A little over a week ago, the NYT did a feature about actress Rachel Bloom's travel habits, in which she cavalierly said, "Because my husband was in New York for so long, I got my dog certified as an emotional support animal."
What makes me angry about people who treat this as a convenience is that I know someone who flies with an emotional support animal. She experienced a violent attack when she was younger. She has life-long damage to internal organs. Her attacker was never arrested or prosecuted. She moved to another part of the country as soon as she was old enough to leave. Her support dog is trained as such, goes where ever she needs it, and has helped her cope with the emotional aftermath that interferes with pursing schooling and a career.
Yet, because of other people's abuses, it is now harder for her to travel with her animal. Other people will see a seemingly able-bodied woman, and assume that she's trying to abuse the system herself. Will gate keepers at the airlines now force her to explain why she needs her animal? Will she have to recount the story of her attack to strangers at airlines, and possibly still face the indignity of having her support dog denied boarding?
I'm sympathetic to passengers who have issues with animals on board (my own sister has severe allergies to some pets). Both sides of that issue should be accommodated, to the extent ADA allows. But I have no sympathy for regular passengers who abuse this accommodation.
87
I have had a service dog for the last 30 years. I’m a vet with traumatic brain injury, epilepsy (from the brain injury) and PTSD.
My latest buddy is a 55# Spaniel who for 14 years has warned me about impending seizures so that I can take medicine immediately to stop the seizure.
I was able to keep working as a doctor, most people never noticed him...just this sweet gold colored spaniel.
In the last year my dog, Sammy, has been attacked by black lab mixes, has had his nose nearly torn off by little dogs who were no more a service dog than the cattle we raised on our farm!
I have been GLAD that it has been easy to get a service dog. Trained dogs cost $40,000 and aren’t covered by insurance. So folks like me train dogs on our own for various charities. My sweet Sammy was permanently injured--a dog’s nose is his eyesight...would be like blinding a human being.
Managers are caught up in regs. The current Americans with Disabilities
Act SPECIFICALLY says that only dogs and miniature horses can be service animals. I saw a miniature horse on a NY subway. Perfectly trained, it allowed a partially paralyzed teenager to be able to walk holding onto the little horse.
Only two questions can be asked by businesses:
1) Is that a service animal?
2) What specifically does he do for you?
https://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
A peacock doesn’t come under ANY of these regs! Selfish humans will now make it impossible for most people to get these great service animals.
121
I live in Los Cabo’s mex—-I can’t tell you the grief of flying with the love me love my dog attitude—-I’m an advocate of Los Cabo’s humane society—and I see these phony needy people with their nice dogs they’re using for their cheapness every year—-I have a 62 yr old macaw Fidel Castro I’d love to put next to you—-I’ve had him for 40 yrs and I really need him for support as I’m 80 and needy for Fidel’s support
23
everybody's stressed on an airplane get used to it put your dog in a kennel take a Xanax chill out baby.
54
This outrage amazes me. Of all the cats and dogs I have obeserved on flights, they are calm, quiet and well behaved. Wish I could say the same about most of the young chidlren and babies on planes - and talk about screamng and defecating. Everyone needs to chill on this subject.
47
A friend of mine was seated next to a woman with an emotional support dog. The dog owner was freaking out with worry because it was the first time the dog had ever flown. She gave it a valium to keep it calm. My friend suggested maybe she could have taken the valium herself and left the dog at home. The woman was not amused.
159
This is my statistics for flying so far:
Having trouble because of a cat - 0%
Being bothered by a dog - 0%
Snake causing some inconvenience - 0%
A parrot annoying me - 0%
Peacock being cocky - 0%
Human children making my life hell - 100% of flights
Also exactly zero people I know to ever mentioned an animal doing something bad on a plane. And for a person with an allergy going to a drug store and buying some meds is unthinkable of course. Or switching seats on a plane, they kill you for that, you know.
Sooo, yeah, we need to do something about this animal problem. People suffer and die every day because of other people being stupid or careless or greedy in one way or another, but hey we need to focus our mental energy on this animals on a plane thing, thank you for your patience.
42
I am taking a nap at the moment with my 7 year old llewellan setter, Belle. She's a mellow, beautiful sweetheart, who likes almost everyone and has been everwhere: New York, Paris, Berlin, the Highlands, Detroit, Flynt, Deadwood...She has a job pointing out grouse, pigeons and squirrels, it's a thousand year old ballet originally choreographed by kings with falcons. People generally smile or swoon when seeing her, They stop in the midst of modern transportation hell and become more human in the best sense of that word. I would agree that large, unfriendly, unruly animals should not be in public but there are few humane alternatives and other cultures like the French are less critter phobic. A good dog enriches life, we made a deal with them to coax them from the wild. But I regret the abuse by bad apples as I also regret the far more frequent unpleasant fellow passengers. and i regret the bad apples, be they pooches or people.
25
Mr Leonhardt is looking down the wrong end of the telescope. The "problem" started with the airlines' absolutely terrible job of transporting live companion animals. If they did a half way decent job at a half way decent price people would not be reluctant to check their animals as luggage. Have you ever tried to find the statistics on how many animals die or are injured while checked as luggage. I have and the numbers are difficult to impossible to find. The airlines do their maximum best to prevent this data from becoming public. It does not have to be this way. I suggest the author do some research as to how Lufthansa handles companion animals. This is just another example of the airlines', "The public be damned" attitude.
51
The ADA is a fantastic law. but it is wrong not to require some kind of licensing for real service dogs. Besides the menagerie flying on planes these days, one can't go to a store, including a grocery store, or a restaurant here in South Florida without see and experiencing fraudulent service animals. I've got a dog myself and I love dogs, but having dogs pee and poop at grocery stores is not what the ADA ought to stand for. Its terrible for businesses that have obligations under health codes and to their customers to have to try and figure out which dogs are actually service dogs and which are pets.
57
I've been working as a flight attendant since last summer, and already I'm really tired of dealing with animals on aircraft. Most are well-behaved, but I keep hoping my partner never has to sit next to a cat, as he is horribly allergic to them. And at the end of a recent flight, the owner of a pet (not even an arguable emotional support animal) thought it would be a great idea to walk her cute little dog off the aircraft. It stopped right inside the front door and pooped! About 30 remaining guests had to wait while the lady started the cleanup (which was finished by the sainted cleaners), and they had to exit the airplane through the smell that remained, which was not lovely. My vote is to allow on airplanes only well-trained service animals, whose owners' need of them is well-established and demonstrated by proof from their physician, not from an online quack.
94
This whole thing is ridiculous! One more reason I hate flying in the U.S. We didn't have this nonsense 20, 30 years ago and we all managed just fine. I for one am claustrophobic, yet you'll never see me bringing any animals on board. I pay for the seat of my choice where I think I may be most at ease, I have a drink and I suck it up! You need a pet? Get some pills and sleep it off!
67
Comfort animals are not service animals. A true service animal is trained and certified. The number of "comfort" animals in this country seems to indicate that we are swimming in a sea mental illness. We aren't. What we are swimming in is a sea of selfishness. People who want to have what they want and the rest of be damned...pet owners to bankers to CEOs to presidents and members of congress. Nacisim and greed.
88
Xanax! Xanax all around!
33
We should welcome dogs on the plane. It is always joyful to meet up with these sweeties. The airlines simply have to take out people passenger seats and leave the space open for our Dogs!
16
If you are that emotionally fragile do us all a favor and choose a different form of transportation and get a qualified therapist to help you with your mental health issues, because the only people that should have service animals accompany them on crowded planes are people with real disabilities.
83
Thank you David and the Times for this article! It is long overdue. I am extremely allergic to pet dander and having animals on a plane poses a threat to my health. As the article points out, the whole thing is a scam from head to toe. It has amazed me over the last several years how animals have taken the place of humans in the line of importance in day to day life and how incredibly self-centered and often childish pet owners have become in society as a whole.
How is it fair that I am paying for a flight but I have to be prepared with inhalers and medication because pet owners are so insanely inconsiderate, not to mention the threat they pose of attacking people as well as urinating and defecating in the airport and on the plane which is happening universally.
As other have also said, pet owners are taking their dogs and animals to restaurants and church and grocery stores and this has all got to stop! I thank Delta for recently cracking down on this fraud but I also fault them and the other airlines for allowing it from the start.
Flying is expensive and inconvenient and often dreadful enough today. Having to fly on Noah’s Ark is the last straw and this has to end. Passengers have flown on airlines for 70 years with no animals and everyone was just fine. If you have some issues, take a Valium.
Outside of a guide dog for the blind, which I will gladly tolerate for a flight, no animal should be allowed on a plane unless it is in cargo, period!!
71
Gosh, I hope all you folks that are offended by dogs in restaurants and elsewhere never have to suffer a trip to Europe. I'd rather travel with dogs any day over the general public.
26
You are so right. It has become a cesspool of fakes. There needs to be a much tighter system for determining who really needs support. I am a dog owner and dog lover, but this situation with flying has become ridiculous. People are extraordinarily selfish.
42
I think a dog flying coach is inhumane.
35
I LIKE having more rights. Why on earth would anyone advocate for fewer. Want to pay for airplane restrooms, too, I presume?
2
This happened to me once at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider in Arlington National Cemetery. You are not allowed to speak or make noise at the tomb, and a woman next to me was holding a chihuahua who would not stop barking.
Of course, the chihuahua was wearing a "support animal" vest. It was EXTREMELY disrespectful. The woman seemed not to care, and I figured a truly trained service animal would not bark like that.
After that incident, I stopped trusting the "service animal" situation. And it's a shame, because I truly believe some people require them.
53
Carl Hiaasen nailed this one. Maybe was in "Sick Puppy".
4
I sat beside a woman with her Dalmatian who sat mostly on her lap. Thankfully it was a short flight. I asked to be reseated and she started saying loudly I was "racist."
31
I don't understand why anyone who needs an emotional support animal to function as a normal human being is allowed on an aircraft. How many "Son of Sam" prompted plane crashes should we tempt fate with? Walk, ride a bike, drive, or, have your animal pull you in a sled. Your problem - let's keep it that way.
21
Holy cow!
Does that mean I can't bring my Therapeutic Boa-Constrictor on my JetBlue flight this Sunday?
20
Companion animals should have the "right" to fly with their humans....I issue is discretion/ My 5 pound Maltese is not a Peacock or a full grown sheep....a sense of proportion and common sense is required....Folks who want a 'pet' like a peacock to fly in the cabin are not being humane from the animals vantage point.......companion animal 'parents' dont make it so all of our creatures will be banned from cabins...PLEASE
8
Where would you even put a peacock in the cabin of a plane?
21
I'd rather have more pets on planes and fewer misbehaving children. Babies cry, that's just what they do. But if your kid is old enough to scream sentences, they should really not be doing that on a plane.
13
Personally, I am sick of the people I fly with. Peanut allergies, asthma, emotional cripples, horrible parents, terribly, terribly rude people and all the people in wheelchairs who don't really need them just to get on early. Last flight I was on in Detroit, there were over 20 people in wheelchairs, over 20! We missed our connecting flight because it took so long to board them. Nope, they were not traveling together in a group! I'd rather travel with the animals. Humans are rotten.
