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The other day on twitter Nick Weathers put up this photo “supposedly” showing a rather LARGE dog on a Delta flight. In the seat. In the exit row. Err, say what?
Now you bet ya this photo has started to go viral and got Delta CORPs attention. And if you happen to read some of the replies by folks on twitter you will enjoy a giggle or two about dog vs human in the exit row. But, is the puppy really in the exit row?
Notice what RenesPoints twitter follower Coach Bowman points out. Yep, it seems the dog is in front of the exit row so no harm no fowl (and don’t even get me started about fowl on Delta jets).
All of this really is a hot button topic because soon Delta will block larger animals on-board their jets. They had already greatly restricted how you could transport an animal and now they are all but relegated to cargo and not on the same flight as you. I do not have a large dog but I can tell you I would not go for this service.
Then there is the other hot bottom topic of emotional support animals. It seems some may be using this, not for real reasons, but to work around the $250 round trip fee to bring tiny “Fido” on board under your seat.
But why not, like in the above photo, just buy the large dog a ticket. Well, you can’t. A large dog can buy a ticket, under Delta rules, but the dog must be “SO FAMOUS” that it is recognized on it’s own as a celebrity (that really is the Delta rule, I can’t make stuff like this up).
I really feel for Delta. No I really do. All they want to do is sell every 1st class seat they can and decimate the frequent flyer and elite program day by day and they have to put up with not killing pets in the cargo hold of the jet and have loyal flyers bring pets onboard from turkeys to dogs to who know what next. Can’t a lawfirm, err, an airline just make money and fly jets? 😉 – René
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Delta takes peanuts off the planes if a passenger is allergic to peanuts. Would it remove a dog if a passenger is allergic to dogs? And what happens if the dog peas or poops on the plane, like the seat? Or bites a passenger?
@FNT – I get ya but peanut allergies can literately KILL someone. Not that I don’t respect those with pet allergies but I don’t think they can be deadly (not that I am a doctor so could be wrong).
90% of people who bring “service animals” onboard aircraft are scamming the airlines and everybody knows it.
The number of large emotional support dogs has increased dramatically. Since my large dog died recently I am emotionally devastated. Since I am having his copse stuffed at the taxidermist Would I be able to carry on my pet for the emotional support? I guess he could ride in the seat next to me. Would not have to worry about accidental doodoo in the aisles.
I have the ashes for my first best fido friend Max in a dog shaped urn which is fairly large, I may take Max with me on my next flight to help calm my fear of flying.
The Civil Aeronautics Board has really muddied the waters. Any passenger may fly with his/her pet without incurring fees if he/she has a Physician’s note stating that he/she benefits emotionally from the dog.
This puts a huge burden on Delta employees because it is up to them to watch for unruly dog behavior. Unruly dogs that purportedly provide emotional support can and should be denied access.
Hard to do at 30,000 feet. Not difficult to do in the Sky Club, but the vast majority of Delta employees are too afraid to speak up or they do not know the law.
In the SLC Sky Club I saw a passenger with two “emotional support” dogs. Please. Before I could ask the owner about them she quickly left the Club because they began growling at guests.
I have lost count of the number of times I have been snapped at and growled at by dogs purported to be emotional support dogs. The teams clearly had no training and had no business being in the Sky Club, on an aircraft, or anywhere else where pets are not allowed.
Emotional support animals in fact do not have public access. In other words, where pets are not allowed, emotional support dogs are not allowed. Not restaurants. Not malls. Not libraries. Not the local Home Depot.
But because of the CAB, emotional support dogs are allowed on planes.
I’m afraid the problem with unruly pets on planes is going to continue to get worse before it gets a lot worse.
Service dogs are quite another story.
They are a Team consisting of a dog and a Handler and are certified by Assistance Dogs International (ADI). They are trained professionally. Their training continues for as long as they are a Team and their ability to perform as a Team is constantly monitored by ADI. Teams carry upwards of $3 million of liability insurance.
A Service dog Team is easy to spot. The dog wears a cape (or in some rare cases, a bandana) that identifies the dog as a working dog. The Handler carries ADI photo identification for him/herself and for the service dog. The ID is displayed on a lanyard worn by the Handler and if not on display, is readily available for inspection if requested. By anyone.
Service dogs are not overweight. They do not eat food off the floor. They do not react to other animals. And they do not interact with other people unless commanded to do so by their Handler.
When working, the eyes of a service dog almost universally remain on the Handler because they are constantly looking for their next command.
Service dogs are not machines. On occasion they make a mistakes. But upon receiving a correction from their handler, they comply.
Another indication that you have spotted a Service dog is that the Team respects the personal space of everyone around them.
To learn more about Service Dog Teams go to http://www.cci.org.
Regarding the first comment, about “what if it pees?”
I think you’ll find the mess and dirt created by regular passengers far surpasses the odd dog peeing. And I’m pretty sure puke and pee are regular occurrences on flights from people!
If the dog is well behaved, and the seat is paid for, “why the not!” I say.