debilitating medical condition just don’t count. Emotional support is a physical thing. Emotions ARE physical because they are created and managed by our brain. Mental health IS medical health. Good to know this author is unwilling to sacrifice temporarily not having as much space as he would prefer so that someone with a disability (PTSD is a disability according to SSA) can have the opportunity to participate in basic functions of life. Yes, let’s deprive someone of the chance to live a fulfilling life like the vast majority of the population because this guy wants more room for his Lamb‐o-feeties. This author, and willfully ignorant people like him, are out of touch with reality and have no empathy for anyone except themselves. Narcissistic & toxic AF. I feel like I need a shower after reading this article. Bleh.
Frankly I’d rather have the entire plane full of animals. If I see a service animal on a plane, my first reaction would be to bond with it, and if it’s sitting right next to me, that’s my buddy for the flight. Between screaming kids and self entitled adults, give me a four legged companion any day of the week
Considering the non-zero number of “pet dies in cargo area despite being in properly marked crate saying ‘live animal'” cases… I’m ok with people bringing service animals, or small pets they care about, with them. The slight risk of death to a pet in “pressurized cargo spaces only” packaging is more than high enough for me to say “keep it with you if you can”.
What a burden it is to have to accommodate any other human for any reason. Perhaps you could move to the wilderness and relieve the rest of us of the burden of having to accommodate your willful ignorance.
I am saddened by the miss use of any person claiming to need a service dog and don’t. Lying about your pet being a service or emotional care animal is horrible. I have a legitimate medical and emotional need for an emotional service dog. I have a letter from a doctor. Be ledal!
I am very afraid of dogs plus I am on immunosuppressants to reduce liver transplant rejection. I have to avoid animals. Forcing me to sit near a dog in a confined airplane is very dangerous.
But I feel as if I have no rights.
Call Jeff according to HIPAA laws you’re not allowed to ask what the animal is for and if you can’t understand that then you need to go spend some time with your homeboy Donald Trump I’m an American and I have disability and a serves animal can be for two different things cuz they get attached to those service animals and eventually they wind up being an emotional sport animal also if you don’t like it drive or take a train
Travis, maybe you should drive or take a train. If someone really needs one of these animals, they should pay extra for it and DO NOT infringe on someone else’s already limited (ie. small space).
Just a bunch of bull#@#. I would guess that about 90% of people claiming emotional support are lying through there teeth. It’s a fad. Where were all these animals 15 years ago. No one can question these entitled people because of the fear of getting cancelled. Politically correct. What a world we live in…..
I have a service dog. A German shepherd. I fly 1-2 times a year. I know I’m going to fly so I save money and shop smart. We always fly 1st class and I keep Colt in my space. Before Colt I never would have considered paying for 1st but with him, it’s only fair. Both to him and to my seat-mate.
Worst experience was seeing someone on a flight have an allergic reaction which turned out to be from an animal that flew on the plane’s previous flight! Scary.
It’s the “ADA puts a burden on customers and employers” for me.
“I just don’t wanna deal with disabled people in cramped spaces why can’t they just stay home and not enjoy things like abled people can urgh”
The only time I’ve flown with my service dog I took the emergency exit row and the crew member put her bag next to me so no one would sit there. The guy who chose the isle seat Sat there because he wanted to sit next to my dog.
And the service dog community hate ESA’s as much as the rest of the world does.
If you had a disability you would understand. Just because someone isn’t missing an arm or leg or showing some other outward sign of a disability does not mean they don’t need assistance. If you suffered from anxiety or depression you would be more sympathetic. Both of these are so debilitating that sufferers have difficulty getting out of bed. Some people with anxieties have difficulty even eating and become so nervous and panicky they can’t eat. If you, your son or daughter needed a service animal I am sure your view would change. Lastly it is proven animals are calming. Enjoy their beauty. Additionally most of them are better behaved than children; they don’t kick your seat!
Until these haters walk in a disabled person’s shoes they will not understand. Be kind to those less fortunate than yourselves. Remember our time on earth is temporary. Be kind.
This is to the guy that says if you see a service animal on an aircraft, then they are real. That’s completely false. Due to the disability acts and laws if you have paperwork for the animal we have to take it at face value. There are many dogs on our planes that ARE NOT real service animals. A person can tell the real ones from the fake ones. It’s sad that people take advantage of this and I feel sorry for the people that have to deal with stereotypes because of people claiming their animal as a service pet.
I pay for a seat for my service dog. I am happy to do it. I do not want my dog or anyone on the plane to be uncomfortable.
My dog does not shed, but shedding service dogs scare me in public areas. I worry about triggering allergies in fellow passengers.
Yes, while we are at it, let’s can all things that personally inconvenience ME, starting with kids and drunk people. Oh and old people who take too long getting down the ramp. /s
Or maybe I will educate you a bit. There are no official certifications for service dogs. Why? Because it’s very expensive to raise and train service dogs and send them through a government approved/mandated certification program. Many people who could benefit from a service dog would never be able to afford them.
Thus there is an allowance for people to self train their service dog. For a dog to be called a service dog, it only has to be trained to perform a specific task for it’s person. For example, a person with PTSD such as myself, may require their dog to lay across them to apply pressure in order to alleviate their panic attack so they don’t have to be a shut-in. That dog doesn’t need to be able to open doors or call 911 or play tic-tac-toe. As long as it can perform the task it’s needed for, it can be called a service dog. I would never have been able to afford a dog that had gone through a program, but I could train my dog to do that one specific task. Having my dog has allowed me to have a job, travel, and you know, generally live like you might take for granted. So sorry if that inconveniences you.
It is up to the airlines to determine further guidelines, like they can kick the dog off if it is aggressive.
I agree they need to do better in regard to handling of service animals and seating. And yes, people abuse the policies. But the airlines need to figure it out. Maybe guidelines for size and if the animal exceeds the size, you pay for another seat. I don’t know, that’s for them to work out.
If you really want to write about issues that affect the quality of air travel, maybe find some issues that truly desire ire. I for one would love to hear more guidelines for preventing over served (drunk) people who get into fights, cause delays and redirects of entire flights. I’ve never seen a dog act as bad on an airplane as I have drunk people. And don’t get me started on the kids…