31
The Americans With Disabilities Act has rules for requiring access to public places with a "service animal." Only dogs (and miniature horses) qualify. They must be trained to perform specific tasks for the disabled person: "The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA." Public libraries also get people bringing their pets inside for "emotional support." Many of these are bogus. Only 2 questions may be asked to determine whether the animal must be allowed in. Many owners have figured out the acceptable answers to the questions. If the dog's behavior disqualifies it, it can be required to leave, but by then damage has been done. (Feces, vomit and urine, gnawing on furniture legs, threatening or attacking other patrons, chewing books or other property, barking, etc.) Why don't the airlines just use ADA rules? If the airline and the crew and the other passengers find these pets a nuisance or burden, why do they allow them to get away with this? Can I bring my pet skunk along for emotional support?
21
This this is ridiculous . If you are that emotionally dependent on a pet, STAY HOME. And if you must travel, take a Valium.
When is in interest of the many going to outweigh the one.
38
Ironic, isn't it? I have to pay simply to carry enough clothes for a vacation- on top of exorbitant airline ticket prices- and yet someone can walk on with a 60b dog and that's OK. Probably the same person who tries to pass 3 bags off as 'carry on.'
42
As someone who flies more regularly than I would like to, I encounter people with dogs, usually small, on planes pretty regularly. They are mostly well behaved, calm and quiet. I've never seen a peacock, pig, monkey or turkey and will reasonably assume the author is using hyperbole to make a point.
Usually people who attain "service animal" credentials for their dogs are doing so to avoid the airline rules of keeping an animal in stow or underneath their seat: a situation that can cause dogs to panic, cry and such. This is much more annoying than a small dog resting in the lap of its owner in the next seat.
As to "the many children afraid of sitting next to a dog", I will say what most frequent flyers know but are to polite to, I've had more flights made miserable by the screaming, running, crying ill-behaved children of irresponsible and entitled parents than I have by any four legged creature.
38
I’d rather sit next to a dog than a very large person who uses my seat and leg space. In the latter case I am paying for a seat but not getting a full one. At least the dog doesn’t sweat on me.
29
Wow -- what an intense discussion! AS a small dog owner I hope we can come to a peaceful outcome. What about a few seats held in last row for people traveling with dogs? When seats are filled that's it. Find another flight.
17
You too often lose my baggage, airlines, and I an inconvenienced as a result.
If you were to lose my dog just once, I'd be furious and heartbroken, forever.
An unexamined resolution of this kerfuffle is for the airlines to do a much, Much better job of handling passengers' pets properly. I would gladly pay if I had confidence that Fido would greet me, upright, at journey's end.
21
If it's a contest between United Airlines and a peacock, I'll take the peacock's side every time. United conspires with most other airlines, TSA, and the aviation infrastructure system to make flying as a passenger a demoralizing, humiliating and miserable experience. Every. Single. Time. United is the same airline that in April 2017 dragged a doctor off the plane after he was boarded (ie United had by then lost the right to bump him for overbooking). It's the same airline that illegally cancelled a woman's ticket earlier this month, and kicked her off the plane, causing her not to be at her mother's side when she passed. Airline management purposely doling out misery, versus a beautiful bird to look at while it minds its own business. Bird wins. Every. Single. Time.
25
It appears that many dog loving individuals are validating the ME, ME, ME mentality over the US, US, US. It is absurd to use the poor behavior of passengers on flights to justify bringing animals (of choice) onboard, or into a grocery, restaurant, and elsewhere. Poor behavior is poor behavior and should not be condoned no matter what the source.
35
Seeing eyes for the blind dogs are extraordinarily bred, selected and trained. They and other highly trained support dogs are a very special case. On the other hand, every pet is an emotional support animal.
A visit to your local dog park will convince you that many pet owners are clueless. A large, aggressive dog stands leaning forward, growling and showing his teeth in front of my English Cocker Spaniel. I pick up my dog and carry him out of the dog park. The dog's owner says, "Oh, it all right, he just wants to play." Ummm, nooo, that is not "I want to play," that is, "I am about to tear you to shreds."
But as with driving on the highway, an ounce of common courtesy is worth a pound of laws. People know what their pet is and what it is not.
24
Does anyone else share my disgust at having dogs in grocery stores and restaurants? It's food, people, and my food should not be subject to your dogs emissions! If you want to allow your dog to share your plate at home go right ahead but, please, have the simple decency to leave them home when you go to the restaurant or grocers.
54
People with allergies should take allergy medication. People who afraid of dogs should be exposed to safe, well-mannered dogs (I was attacked by a german shepard when I was 4 - I know). Everybody else should be able to travel with their well behaved dog or cat. If they aren't well behaved, they get kicked off the flight just like the poorly behaved human. Perhaps airlines should require temperament certificates signed by veterinarians first. What's the big deal? I think our species would be better off being in closer quarters with domesticated animals.
11
I think the answer is a car. The dog gets in, the person gets in - preferably in the driver's seat, and away they go. The only people they'll bother now is those they share the road with.
40
Forgotten are the people like my son, who immediately begin sneezing and tearing up from dog allergies as soon as they board a plane these days.
26
Airlines should probably offer one pet-friendly flight per day to each location and/or have a segregated area for people with pets. But the rest of us shouldn't have to subsidize flights for any but legitimate service animals.
27
Animals may make you feel more comfortable. But, they make me feel extremely uncomfortable as well as sick with allergies. People act as if pet allergies are politically incorrect. They are horrified if you even mention it.
It's perfectly okay to accommodate food and smoking allergies, but it's hate-speak to say you don't want pets in your airplane cabin, restaurant, grocery store, or hotel bed/pillow.
49
Why don't or can't we be like Europe where pets are allowed on trains(OK, not Eurostar) and other public transportation, which is forbidden here in the U.S. Give an alternative for me and others who have driving limitations but need to travel for a stretch. I saw few constructive suggestions.
BTW I am highly allergic to inhalants so perfumes, aftershave and even BO or stinky diapers can send me requiring my asthma inhalers. Ban scents on flights, please!
13
I cannot possibly thank you enough for this column. While I don't fly as often as some, I have noticed the increased number of pets on planes. This also means an increase in the number of animals in the airport waiting areas. Like others I recognize the need for a truly handicapped person to have a support animal, but those who cheat to get cheap or free flights for their pets at the expense of my comfort should be ashamed of themselves. I am unnerved by animals in my personal space. Their smell often sickens me. On my last flight from Phoenix to Atlanta, a cat got away from its owner and caused a disturbance on the plane. In the airport before the flight began, a dog yowled and whined loudly for the hour we waited for our flight. I was ready to howl myself by the time the plane boarded. Why don't the pet owners' rights end where mine begin. Here is my sincere hope that airlines get the message from passengers who don't wish to be made uncomfortable or sick by the actions of these freeloaders.
41
Singapore Airlines: "We welcome your pet on board our flights, whether as checked baggage or in cargo." There.
21
Keep the animals at home unless they are seeing eye dogs or another legitimately documented need. What has our society come to that people can't venture out of the house without their pets.
33
You can't get a bag of peanuts anymore because one person might have an allergy to peanut dust (bring an epi pen, please) but someone should be able to fly a peacock?!.. Yes let's bring sanity back and the peanuts as well while we're at it..
19
Of course they game it ...far too many pet, esp dog , owners are obnoxious or at best oblivious. They assume they have a right to inflict their pets on others..NB there are really no bad pets but plenty of self centered pet owners.
19
This selfish practice in a newly narcissistic time turns planes into true "flying circuses." Who are the airlines trying to accommodate with this perverted spin on the term "creature comforts"? I used to think chimps adorable, until a pet chimp literally ripped the face off the owner's human friend. Now, I'd never sit scrunched atop any simian. No one should have to sit for this.
The writer says this shows "how decent people can make decisions that are more selfish than they realize." It's not that these cheaters don't see the chaos, it's that they don't think of it; it's that they don't care. Which crushes any theory that these are humanists with care for all the world's souls.
That's the same conclusion that must be drawn because of the cruelty they inflict not just on passengers but also "beloved" animals. Because most are not trained in service, they are not adjusted to cramming in among strangers, to experiencing such strange sensations, to comprehending what is foisted upon them.
This reminds me of when airlines considered allowing airborne flyers to talk on their phones. So many opposed this terrible idea that it was quickly ditched. Even less do we care to sit beside farm animals and wildlife in their nonnative settings, where they're frightened and apt to act out, to speak the sounds God gave them, to toilet themselves and to wield their defenses for protection. God taught us to love all others; perhaps she'd make a small exception in this one situation.
12
For whatever it's worth, I have been terrified to fly since that tragic AA 191 flight in 1979. Now, whenever I must fly, my husband accompanies me. To be perfectly honest, it's only the initial take off that makes me shake and brings tears to my eyes from the fear I experience. I am so happy and lucky that my husband is next to me. While my eyes are closed, I dig my fingernails into his hand until we are air born and flying at 30,000 feet. He is such a good sport and supportive husband for indulging me and my fears. He constantly strokes my hands, telling me everything is fine and will be okay.
I wonder if I could get him a "bright-red dog vest that reads, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT" from Amazon for $30 and see if we could pass him off as an "emotional support" 2-legged animal? Just kidding - really. Red is not his color and I doubt they have a vest his size.
The entire premise of folks scamming the airlines so their pet can fly for free is deplorable and embarrassing. It seems folks will stoop as low as they can go to get something for nothing. Such exploitation to others who really need this service, i.e., seeing impaired individuals.
25
What ever happened to leaving your pet home with a pet sitter?
23
What about a $1000.00 fine for fraudulently claiming a disability requiring a service animal? Simply disallow any website therapist's input, administer the fine ,with loss of flying privileges for the passenger that day. I have a friend who flies at will from Italy to the states with her ridiculous dog she is too cheap to pay for. Enough people. The End.
24
Anybody remembers that Bronx guy who kept a crocodile and a tiger in his housing project apartment and lived next door with his mother? Everything was fine until one day he showed up at an emergency room with a crocodile bite on his leg claiming that he got bitten by a dog.
5
I have an adult autistic, intellectually and developmentally disabled son who has flown several times, successfully, with me. We are allowed to board early, which helps him acclimate and remain calm. I should note he is obviously autistic and has limited communication skills. Now for the surprise twist: he is absolutely terrified of dogs, and will have a colossal meltdown, especially if he feels cornered. He is also 6'3". When confronted by a pseudo-service dog, any guess which disabled person would be dragged off the plane?
36
It's the same with handicap parking permits.
Boomers.
6
While it's not appropriate for all animals - there are times when you do have a legitimate need to travel with your pet. Moving is one primary example - and no, the cargo hold is not a good idea unless you want a fair chance of a dead animal. If the animal is not under control - then yes, there is a problem. If it's too big - yep, big problem, But at what point do you decide that your wishes override other's needs? Usually they travel with absolutely no trouble.
6
While I completely agree with the article, I do want to add that under federal law there is another type of animal in addition to dogs that can be a service animal. Miniature horses. Some people are large,and might have a condition whereby the animal needs to make them sit, or perhaps stop a large blind person from stepping into something dangerous. Other people can’t have a service dog for allergy or religious reasons. Besides being as big as a Great Dane, mini horses can live to be about 25. I would love to see somebody bring one into where I work one day.
4
Great piece! I'm starting to feel as if people who don't have a pet for whatever reason and don't need or want an emotional support animal are considered lesser beings than people who have pets or emotional support animals. I don't think it is cute or acceptable when a dog lunges and barks at me while the dog's owner ignores me or says to the dog "it's ok, it's ok..." or just ignores the dog and continues prodding his or her mobile phone. And I feel bad for people with allergies who want to travel, since their medical needs to not be near a furry pet are being overridden by people who game the system. Seeing eye dogs? Of course. But a peacock? Come on!
23
I wish author would've mentioned the other scam of paying $250 round trip for what is essentially a carry-on that must be under your seat. Perhaps if airlines allowed pets in cabin as long as they met current carry-on rules, there might not even be an emotional support category.
5
The whole notion of 'emotional support animals' is just one more silly idea brought to us by millenials and 'snowflakes'. It is unfair to people who have a legitimate need for service animals and trivialize their needs. It is also unfair to the poor animals who are, essentially, being dragged around like security blankets (remember that phenomenon?). Those of us who truly love animals don't want to see them exploited this way.
13
Absolutely no pets inside planes, trains, buses or trams in Australia; they go in the cargo hold on an aeroplane. The only animal permitted inside is a guide dog, which of course strictly speaking is not a pet but an essential escort. We have always been shocked to see animals boarding transport in other countries. I loved my dog dearly, but I wouldn’t dream of forcing her on to someone else.
32
Hmmm. Interesting that people are complaining about infants and toddlers, since all of us grown-ups were once young. And maybe our parents flew with us. And maybe we weren’t well behaved, and maybe we cried and fretted—that’s what babies do, every single one of them. But the normal behavior of a baby has nothing to do with the inappropriateness of bringing a non-working dog (or any other animal) on a plane
33
I am no more interested in being attacked by poorly behaved animals than any other person. But I worry that this anti-pet sentiment is reaching a craze, and that those of us who obey the rules will end up being punished. We travel abroad every year with our two cats - we stay abroad for several months, so leaving the cats behind is not an option. We pay a total of $600 for flying two cats back and forth on intercontinental flights. The cats weigh < 7 lbs each, and stay in their carriers under the seats in front of us all the time, never in our laps. Most of the travelers around us are completely unaware of their presence, unless they are curious about our bags and peek through the mesh windows of the carriers when we're boarding or deplaning.
The threat to public well-being caused by our cats is non-existent. But the benefit to us and the animals is immeasurable, so I worry that the anger might mean the option is taken away. Our cats only take the space under the seats in front of us. They do not leave any hair or dander because they are packed under the seats. They weigh less than an average carry on. Yet we get abuse from the airline personnel - recently, one tried to force us to check our carry on bags (on an intercontinental flight!), claiming that bringing the cats means we lose the carry-on rights. What did we pay $600 for?! The price is too high. That's why some people cheat.
Europeans are more likely to bring their animals on trips and to stores. Different culture.
13
I’m preparing to register my gorilla, Daisy, as an emotional support animal. I’m not expecting any trouble either. Daisy is wonderfully trained with only a couple of minor eccentriciities. He doesn’t like not being giving a ticket to fly and he gets somewhat stroppy if anyone refuses to serve him alcohol. Other than that he’s a joy to have around.
11
I was a four-year-old in 1954 when a Greyhound bus driver angrily told my blind father he could not take his guide dog on the bus. My father, equally angry, held his ground. A supervisor was phoned and our family was allowed to continue our vacation to visit grandparents in the next state.
While I'm happy that guide dogs and service animals for the disabled have become accepted, I've been very concerned about the service animal scam. I applaud policies that afford the truly disabled the access that they need.
21
I just came back from Munich to Denver on a flight with two dogs with the obvious-scam of emotional support. Both were well behaved but the two dogs, both very large and elderly labs, required the cabin crew to make sure that no one with allergies was seated nearby.
This must have saved this couple a lot of money since transporting the dogs using the normal route would have cost at least $1,500 each.
It's a scam and is used not just on the airlines, but in apartment rentals and other situations. It is, as this article points out, terribly unfair to people who truly do need dogs for real service jobs.
27
We require Regulation. Regulations require rules and guidelines, people need rules and guidelines, without them people fail to behave ethically.
This is consistent throughout history. Industries pollute and underpay their worker's Banks cheat their customers. Butchers have their fingers on the scales. The list goes on and on.
We need regulations and we need the Government to establish good policies and sufficient enforcement.
People are unwilling to do this themselves.
9
This editorial and action is long-overdue. And let's not stop with airlines. We must stop permitting animals in pet-free housing, college dorms and employers under the guise of emotional support.
The only exceptions should be legitimate service animals. If they were the only animals to fly and access restricted public spaces, the matter would be a non-issue. And I stress legitimate. Having a disability does not automatically make one's dog a service animal. The dog must DO something, not just BE something - like a dog! This means that those claiming PTSD, Veterans or not, ought not claim such a right unless a documented trained service can be demonstrated. Claiming the dog allows one to survive the world is poignant but unconvincing and ought not overtake the rights of others to travel without someone's claimed pet.
Likewise claims that are not supported by credible scholarly ,studies, such as detection of blood sugar levels or seizures.
Concurrently we need some parity between those who make claims and those who might challenge them. Presently there is no required documentation, and many such documentation is bogus or quackery. But those who would challenge must overcome lies and hostile entitlement such that many don't want to risk such encounters.
I eagerly look forward to someone denying access to a dog, who is sued by the owner, allowing the matter of what a dog can do and other claims to be tested in a Federal Court. Time for common sense!
7
The reason many claim service animal status is because of the charge to actually bring a pet on an air plane. Why if your dog can go under the seat in front of you does the ticket cost $100 each way? There are times my mom pays more to bring her Maltese on a plane than her actual ticket. She brings her dog because he does not eat and becomes severely depressed when separated from her. She can no longer drive the long trip from California to Oregon three to four times a year. Bear is kept in his carrier and is better behaved that most children flying. I say if the animal can fit as your carry-on, it should be free. The air lines are just ripping people off that are honest. How about some middle ground for a fee that covers the actual costs not makes a profit. Maybe the scoff-laws would pay it.
8
My former dog was a therapy dog at a high school in a program I started. I'm all for therapy animals in controlled situations with a strict set of parameters. For that reason, it is irking when people take advantage and ruin things for those who genuinely need the support.
One solution might be a better cargo system for animals. Right now, you hear horror stories about tortured or lost animals. I'll bet passengers would pay well to know their animal was safe, warm and supervised by a person riding back in cargo, tending to the animals. Why not?
13
Perhaps all the "service animals" could have seats with their masters at the very rear of the plane. At least then, people who don't want to share a row with a labrador or a persian won't have to. Airlines removed peanuts as snacks years ago due to the volatility of allergic reactions. The same is true of animals, particularly cats. Not everyone is a pet lover. Nor should they have to be. A little respect for all would go a long way here.
11
My tiny dog has accompanied me on every flight for the last ten years, mostly on international trips. Each time I have done the extra work to book the dog in advance and paid the in-cabin pet fee, typically $100-150 each way. (On one memorable trip the dog's ticket was more expensive than mine!) She stays in her carrier under the seat in front of me for the entire duration, per every airline's rules for in-cabin pets that are not service animals. For this additional pet fee I have received the following services:
- No water offered for the dog (even in business class)
- No early boarding in coach class to acknowledge the fee or deal with the additional under-seat storage logistics
- No other amenity that one could possibly imagine for an extra TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS minimum fee per round trip
While I have never considered joining the "emotional support" scam, I find it difficult to fault those who choose a loophole over the absurdity of paying significant fees for absolutely nothing.
10
If you need an emotional support animal to fly, stay home or drive. If this isn’t possible, take an anti-anxiety drug and board the plane without your pet. I love my cat, but I leave her at home where a hired person feeds and cares for her.
15
The 'well-behaved' animal tale and the misbehaved infant are contrasted as if in the comparison there is some clear, objective, legitimate basis. But let us say there is an emergency evacuation would we have that docile animal have preference over the ill-tempered child in the evacuation? Would the animal have a place in the evacuation line ahead of ANY human? Can we demand the air hostess protect the dog over the screaming child?
A personal pet is NOT a member of the larger human society, the child is.
WP .
7
It is never, never safe to check your pet. So many horror stories. I wouldn’t do it. But the old system of requiring a fee, limiting the number of animals on a flight, ensuring it can travel under a seat, was probably a good idea. I have two pet cats, but I’m also allergic to them. Exposing seriously allergic people to pet dander in a cabin with recirculating air is no laughing matter. I would not want to see people gasping and reaching for their Epi-pens, and neither should the airlines.
10
I'm highly allergic to cats, an adult on-set allergy, which is worse than when diagnosed as a child. I cannot even go into my own sister's home anymore, where there are cats, as my doctor informed me that he could not guarantee a good outcome. Therefore, I would not ever be able to fly with a cat on board in the cabin.
Service dogs are another story. That is medically certified trained service dogs. As one who has become recently disabled with a a rare genetic adult on-set disease, I applaud the efforts of the airlines to bring this matter under control. A peacock? Really?
11
I have to choose between either putting my dog in a kennel when I travel or driving. I am not sure Mr. Leonhardt (is that Lion-heart or Lion hard-heart?) has as deep a feeling for animal companions as many of us do. I think getting the air lines to create a pet safe space in the hold (pressurized and heated), completely fail safe. Imagine the law suits if the pressure or heat failed at 35,000 feet for 5 hours and pets died? If the Romney family car with dog crate on rooftop from Boston to the hinterlands of Ontario raised a national outcry, imagine if the animals died in the hold of a United Airlines NY to SF flight). The traveling public is not comprised of solo professionals with lap tops on assignment. Commerce adapts and evolves. The first airline to offer pet services would face a stampede of travelers.
7
I understand that there is a need for some to have a dog to be with them for purposes of emotional support.
I do not accept that as a reason even when valid to permit these animals any place these people feel like going.
When choice is not a issue and a person has to be where they are I can see the necessity to allow a animal in a place animals are not normally allowed like in a doctors office.
I do not accept these animals in places like restaurants or in theaters where a person has no absolute need to be but is there by desire,
All possible accommodating should be made to help the disabled but that help should not come at the expense of those who are not disabled.
Please do not attack me as I am disabled.
I have lousy balance and have problem with walking up stairs when there is nothing to hold on to.
I would never think of forcing people to put in elevators or to put a banister where there is none now.
I believe like I have accepted there are things I can not do like ride a bike or run a race there are things depending on their disability they have to accept they can not do them because they do not have the right to impose their needs on others.
I suggest that animals if there is a valid reason a person needs him should be allowed on a plane but that privilege should come as a cost.
There should be a separate section that would be designed for the needs of these animals without imposing on others and the people who use this space should pay for it.
2
I agree with this article on all points. I fly a lot with my 18-lb dog (no barking and very well behaved pug). Every single time I pay the $125 fee per flight and keep her in a crate at my feet. I also make sure to bathe her the day before to minimize any allergy issues for others.
When I see others flying with their pets on their laps it feels unfair as I know that often they did not pay and can snuggle their pup the entire way. But I don't want to break rules or ruin the real purpose of the service animal exemption for real medical needs (e.g. blind; severe epilepsy etc).
This has led to arguments with my partner who thinks if there are others breaking the rules so should we (he mostly wants to not pay 125 if others are not). But I just can't break the rules. But we would have fewer arguments as a couple if the airlines would just better enforce the rules for everyone. I am glad they are starting to. I hope they do this in a sane way for everyone.
9
If the airlines want to end the so-called "flying pet scam," they must first change the law. Until then, the airlines MUST obey the law & MUST accommodate any passenger who wishes to fly with a valid service animal. If the airlines hassle & harass passengers with valid service animals, then they must pay HUGE fines & sanctions for their willful disobedience of the law. I don't believe for a second that the airlines are worried about ill-behaved animals or passengers' allergies, both rarities despite what this article implies. It's all about losing the unconscionable full cost airfare the airlines charge to transport your Chihuahua (or any pet) from Point A to Point B (in a case under your seat). Tough! Also, the article does not mention that there are very strict rules re service animals, namely, only 5 service animals are allowed on any one flight; a passenger must notify the airlines at least 24 hrs in advance that he/she will be flying with a service animal; that prior to boarding, the airlines verify the service animal's credentials, accepting only a letter from a M.D. certifying the passenger's need for the service animal; the service animal must be trained and behaved; and if the animal is in any way disruptive, the owner must allow the airlines to put the animal in cargo or otherwise encase & restrain the animal. This is the law &, if all these conditions are satisfied, the Airlines cannot arbitrarily refuse a passenger & service animal. What nerve!
2
The damage caused by fraudulent “service” dogs is they take highly trained legit dogs out of their trainingwhich can cost $30,000.
Say a vision assist dog does not perform its task because of distraction or a blood sugar dog fails to warn of low blood sugar for a kid...dangerous? You bet. Someone should sue these people and the airlines that allow it. I sympathize with the airlines, but resulting good standards will make their jobs easier.
Sad proof that a significant number of people think first--if not only--of themselves even if it's at the considerable expense of others. Most likely didn't think of fellow passengers with animal fears, allergies and so on. But for these folks, thought is not a priority. It's all about them.
8
Severe allergies and asthma are nothing to sneeze at and tighter standards will reduce the chances of a dog triggering a life threatening asthma attack.
6
This is one of the best columns I’ve read in a long time. The lack of consideration for our fellow citizens and selfishness at the expense of the greater good runs much deeper than service animals. Look at how many people file for Social Security disability benefits who can actually work. The honor system doesn’t work in the US.
8
When traveling over the holidays, I saw a white lab that was blocking the space in front of the seats that is supposed to remain clear of any obstruction during take off and landing. This is an FAA requirement. If I were sitting in that row, I would be concerned that I'd have to trip over someone's animal to get out of there in an emergency.
7
The person using the service/companion needs to consider all the costs. One of the saddest scenarios I had ever witnessed in this vein was a few years ago at the San Diego Zoo. It was an exceptionally busy and hot day. The polar bear exhibit was absolutely packed, and even the bears looked annoyed. Then, in the corner of my eye I spied a clearly very anxious man. He looked like he was ready to crawl out of his skin, being jostled by the crowd. The only thing that appeared more anxious was his companion, a miniature dog he was clutching for dear life. I cannot imagine the terror of that animal: literally surrounded by hundred of predators all likely secreting pheromones of anger and threat. What on earth was this man thinking? The use of this so-called companion or service animal actually increased his discomfort, as he likely had to quiet the anxiety of the dog. And being in his arms, what if it bolted? People have erroneously bought the lie that animals will save the day. They are a comfort, but only in appropriate settings. In zoos and on airplanes the surveillance needed to keep the dog/public safe trumps any supposed benefit of having the animal around.
2
As an owner of a therapy (NOT) service animal, I applaud these restrictions which provide for real service animals who fulfill an essential role. That said, I am appalled at people so self absorbed that they feel they can drag an untrained dog on a plane without an issue. My dog does work as a therapy animal with children and has been trained and tested for those skills, but I would never try to sneak him on a plane as a true service animal. Severe diabetics, seizure patients, the blind....these people are actually dependent on these animals to allow them to travel safely in the world, and their service animals are working all the time. Grow up! If you can't fly on a plane without "emotional " support, stay home and get some treatment until you can and quit trying to cheat the system!
12
Under the ADA, an emotional support animal is not a service animal (Fun fact, ONLY DOGS [and in some cases miniature ponies] can be service animals). The only place I've ever seen emotional support animals is under the Fair Housing Act, which is why students are allowed to have them in their dorm rooms but not in classrooms.
The ADA is not the issue.
5
MASS CHEATING? How about cars with "disabled" licence plates? How many times children or grand-children of a disabled person borrows the vehicle to obtain easier to find or free parking? Cars are not disabled. People are. A picture of the invalid will not solve the problem but, will make it more difficult to cheat (if the law is enforced).
3
We fly once or twice a year with our 7.5 pound Yorkshire Terrier in a carrier that fits under the seat. We pay $125 each way for her. Are we part of the problem?
2
I am severely allergic to cat, dog and horse hair. Exposure results in difficulty breathing, severe congestion, and ultimately a really bad case of sinusitis. Several years ago on a Virgin America flight from San Francisco to LA, a woman boarded late with her little dog to sit on her lap, right next to me. When I advised the flight attendant of my allergy problem, you would have thought I had suggested killing the animal. I am tired of being literally made sick by all of these pet owners who pass their pets off as "service animals." What about my rights to travel without being made sick? We banned peanuts on every flight because some people had peanut allergies. Why am I also not entitled to an allergy-free environment? If people are to travel in the cabin with legitimate service animals, they should have to register sufficiently in advance to enable those of us with allergies to be seated elsewhere on the plane far enough away from them to avoid exposure. I would willingly pay extra for a flight free of animals in the cabin, as it is still cheaper than the loss of work time and medical costs when I get sick from forced exposure to these allergen bombs.
14
I have a family member with a severe cat hair allergy, making it difficult to breathe and causing hives and skin outbreaks that take weeks to resolve. With more and more animals in airliner cabins, who watches out for the rights of allergy sufferers ? Do airlines carry epi-pens, particulate masks, bronchodilators, antihistamines and steroids. Of course not, allergy sufferers have to bring them onto planes now to protect from the worst.
Severe allergies are recognized as disabilities by the Americans with Disabilities Act that requires schools, employers to establish allergen-free safe zones, for example areas with no peanut and other food allergens, special food for celiacs allergic to gluten and other measures. Airlines need to implement animal-free zones to protect allergy sufferers.
7
Thank you. This whole marketing thing that pets are people/deserve to eat like people/are our children/deserve to stay in a hotel or restaurant.....is wrong. I’m the mother of three and yes, I’ve had pets most of my life; they are not humans. Thank you Delta Airlines as well. So many things in this country have gone upside down....honestly, ethics, people used to know right from wrong.
12
I woukd never put my pet in the cargo hold. I can't imagine what an dog or a cat goed through flying.
That said - be on a plane with a snake? Cargo or cabin? NEVER!
1
Rivaling the flying pet dishonesty has to be wheelchair abuse. We see more and more wheelchair lineups and ambulatory early boarders claiming a personal need to board first.
As with full support for true service animals we fully support those needing special assistance and early boarding. There seems to be no shame or self-restraint of many others claiming need in order to board early and more conveniently.
5
I just don't understand the cruelty of the airlines. They did not let my service elephant on the plane and I just had to stay home at the zoo.
2
"...a modern culture that too often fetishizes individual preference and expression over communal well-being." "Communal well-being"? Sounds a little like creeping Socialism.
1
All the people who are complaining about having to leave their pets at home while they travel---have you ever thought about either 1) not having a pet; or 2) not traveling; or 3) getting a dog sitter? Why should the rest of us be subjected to your pet during a flight? A little personal responsibility and consideration of others would be nice here.
11
For just $19.90 a month you can save a deprived animal. GOD BLESS AMERICA. Who in their right mind would consider donating $19.90 a month to help a starving and needy human being?
To the airlines, I say, I am truly disabled and also suffer from animal allergy related respiratory problems. I can hardly wait until you get sued for ten's of millions of dollars for abusing the helpless humans.
2
I was hoping to see an article about the scam of how airlines charge high fees to bring a pet on board that takes up the space of a backpack slid under a seat but lets young and far too often screaming babies fly free with a parent. You may be moving with your pet. You may be flying across the country to participate in a dog show or a cat show. You may be bringing you deceased sister's cat to her daughter. Personally I would way rather have people seated near me with pets than with a toddler who is in pain from changes in air pressure and at being held still and is shrieking in pain and frustration. Flying with babies and very young children always strikes me as being very close to child abuse. The child cannot understand why their ears hurt so much and why they can't run around. Pets are generally not infants and better able to manage. That screaming toddler can also sit on their parent's lap for free whereas the sleeping cat in its carrier under the seat costs close to $200 each way and its owner loses the ability to have their personal bag and a carry-on.
7
I recently saw a guy in a bar with his "therapy dog", I wanted to say to him if you need a therapy dog you should not be drinking, but my wife suggested otherwise. Service animals should be permitted like handicapped parking, those who really need one will have one.
I plan to get a "therapy boa constrictor" and start taking it with me; we'll see how that goes over!
2
If the animal is not certified as trained to be a service animal, that should be the bright red line. No exceptions.
5
When somebody refers to their flight as a "cattle car" it might not be a figure of speech.
5
This has gone way too far. A comfort peacock, a comfort pig? Gimme a break. If someone can't travel without his or hear comfort animal, stay home, or drive. The only exception should be service animals such as seeing eye fogs. After that there should be a resounding NO.
4
Thank you so much for this. The breakdown in trust is so much larger than just with regards to service animals, but this is a fabulous example. The thought that “I feel good around my dog” does not justify the service animal designation. Strict training for the animal AND person is required!
34
I agree with everyone else that supposed "emotional support animals" are everywhere now. I have a severe allergy to cats, and the last time I flew there was a passenger seated behind me with a cat. By the time we landed (this was a regional flight to a larger airport, so thankully it was only about an hour long), my throat was filling with phlegm, my eyes were red and watery, and I was having trouble breathing. l had to run to catch my connection, and after I got on I had to use my emergency inhaler.
My question is: Why and how do airlines get away with not informing other passengers when there will be animals on the flight? How come passengers are not made aware that next to them, or immediately in front of or behind them, there will be a dog or a cat? This seems like the very least that can and should be done to avoid situations in which someone finds themselves trapped to an animal that triggers their allergy.
37
I detect a difference in cost and restrictions when your pet is considered a service animal. Pets travel in cabin, with certain restrictions including a limit on the number permitted per flight, and a hefty fee. It would appear the limits and costs are different for service animals.
2
A service animal is NOT a pet. Only people who don’t understand what service animals really are what they really do consider them to be pets.
3
Animals are important to state the obvious. Legitimate training programs and nationwide certification should become standard. We have standardized CPR programs and human lives are saved. We can and should have standardized animal training programs for people with needs the animals can legitimately address. Blind trust? Not much of a fan given the health and safety concerns. Let's get this right and peacocks? Outside is best last I checked!
9
Health and safety concerns? C’mon: let’s hear some stats. No more of this anecdotal fear-mongering and hysteria-promoting.
We’re already up to 1.5 K comments on this piece, folks.
Daily toll of gun violence? Very little chatter.
Loaded guns found in airport luggage? Barely a peep.
6
Thank you for writing about this growing trend. It merits attention and further restrictions. Pet owners have become much more entitled than they were when I was a child. In the end, I think for the most part, it's all about money. The more people adore their pets, the more money companies stand to make off of those owners.
20
There is no fresh air inside a plane cabin. All the air is recycled throughout the flight and the cabins. Anyone with allergies to pet hair or dander is immediately and for the entire duration of the flight, subjected to a real health problem. How this isn’t an obvious reason to remove ALL except the most essential and Trained actual service dogs, I have no idea. Any paid for animal should have to be small enough to remain crated or bagged for the duration of the flight. No hair or dander getting all over the place. Period.
58
Sure. Also people wearing perfume or aftershave, heavy smokers whose pores and clothes ooze tobacco.
2
The statement that there is "no fresh air" inside a plane cabin is false. Every modern commercial aircraft is equipped with an air system that allows for both fresh and recycled, filtered air.
3
Safety first. These animals will delay the evacuation of a plane.
It is past time for the major carriers to enact a reasonable policy about these animals. Just say no.
The airlines can determine the type of certificate for service animal pet training.
Anything less, the animals and owners can walk or take the train.
33
It's not just animals that are the problem--it's people who cheat the system and airlines that look the other way. On a flight last week, people with way-oversized carryons and big winter coats stuffed them into the overhead bins, so about halfway through boarding, the rest of us had to gate-check our luggage. Glad to see the airlines growing a spine.
48
We are seeing more and more pets in churches too, and that carries this problem to another level -- desecration. Enormous resources are consumed by this luxury. Pets are also having a devastating effect on wildlife. Scientists now say that the four most destructive things humans can do to the environment are flying, driving, eating meat, and having a baby. I would add a fifth -- owning a pet.
16
Wow! We are only in the first week of February but this piece already has my vote as the #1 "Only in America" story of the year.
On second thoughts, maybe I should respect the metropolis where they once found a fully grown tiger on the 56th (or thereabouts) floor of an apartment, and wait.
12
Only in America would this story generate such mass hysteria, do you mean?
Air France, and France in general, are quite reasonable about animals in public places. They appear to have got the memo that the infectious diseases to watch out for come overwhelmingly from other people.
Yes: we Americans are an ill-informed, hysteria-prone bunch.
4
That metropolis was NYC and the tiger was in public housing. The owner was throwing raw chickens through the door to feed the poor beast.
This is going to severely dampen the support-peacock industry.
49
It is simple: there should be legal definitions of and certification for service animals. Most states have none. Whether pets should be allowed to fly, and under what conditions, is a separate issue that is frankly up to the carriers. But the fraudulent characterization of pets as service animals to sneak them into stores, restaurants, and onto planes hurts those who actually have legitimate need for actual service animals.
28
". . . there should be legal definitions of and certification for service animals. Most states have none. "
Of course they don't. Because "service animal" is defined by federal law, in the Americans with Disabilities Act.
This article is about the misuse of so-called "support animals", which are not the same thing.
1
Leonhart certainly has a point and I agree with him.
But it's easy enough to criticize the few obviously neurotically selfish people who abuse the service-dog allowance, when so many more of us (including me at times) "instinctively", "reflexively" rush to get as much and as big carry-on luggage into the overhead bin before anyone else, with all the extra work, hassle, and complications this creates for TSA screeners, flight attendants, other passengers, and even the pilots trying to make their scheduled pull-away-from-the-gate time. Or consider the fact that we're flying at all when our biggest existential threat is our own carbon footprints! People who fly much tend to be people with more resources who see their own roles as important enough to justify it (and besides everyone else is doing it!) Sadly so much of our culture is based on this compulsive "maximizing" of our own short-term outcome regardless of its impact on others, other species, and the planet.
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. (Matthew 7:5)
18
I can't believe the peacock story-of all the nerve. There was a time when animals went in the cargo hold but I guess that changed with the therapy pet movement. I love animals but forced contact on a plane is not my idea of fun. And who ensures that these animals are properly vaccinated and not carrying parasites?
I feel sorry for airline staff who have enough to deal with already.
21
I am not visibly disabled, but I have and travel with my service dog - never with a problem. I call the airline in advance, they seat me by the window in a bulkhead seat and Lady lies at my feet, usually sleeping, for the flight. She has never barked on a plane, let alone engage in some of the other behaviors described.
On our last trip, at Christmas, however, she did bark a couple of times in the airport - at "support animals" who were barking or growling at her. Her single bark got the distracted owner's attention. When the owner of one of these started yelling at me, I am glad to say I had a lot of support from my fellow passengers waiting in the security line.
A true service dog may be curious, but they are also exquisitely attuned to their human. Lady doesn't wear a vest or harness. My condition means she is never off duty. But even when it's playtime at the beach, she pays close attention to me and has interrupted her play to rush me home to safety.
26
@Martha McAffee: I and others would be curious to know what service your dog is trained to perform for you, as well as your disability? I ask because there are many who claim implausible abilities on the part of their animal - skills that the scientific literature is yet to validate. Such as detection of seizures or blood glucose levels. The studies I have reviewed for glucose levels show many false positives at a level that would make it worthless. And considering the availability of technology that is reliable and unobtrusive, what is the point?
My point is not to take you personally to task since I don't know you, but to challenge all who claim a disability that requires a dog to be to subject both their disability claim and the claimed talents of the dog to scrutiny of society, since society is being asked to accommodate the dog.
2
As a profoundly hard of hearing woman who has traveled with a service animal, I'm glad airlines are cracking down on fakers. My [late] certified hearing dog (she passed away in June 2016 and will soon be replaced) behaved so well on airplanes that few people knew she was onboard. That's the way true service animals behave.
35
Indeed it is. I once sat next to a woman on the bus whose service dog was under the seat. Had the people across the aisle not commented about how handsome he was, I'd never have known he was there.
3
honestly, why does the author care? As far as I'm concerned, people should be able to bring their pets wherever they want. They are invariably better behaved than children, and a smaller carbon footprint to the world as well.
21
My husband would care...when he stopped being able to breathe due to severe allergies.
4
Has anyone read the story of Dexter the peacock? He is a tame, loving animal. Maybe a bit big for an airline cabin(where would that tail go?) but he and his artist mom deserve their dignity and our respect.
1
Agreed--people shouldn't pass pets off as service animals. But it can be extremely difficult and expensive to get a non-tiny animal on a plane. Flying cross-country with my dog for an obedience competition, it cost me 2 1/2 times more to ship my dog than it cost for my ticket. And that didn't include the pre-flight physical for a health certificate. Further, as people who travel with dogs by the rules can attest, you never know when airline employees will demand a larger kennel, even if the one the owners brought is plenty roomy. So part of the backdrop of the abuse you mention is airlines making it hard to play by the rules.
16
I have a child with autism. We have a pet dog. When we fly, the dog flies in the climate controlled cargo hold, down below. I could easily and perhaps justifiably get papers and call her an "emotional support" animal and bring her in the cabin. I do not take this leap precisely because I know and respect that true service dogs not only are rigorously selected, most not making the cut, but also cost a minimum of $10,000 to train. When my pet has completed her training as an "emotional support animal" with specific actions for her to take for specific reasons it will have cost about $3,000 in training fees by an accredited trainer. I respect these rules precisely because I know so many people with disabilities rely on fully trained service animals. I do not want to see them suffer because people are routinely abusing this privilege.
43
Please rethink this.
Animals die in those "climate controlled holds."
5
Before 9/11, I enjoyed flying. Now flying is at best an exercise in patience and at worst a terrifying debacle of screening, searches, overbooking, hours-long waits on planes for takeoffs or landings, missed connections, drunk or violent fellow passengers, and the ever-growing problems with turbulence in flight. The whole system is based on fear, and that fear gears up before you even leave your home. When you pack your shampoo and toothpaste, you must use the tiny bottles, so even when you're packing, you're bringing to mind the terrible events of 9/11 and the fate of those passengers. No wonder people wish to have their pets with them. That said, there are those with a legitimate need and those with a desire. If you have a legitimate need, then certainly you should be able to fly with an animal trained to meet that need. A diabetes or seizure alert dog. A PTSD dog. A dog for the blind. Traveling with a peacock? I'm amazed that someone would even try this. Once again the bad actors, those without morals, are making life difficult for those of us who actually do play by the rules.
10
Why should the rights of pet owners or people who need service animals supersede the rights of those who are allergenic to dogs and cats? My mother is asthmatic and being in a closed environment with dogs and cats could trigger a potentially deadly asthma attack. We don't allow smoking in plane why should we allow pets to pollute the air in planes?
38
And I'm allergic to perfume - so no perfume on the flight? Someone else is allergic to peanuts - so search all customers for peanut m&ms? There is a point at which you take responsibility for your own issues. If you are so severely allergic, the fact that my clothing is often covered in cat dander will be as much or more of a problem than my cat in her carrier under a seat.
Not everything in life is fair. Severe asthma or allergies, disabilities of all kinds make your life more difficult, and society cannot always make it all better. If you cannot fly with cat dander anywhere in the cabin, then there is a problem. If it's only being next to someone - then the flight attendants should always be willing to relocate people as needed.
4
I have cats and I totally agree. I wouldn’t use the term “polluted,” though. It’s kind of insulting.
Reminds me of the time I was at a red light, and the driver in the next lane had a full grown parrot perched on the steering wheel. You can't reason with some pet owners unless a hard and fast rule is in place.
5
Mr. Leonhardt, you've provided a much-needed service to those of us who have borne the brunt of cheating passengers. Four years ago, on a flight from Europe, I was placed across the aisle from two women who each had a cat. My allergies to felines are so bad that even being in a place where a cat has been can bring on horrible itching, difficulty breathing, and with enough time anaphylactic shock. I took my allergy meds and asked for a different seat, way in the back in economy, knowing that anyone traveling alone would be happy to take my first-class seat. The switch did help somewhat with the allergy, but I was not reimbursed by the airline (which shall remain nameless, but it's a domestic airline) for the difference because the switch was done "at passenger's request."
I've known of a few others who have been kicked off the plane when they said they had allergies to a nearby animal. Imagine! The paying passenger was kicked off the plane, and the animal traveling for free stayed put. I pray the airline honchos are reading the comments to your article and considering ways to alleviate pet problems for many passengers. Thank you, Mr. Leonardt, for exposing a situation that, to my knowledge, no one has written about.
50
I recently attended a funeral where someone came with an emotional support dog. The reason? Because the person's anxiety issues might cause her to become upset. It was a funeral; we were all upset and now annoyed that there was a dog walking on people's graves. I love dogs. But we need to find some reasonable boundaries in our modern life.
33
I have no problem paying a pet fee if I bring my pet on board - but my dog does not fit under the seat in front of me and there is no chance that I am going to put them in Cargo where they could die. People need to travel and sometimes they need to bring their pet along.
27
Agreed COMPLETELY.
4
As a cat owner who is currently preparing for a move abroad, I would argue that this article is VERY ill informed. There is no way for airlines to create a safe way for animals to travel in the hold because a huge part of the problem is the human factor. Has the author written this article without even reading the recent account of a cat lost at JFK after the airline employee transporting it to the plane accident knocked over the stack of crates? The cat in question is now dead. Yes, some people are traveling unnecessarily on airplanes with pets, but some people need to move across an ocean with their pets too. Putting pets in the hold is what should be outlawed.
27
My vet agrees.
3
I work in a large department store. Everyday, customers, overwhelmingly women, walk their dogs through the store. There is no public park or dog run in the vicinity of the mall. None of these dogs wear a 'emotional support' vest, although I would not be inclined to believe it if they were. These suburban women simply feel guilty that they are not spending enough time with their animals, so why not take them with while shopping? Over the summer, a woman in her 20s confided that the reason she brought her dog into the store because it was too hot out for the dog to be left in the car. The thought of leaving him at home in the air conditioning must not have occurred to her. Just like the people who cry food allergies instead of admitting they don't like something, those who claim 'emotional support!' simply make it harder for those who are legitimate.
17
Thank you!!! The issue is, of course, not limited to flying and is indicative of the wider culture of this sometimes aggressively selfish behavior. Our family loves pets, and we have always cherished our dogs. But as owners of a small family restaurant in Northern California, we have to contend with the growing culture of "pet entitlement." Not only do people come to our restaurant with animals they falsely claim to be service pets (a correctly trained service dog is obvious and is not fed at the table or agitated by activity), but many who ask if pet dogs are allowed in the restaurant or on the patio get very angry when we say they are not unless they are service dogs. We have had people storm out, yell at our staff or sneak their dogs onto the small patio anyway, where are they often are disruptive and provide a safety hazard for both our staff and other guests. As small business owners in a very litigious state, we are caught between the proverbial "rock and hard place." While the entitled pet owner rages about this injustice and lobbies to have their way, we worry another guest will trip over the dog's tail or get bitten thrusting us into lawsuit territory (the ever-present concern of small California businesses!) It is amazing how aggressive people have become in imposing their personal choice to bring their pets everywhere with them. They show little concern for the comfort of the pets, or the safety and rights of others. Glad to see this brought to public attention!
41
An obvious observation, but one that isn't addressed in this article: It's very hard to find any way to fly pets safely. People moving house, going somewhere for a long period of time, taking an animal to a new owner, or moving an animal for numerous other reasons know they cannot entrust a living creature to the baggage compartment. The few, expensive animal-flying airlines only go to a small selection of major cities. I agree that the therapy animal solution is ridiculous, but I would appreciate this article a lot more if it called for realistic options that would allow pet-owners to travel safely with a pet.
23
There have always been too many people ready and willing to "game" our systems. This happens in every community and, especially in DC. When it becomes a common way of doing things, our culture suffers because trust and integrity are significant attributes of a healthy culture. Trust and integrity seems to be in pretty short supply in DC and because decisions made in DC have much larger consequences than, say, a corrupt mechanic in a small town, it worries me in two ways. One, because the news travels so fast and so far, most of us feel its effects quickly and soon an entire country responds cause "everybody is doing it." And two, cause everybody is doing it our social fabric can weaken if what everybody is doing lacks integrity and honesty.
5
I've been bitten twice by unfamiliar dogs, once right after the owner said 'Oh, he doesn't bite.' I have the scar to prove he does! So I get understandably anxious around unfamiliar animals. What about MY right to fly without having an unfamiliar dog inches from me, that is going to cause me anxiety for the duration of the flight? Even if you have a legit reason for bringing your dog, it's not fair to me and those like me who are uncomfortable around an unfamiliar animal. This holds true also for buses, grocery stores, movie theatres - lots of us are getting darn tired of it. Sure didn't use to be this way.
21
I’m a huge animal lover, and worked in the veterinary field for years when I was younger. But people are getting out of control re: where they think they are entitled to bring their ill-trained, untrained or even well-behaved pets. Restaurants, grocery stores, boutiques. Get over yourselves and be more respectful and considerate of others. Not everyone wants to be exposed to animals at close range. My everything is about you.
23
Universities cope with this same run-away problem. Students can require an institution to allow an emotional support animal accompany the student to class. I can attest to an example of this involving a young woman who had to be permitted to carry her emotional support bunny with her. At moments of stress, she placed the bunny against her neck to self-calm. Of course, she was a psychology major.
20
I think this is an opportunity for our "disruptive," "creative," "entrepreneurial" hand-held-device community of innovators. If people feel better asking a robotic device where the bathroom is or what kind of dinner they should order, we are finally ready for—wait for it—service phones. You'll need to use noise cancelling headphones and make sure they're plugged into the USB port. You won't need to buy a second seat or keep it in a bag or take it out of airplane mode, and your choice of emotional service "animal" (canine, feline, herpetological, avian, even elephantine) will be right there in front of your face the whole flight, just like all your face book friends are when you are wandering around in parking lots and crossing streets. At home, you will need to feed nor clean up after it, just keep it charged. I, and I'm sure many other flyers, will work kinda hard not to look at you with pity. Think how much less emotionally disturbing that will be than the anger, annoyance, and pity you confront now.
9
These people and the companies who sell fake service dog ID’s and other items are hurting everyone else, especially those of us who have real service dogs. My girl passed away unexpectedly at the end of December. She was a bonafide service dog with a tag from the NYC Department of Health, and she remained in her bag wherever we went. Olivia never made a sound and people did not even realize that she was accompanying me. If we flew, when we landed and she would stick her head up everyone would laugh because they did not notice her because she did not makea peep. The children and babies on the flight made lots of noise; not my dog. She was trained to never make a sound when in a dog carrier. Because of all the bogus service dogs and emotional support animals we were hassled many times by the airline staff. I even had an issue with a flight attendant who said that my doctor’s letter was invalid because it was from a medical doctor, not a psychiatrist. Another time I almost missed a flight because the woman at the gate refused to look at the service dog tag because I had forgotten to bring the letter from my doctor. She made me wait until a supervisor came and in desperation I paid for my dog to fly on the plane. Once, when I called American to let them know I was flying with a service dog, the woman asked me what the dog did while I was standing in the hotel lobby where everyone could hear. It was humiliating! Crackdown on people gaming the system; not on real service dogs.
8
I’m sure it’s come up hundreds of times before but...animal friendly planes.
It would be a dedicated plane, pet ticket by the pound, (make ridiculous things like pet diapers or heavy clean up fees a thing), trained staff, and so on. Choices of flights would be limited but it’s better than not letting them fly and people making up when there are those who need them. (And it isn’t our place to judge who needs the dog or bird and who doesn’t.)
9
There was one. It went broke.
2
Somehow or another, people managed 30 years ago without being allowed to bring animals onto planes, into stores, onto buses - - they can manage now.
23
My, how selfish both sides are. Apparently the majority of commenters would not qualify under the ADA as qualified individuals with the loss of a major life function. Those are the only people who meet the standard for having only a dog* as a Service animal. Comfort animals are a totally different ball game.
*Miniature horses for the blind are the only other species that meet Service animal requirements.
7
My experience is that dog-owners act as being special, sometimes pretty arrogant. I'm flying a lot and the last few years I witnessed the big increase in the amount of dogs in airports and airplanes. But I guess that the number of people who are blind or who otherwise rely on a service dog didn't increase that much. I also realize - also in this comment section - that for some a dog is more valuable than another human being. It seems they fetishize their animal? How did this trend happen?
16
There is without a doubt a need for sanity on this subject and certainty that there are people scamming the system but all fault does not lie with passengers. The airlines have contributed mightily to this game. People have legitimate reasons for moving their pets from one area to another and of course business is there to profit from it but the airlines saw an opportunity to double dip. Charge a hefty fee to carry a pet onboard, then charge an additional baggage fee because your carry on now must be checked. Will people look for a way around that one?...you bet they will!
8
I'll start by saying that I am a coach and trainer in Conflict Management. And I absolutely believe in the therapeutic, healing power of animal therapy. I have witnessed it with returning military personnel. SO PLEASE DO NOT use a broad brush as your op piece does, to depict flying with pets as an inconvenience or worse...a scam!!!
There are thousands of daily travelers that, now more than ever, HAVE to get on a plane and become so stressed because of our security issues. The sight of a pet, as many others have offered, brings immediate calm. Yes, I have noticed an increase of pets on flights, I travel several times a month between Miami and DC, NOT ONCE during the flights I've been on has anyone complained because of the passenger with the puppy sitting next to them.
I don't travel with my Corgi because she is 14 and has never been on a plane, but if you have a pup that is used to it, and you follow all the proper procedures.....WHY NOT?
As someone else mentioned, I prefer pets to rude passengers, and so do most flight attendants!
13
Why should I pay $125 or more to fly my dog as a carry on? The fee doesn't allow me to have an extra carry on... so, this fee makes no sense. I think people forget how healthy is to live and interact with dogs. I have never been on a flight where a dog disrupted a flight; quite the contrary, dogs always bring joy travelers in an increasingly uncomfortable experience.
14
As you said, this isn't maybe the biggest problem in society today, but for me, the desire to "game the system" would arise not from a desire to save money, but rather from concern about my pet, if I absolutely needed to transport my pet with me for some reason. Animals that are checked into baggage can be handled roughly in their crates, may be consigned to unheated, and even unpressurized, cargo holds and may not be cared for in any way, so that many are traumatized and every year some die. That's why I'd want to bring my pet on board with me, to keep it safe.
15
There's a simple solution and one I've frequently used -- drive. Transit through a crowded airport, unexpected delays, the absence of toileting facilities. Think of the pet if not the other humans.
7
Agreed - I would drive if at all possible, but you can't drive overseas, and many, especially older folks, aren't able to drive really long distances, so I also agree with another commentator who said that the airlines really need to work on finding a safe, humane way to transport animals. Maybe set-aside, enclosed areas in the back of the "people cabin" on some flights, where they could travel in their crates?
6
Come on. Surely you realize that some of us travel farther than a few hundred miles. In my case, we stay in Europe for several months every year. Leaving the cats behind is not an option, and neither is driving. So we pay 300 dollars per round ticket for each of the 7 lbs cats that no one ever knows about because they are packed under the seats in front of us. And still we get treated badly by airport staff ignorant of the rights we paid for.
This is, in my opinion, also a form of self-centeredness - to think that your solutions apply to everyone else's circumstances. So many people say things are "simple" for others just because they are simple for them.
4
This is the drip drip drip of people who think they're entitled to a break at others' expense. I know people who brag that they get away with telling the airlines that they have a medical problem that requires early boarding. They don't actually have any condition (unless a lack of a conscience counts) but they know that the airlines are not allowed to ask about their medical conditions and so - they board first. If the service animal scam is any indication, soon the pre-boarding queue will be longer than the line for general boarding.
44
Be sure to tell your friends you think what they are doing is wrong. The fact that they tell you about it suggests they think they are clever and they think you will be impressed. If you let them know you aren't, and that they should be ashamed, they may rethink what they do. If you just smile and nod, you become part of the problem.
1
there is an easy fix--charge the same fee for emotional support animals on board as a kennel in the hold. I recently flew from Europe with a valuable puppy on board in a carrier. The airline required health certificates, carrier approval, and a $125 fee. I was glad to pay it, and thanked the airline personnel for being so accommodating. There was a very large "emotional support" animal on board as well, and they were required to present health papers and pay a fee as well.
11
We fly with our cats to Europe under the same conditions (but get charged more - $300 for one 7lb cat per round trip) every year, and I wanted to laugh when I read about your thanking the airline personnel. More often than not, we deal with staff that is ignorant of the rights that we pay for, and supervisors have to be called. We are not "glad" to pay the fee. Mind you, the fellow travelers only ever know about our cats if they are right before or after us in the boarding or deplaning line, and stare at the pet carriers.
1
I suspect that this problem would not have arisen if airlines treated animals for transport humanely. They are not inanimate cargo, but living, breathing creatures who need pressurized cabins set to the right temperature, and at least a small amount of light. If it costs too much to retrofit every plane to carry animals safely, redo some of them, and designate those planes as animal friendly.
33
I've been trying to get a vest for my "service" golf clubs, as they seem to provide some measure of emotional support to whomever I'm playing against. They're well-behaved (until I take them out of the bag). So far, no luck.
54
Several of my family members scam the system by claiming their pets are “emotional support animals” so they can fly for free. They’re shameless and feel their love for their animal justifies intruding into others space. Emotional support animals are ridiculous. If you can’t fly without your dog on your lap, stay home.
64
Mr. Leonhardt scammed me into reading this article with a headline about "flying pets". I was expected winged kitties or at the very least an airborne Airedale. Don't bore me with service animals; give me circus animals.
11
Funny. Read this while waiting in an airport and just saw a small pooch dressed in a blue "emotional support animal" vest. The woman carrying him in her arms was accompanied by her husband. So what's he for?
84
if you have an emotional condition so bad that you can't live without your animal for few hours, then i don't want you within 1000 feet of any plane i'm flying on.
66
Good. Don't fly. Problem solved.
1
How does a peacock not suffer from wing envy after seeing the wing span of any major airliner compared to their own?
25
Uh ... anyone notice that this column had US Support Animals as a sponsor, with ads next to the the text encouraging people to fly with their animals for free.
6
It's the magic of the internet at work.
1
P - I saw that too and wondered, what the heck?
1
Another example of how far Americans have fallen since Reagan sold us the cyanide kool aid of "the individual matters more than the group, look out for yourself and everything else will fall into place". And so here we are, in 2018, where everyone is doing what is best for only themselves, and too bad for their neighbor or fellow airplane passenger. And as a result, our society and our country is falling apart.
21
A Peacock. Good Lord; our neighbors have one about a quarter-mile away, and I can hear its cry as if it's in the room with me. Loud, piercing cries. All. Day. Long.
As oppressive as flying has become, a peacock on board would constitute cruel and unusual punishment, even for the airlines.
24
A side note to all this is the horrible conditions animals encounter in the cargo hold. Just do a quick google search and you will find numerous instances of animals freezing to death, dying of dehydration, or overheating caused by long sits on the tarmac and airline policies that disallow pet owners from packing food & water into the carrier and also expressly forbid airline employees from checking on animal welfare.
I would *never* ship my animal in the cargo hold in present conditions. Fortunately, the animal is also small and fits in a carry-on which can go under the seat, which is still permitted by the airlines. Still, if airlines want animals out of the passenger cabin, taking some minimal efforts to make sure peoples pets don't die during transit would certainly help.
28
Oddly enough, the plane is the only place where I give this behavior a pass. This article does not acknowledge that airlines are extremely careless with animals in cargo holds where they freeze, go into shock and die at alarming rates. If someone truly needs to fly with their pet and this loophole exists, I don't blame them.
However, the article is correct about this behavior in general, people just oblivious with animals in grocery stores, on public transit, etc.
27
People who are blind or deaf do not travel with pets. They travel with highly trained working animals. I have no qualms about sitting next to a person with a service animal. But I do worry about sitting next to a person who is so emotionally fragile that they must travel with a pet. As another reader points out, travel is stressful for both animals and humans. If the human isn't emotionally stable enough to travel without a pet, they probably shouldn't travel. It is dangerous for them and for the safety of other passengers. Perhaps a middle road option would be to require that any animal brought on the plane be trained to the same standards as a service dog. If they aren't capable of being trained (ie, a snake or peacock) then they can't travel. At the same time, perhaps the airlines should be better regulated so that the cost of flying with a pet in the cargo hold is reasonable and the cargo hold is a safe option.
20
Let's call a spade a spade - being left emotionally distraught by the though of not being able to fly without a support animal, Xanax or even rosary beads is pathetic. Pathetic. Toughen up, people.
2
Just make a special section in the plane with a seperate airsystem and kennels that the pet owners can visit during the flight. Problem solved.
16
Is this a service animal (not "emotional support animal"?
What service has it been trained to perform?
If you cannot honestly answer either of these questions, if you have to create a false narrative to answer these, if your animal was not truly and specifically trained to perform a particular set of functions for you to aid in your identified disability....then it is just a pet. A true Service Animal is a working animal, not simply a pet. Be honest; take responsibility for your pet and pay their fare or leave them home. Honesty is a virtue.
9
I am sure the "gamers" of the system will cause the backlog of legislation in air travel , but I promise I will ask for refund from the airlines if my kid and myself are asked to seat next of a "service" animal.
Where in the rules in airlines ticket does it state that?
3
I witnessed a young women patting a fluffy dog in her arms while she stood directly over the uncovered bakery bread loaves in a supermarket. So, it ain't just an airline problem. How about pacifiers?
30
The other day I complained to the manager of my local supermarket about the presence of dogs. He told me federal law prohibits him from questioning patrons who claims their dogs are service animals. Obviously dog owners have figured out that this is a giant loophole which allows them to take their animals anywhere without any possibility of enforcement. And so dogs are effectively allowed everywhere.
11
Why not have several flights a week that allow animals and have the rest animal free (except for guide dogs). Charge people bringing an animal an additional fee (say, $100). Limit the number of animals and seating placement to limit interactions.
10
I work at Costco and we've noticed a big increase of people coming in with pets in the guise of being a "service animal." I think the problem is twofold.
First, our culture today is stoked by "entitlement." We have arrived at a point where many of us feel that we are owed something. Anything. If it makes me feel better, I'm entitled to it. That's the premise.
Second, the legislature, state and/or federal will not step up to the plate and legislate. This issue could be solved with a little bit of common sense, consideration for all concerned and some legislative action.
30
People walk into any store in New York (including food establishments) with pets (mostly dogs) and impunity. Dogs and their owners waltz through subway stations and onto trains with no regard to the containment rule. There are hygienic reasons for the laws preventing this behavior, and they are no longer enforced. Of course, no one believe their pooch could bite, have worms or cause allergic reactions. The standard has slipped so badly, people don't even know it's illegal. Seeing eye dogs are the only legitimate service animals. We've not been troubled by their presence for decades, because they're so well trained to provide a proven service. Everyone else who claims some disability should be on meds. Problem solved. Next time someone walks into a supermarket with an animal that isn't helping a vision impaired costumer, speak up and ask, "What's your seeing eye dog's name?"
16
Used to be the same in France (before the service dog, that dogs were allowed everywhere). Now it is forbidden. Most places have a tie up place for the dog outside. Blind people are still allowed the dog to be with them.
Actually seeing eye dogs are not the only legitimate service dog. There are dogs trained for deaf people, to detect seizures, hypoglycemia, and to intervene with certain psychiatric disorders. The difference is they are trained.
The dog "hobbyists," I call them, the ones who refer to their "fur babies," often are among those who feed raw foods to their pets. 80% of the raw stuff has been found to harbor salmonella and/or e. coli, which the dog then sheds in its saliva, urine and poop. Think of that next time someone wants to enter a grocery store or a restaurant with their dog. Ew! My household rule, applied beyond the door: People first, animals second at all times. When I want to take my much-loved dog somewhere, I first consider whether her presence is appropriate.
1
I have a friend who suffered a traumatic brain injury when a underinsured driver rammed into his motorcycle. To talk with to him casually you would never know that he had a TBI, but among other things, it radically changed his ability to cope with any kind of stress.
After gaining a fuller extent of his injuries, his wife registered his pet chihuahua as a service animal. I don't know how much, if at all he flies these days, but that animal was of great comfort to my friend during his long recovery and beyond.
8
Airlines treat animals traveling independent of their owners as cargo. The horror stories of lost animals and animals injured or killed while en route via commercial airlines grow every month. Many US households have companion animals, and sometimes the animals need to accompany their families when they fly (e.g., relocating for work). In those cases, both animals and their people should be able to travel by air safely. They should not have to game the system to do that. The Times should look into the abysmal options currently available for those who need to travel with their animals, rather than merely bemoan the consequences.
16
"It is one of the downsides of a modern culture that too often fetishizes individual preference and expression over communal well-being."
Actually our culture *prioritizes* individual preference...
And for those that despise government, why should DOT "have to ensure safe conditions for animals in cargo holds, which would make people comfortable with checking their pet." Why can't/won't the airlines do that themselves. Oh wait....profit.
3
"This is why we can't have nice things."
It's part of the broader context of air travel where baggage fees, carry-on fees and other fees create a sense that you're either paying while somebody gets the same deal for nothing, or you shouldn't have to pay and instead ought to bend the rules.
1
This is so out of hand. 60 to 80 pound dogs at Home Depot and they don't even make you lie that it's for emotional support. For retailers it's just--you need customers, put up with whatever nonsense they want.
3
Finally! One point that the OpEd fails to make is that human passengers have no recourse should they be allergic to the pet on the lap of their neighbor. The fare paying passenger must appeal to another passenger's charity to swap seats.
For those of us who fly, the "emotional service animal" has become an emotional issue. To the reader comparing the crying child to the barking dog and preferring the latter, remind yourself that you're a human being.
13
From several comments, I see that 1) Your dog is better behaved than many children. 2) You think most people appreciate your dog/cat. 3) HEPA filters take care of people's allergies. 4) I can switch to another plane and 5) You and your pet's needs are more important than mine. I mean cat dander has put me in the E.R. (Hepa filter or no), but who cares? Ever since a dog bit my kid, he's been nervous around them, but who cares? People with legitimate service dogs are against this trend, but your pet can't possibly be transported in the cargo-hold like my childhood pets were. "Decent people can make decisions more selfish than they realize." Yes, they can. And then they can continue to try to justify them and explain why they and their animal are the exception.
33
I would love not to have to travel with other people's pets. While I appreciate you love your little animal, there are those of us who are severely allergic to pet dander. Why do we have to suffer breathing in the recycled airplane air filled with animal hair and dander? Do those with animal allergies have no rights? The nut allergy people can manage block peanuts from flights.
18
The reason so many people are cheating on the emotional support animal rule is that the airlines charge $250 round trip for them to simply stow a pet carrier under the seat. The amount of this fee is absurd. Half as much might be reasonable, but the current fee is way out of line, considering the pet is just stored in a carrier under a seat, where my small carryon would have been. I always pay the fee, but have been very tempted given the exorbitant fee charged by the airlines. Boarding a pet also has safety concerns, and you can’t always find someone to take care of Spot or Tabby.
9
I would be more than happy to buy a seat for my pet, who would be kept in a carrier on the seat during the flight. If a 250 pound man is expected to fit in an airline seat, there should be a way to design a pet carrier that would accommodate most dogs and cats on a passenger seat. I also agree with another commenter that airlines could provide pet-approved and pet-free flights.
19
I have noticed this phenomenon also in Philadelphia. Pets are in all kinds of stores. And besides the obvious ones that truly need it, it seems more like people who carry a weapon and parade it around where their state legalized it. It also reminds me of all these cars with the front windows blackened so that you can't see the driver's intention. And police let it go even though illegal, they have some kind of medical coverage from an eye doctor. No turn signals, don't know why they are sitting at a stop sign, can't see the driver. I guess the black windows are their emotional support.
11
my son will die of an asthma attack if locked in a room with a pet. Our flying is now severely restricted. Yes it is insanity. Put them in the hold.
45
Great article. Part of the problem is the crazy pet fees charged by airlines. If a pet is in a locked carrier in a small gym bag, why is there a fee that approaches the cost of a ticket?
If the airlines required a refundable "pet deposit" and/or very low fees for such pets, odds are few people would bother cheating.
9
Look what I just received. Linked from the article. Anything to make a buck. There is no certification nor registry that is valid.
https://usserviceanimals.org/certification?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsbvbr5-P2QI...
1
Passengers flying with their pet dogs has gotten totally out of hand. It is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured by a pet who is not accustomed to being in a crowded situation, and bites a passenger or crew member. Only trained service dogs should be allowed in the airplane cabin, not pets whose owners brandish fake credentials purchased through the Internet. Passengers who fly with their dogs also seem to think that everyone else loves their pets as much as they do, and routinely allow them to intrude into other passenger's spaces. It is time for airlines to end the practice of non-essential dogs in the cabin, unless that dog fits in a kennel, under the seat. Ford Watson Bell, DVM, DACVIM
26
Agreed. Also, in the article, "The number of problems is rising, too. A large part-Labrador mauled a man on a flight to San Diego last summer."
5
Across the aisle from me in first class was a yellow lab whose window-seated owner allowed her dog to lie on the floor, obliterating the legroom the aisle passenger next to her had paid for and deserved. This nonsense has to stop.
46
SNL got it right...when has anyone been happy a large, wild bird was indoors.?
I lived where some peacocks/hens roamed freely...noisy, aggressive and gross birds.
7
So accompanying this article is an ad for registering your support animal as a genuine support animal. I have no idea whether this is a genuine service or part of the scam. But its disturbing to see this on the NYTimes website. On the editorial page discussing the growing problem of animals brought on board airplanes for emotional support. Placed there by a computer program that employs A.I. to determine what advertisements to place where. An A.I. that appears to be as smart as a bag of hammers. As can be expected from computers.
8
no such thing as “safer” cargo hole. otherwise, yes. passengers have become marauders or survivors. but since the highest office in the land is held by a proudly selfish self-centered liar, what else to expect.
5
Ah, the pet people :(, My big dog behaves better than your brat etc etc etc. Pets are not substitute children and we are not their parents regardless of the pet industry propaganda. All pets other than trained service animals have the potential to cause harm and don’t belong in confined spaces with unwilling companions. The person who thinks that everyone “loves” being approached by their dog doesn’t understand personal space and choice at all. Its ridiculous how obtrusive and obnoxious this has gotten and how tone deaf the pet people have become.
49
I'll take my dogs over your children and especially the adults every dang day. So many people are horrible to interact with and frankly, the a lot of the humans seated next to me in the plane tend to be self absorbed little prats and dogs are far more civilized in behavior than them.
2
Just look at the rise in pets on the NYC subway. Its only a matter of time that “fluffy” bites someone and its system-scamming owner has to explain why they need to be on a leash on the 6 train in the first place
9
It is a complete scam and impinges on those individuals who truly rely upon a trained service animal. Emotional support peacock? Please....I have an emotional support grizzly bear ....can I travel with her?
7
@ Tony B
Maybe if you buy her a seat and register for the frequent flyer program. :-))
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/pets-allowed
Shame on those abusing the system and most of all making those who have a real need (the blind, PTSD soldiers, etc) irrelevant and the object of scorn when boarding a plane. Strict rules should be applied.
However... it should be OK for anyone to bring their dog to a restaurant just like they do without any problems all over Europe.
4
It's well past time the airlines start to show some sense on this issue of bogus "emotional support" animals.
Now if they'll only recognize that making humans sit for hours with their knees cramped against seat backs and their elbows held tightly to their sides, well, then we'll really be getting somewhere....
11
Amen.
This is emotional blackmail by spoiled travelers that do not want the inconvenience of making arrangement for the care of their pets. So they inconvenience or annoy their fellow travelers. Enough!
13
I love editorials like this. Brings all the delusional, indignant dog owners out of the woodwork. "My doggie is nicer than your child! Everyone at the airport loves my pooch! Rover has rights, too!" It's a dog and if you're not blind or your child's not autistic, put Fido in the cargo hold or drive him in your car where you can set your own policies that won't affect 100 other citizens. Get over yourselves.
38
I agree with Leonhart that this is not the biggest issue in the world, but it is one that bears reasonable analysis, and is emblematic of a culture where so many are trying to tweak the rules at the margin because "everyone else is doing it", and "if I don't take every opportunity to get all I can, then someone else will just end up getting it." My girlfriend has teasingly suggested we get our gentle big fluffy white husky a "service-dog" vest and "certification" to be able to take her on the airplane, but we both realize the selfishness of this, and the implications if most people, or even more than a few, exploited this situation. Emblematic of a larger culture where we all want all we can get, we want it now and we want it for free or as at low a cost to ourselves as we can get it. Essentially what the one-stop sevicing Republican party "representatives" are doing for their bankrollers.
9
After posting this, I recognize that it is easy enough to criticize what a few obviously neurotically selfish people do by exploiting a system that is trying to provide some support to the very few people who really do need service dogs. But look at how much many more of us (including me) "instinctively" try to get as much and as big carry-on luggage as possible into the overhead bins before someone else gets theirs there first (with all the extra work that involves for the TSA screeners and flight attendants). Or even the fact that we're flying at all when our biggest existential threat is our own carbon footprints. Likewise with the airlines charging for the first stowed bag and even more for the second, etc. Sadly, much of our whole culture is rooted in this reflexive obsession to "maximize" the shot-term outcome for ourselves.
"Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." (Matthew 7:5)
4
As an employee with a major airline I have watched this porblem fester and grow first-hand. As the husband of a wife with asthma I have watched her discomfort and distress grow as we travel. This idea, that pets are the same as humans and that there is no limitation on their eternal presence, is insane. The problems grow as more and more people cheat, and cheat they do. It's long past time to fix this, agressively and firmly. To become a convert all you have to do is pay $800 for a ticket and be trapped next to a barking dog, of stinking puddle of dog doo, or have the 'service animal' lunge at your face. As it stands now? You have NO rights at all. Absurd.
17
Pets (dogs, for the most part) are also a growing population in the office workplace. Yeah, I get it—Fido can be a pleasant distraction.
Can we please dispense with turning the office into a kennel?
11
We've been on the path in our country for a long time where it doesn't count as wrong unless you get caught, and now we have a president who is a pathological liar.
I think this signifies the breakdown of a civil society.
16
Why does everything have to be so extreme in this country? Black or white, all or nothing, never moderation in ANYTHING. Everything gets ruined by people who exploit the most simple things. A blind person NEEDS a seeing eye dog. Any veteran who needs their pet for PTSD has no argument from me, but to everyone else - the exploiters - this thing has gotten absurdly ridiculous. I flew recently and everyone had to put up with a chi hua hua that NEVER STOPPED BARKING for 3-1/2 hours. The two early twentysomething girls who had the dog didn't think anything of it. Didn't care about subjecting an entire flight and crew of people with their stupid dog. That is where we are today in our selfish, conceited, self-absorbed, everything-is-about-me-me-me first society. Selfishness and lack of consideration is everywhere and spreading like a cancer in this country, led by the leadership of our government, corporations, and many of our institutions. As if flying isn't hellish enough - again, the greed and selfishness of the airlines and no political will to do anything about that - the "comfort" animal insanity has taken us to the rock bottom of sanity and civility.
10
The chihuahua was probably barking because it was experiencing anxiety and stress.
1
This whole situation is ridiculous... suddenly there are several animals on each flight who are allegedly "service animals." Nearly everyone on the plane knows that the owners are gaming the system. I know many who just bring the dog because they don't want to leave it home. I have no beef with people who bring their pets but the rules should allow ANY one or NO one to do it....unless you are blind.
6
Pray tell, why is it that people had been able to travel without their pets for over half a century but, suddenly have to bring them on an airplane? Is this fall-out from our high-tech society, where the only warm-blooded friend we have is NOT a homo-sapien? Everyone else, it seems, stays at a safe distance behind an I-phone screen. Bringing pets on board can be limited to small mammals who fit in carry-on-luggage, except for the occasional service animal. Just because we can say anything we want on twitter, doesn't mean that we can DO anything we want in real life. Even more disturbing is the increasingly popular idea that rules/laws, don't mean anything.
5
Support animals? Give me a break. Get a teddy bear. Keep live animals of any and all kind off planes. As if it isn't bad enough without them there.
8
Dexter is just another Trump look-alike trying to get his 15 minutes of fame.
1
Things would improve immensely if these turkeys and dogs and pigs and whatever left their people at home with a sitter.
Years ago, I used to joke that I was applying for service animal status for my six-foot green iguana so I could take him along on sunny vacations. An emotional support lizard. After all, being around our pets, be they fuzzy or scaly, makes us happier people.
But David Leonhardt has hit the nail on the head. For way too many people, it's not a joke anymore. They don’t just nudge common sense and decency, they stomp on it. They haul things the size of steamer trunks into airline cabins, turn their children loose to wander the aisles, complain that they can’t share the bathrooms of passengers who have paid a fortune for their seats, and crab constantly about how ”their rights” aren’t being respected. Whether they have animals or not, they've turned air travel into a zoo.
8
Good grief! More Political Correctness run amuck.
1
Why is anyone surprised. Americans prize the accumulation or the savings of dollars above all else. As long as there is an avenue for some people to keep more dollars in their pocket, people will take advantage regardless of how inconsiderate it is. This is yet one more sad quality that is embraced by our dear leader and though there is no fault to be laid upon him for this, it sure would be nice if we had a president who could inspire dignity by his example.
2
My most recent flight home from Ireland had 3 support dogs.
Getting that scam "service Pets" license is about as easy as getting a medical marijuana card. It's a joke as are 90 percent of the people who have to lug an animal around with them to the store of airport.
2
>
And you people (i.e., optimists) say I'm wrong about the depravity of the human animal.
Allow me to sum it up one more time:
"I think human consciousness, is a tragic misstep in evolution. We became too self-aware, nature created an aspect of nature separate from itself, we are creatures that should not exist by natural law. We are things that labor under the illusion of having a self; an accretion of sensory, experience and feeling, programmed with total assurance that we are each somebody, when in fact everybody is nobody. Maybe the honorable thing for our species to do is deny our programming, stop reproducing, walk hand in hand into extinction, one last midnight - brothers and sisters opting out of a raw deal."
Rustin Cohle
2
We need 'pet free' flights. Designate 'pet friendly' flights. I'll choose the plane that does not look like a modern day Noah's Ark.
14
This is another one of those unthinking, crude hit pieces by a talking head who just assumes everybody is going to agree with him and laugh at the people (and creatures) he thinks will be the obvious butt of the joke.
People "scamming" any and everywhere is not new, not limited to animal lovers, and a separate issue altogether. The real point travel with companion animals makes is that people have separated their lives unnaturally from other creatures only in the most recent generations in the developed world. That is starting to be reconsidered. And that is a good thing. Maybe the point is to make travel safe and comfortable for everybody, including critters, children, disabled people, etc. What would progress really look like?
4
Planes are no place to have to share quarters with animals. Forget it.
9
Leonhardt is right to point to the need for a trust-based system but neglects to say that destroying trust has been a GOP goal for decades.
Remember Reagan? "Government isn't the solution, it's the problem."
The GOP has ridden this pony really hard and it's a huge part of why we have an incompetent conman in the White House. He escalated the (il-)logic of Reagan and the entire GOP and he now wants you to trust just only him (a world class serial liar, cheater and phony) and distrust everything else.
This is straight from the "Authoritarian's Playbook," available in libraries everywhere - look under Stalin, Putin, Hitler, et al.
6
This reminds me of D. Brooks/T. Friedman. All suffuse their essays w/ gushing admiration for what they would call "democratic capitalism" telling us that for the system to work for everybody, we all must temper our selfishness & coarseness the system can breed, & "also consider the common good."
"Good luck with that," I'm tempted to respond.
The Leonhardt/Brooks/Friedman brand of "democratic capitalism" (basically neoconservativism) is at its core a Hobbesian "war of each other against all," "nasty/brutish/short." This jungle-like condition makes comfortable self-preservation & personal (physical, emotional, appetitive, as well as power) gratification the mainspring of the ambition & aggression to compete for success & survival in business-centered, consumeristIc civilization.
Brooks/Leonhardt/Friedman understand such a non-spiritual animalistic culture can reduce us to pure beasts if we don't demand of ourselves & each other minimal standards of civility & respect; America would literally spiral into a Hobbesian war of each against all jungle.
Leonhardt/Brooks/Friedman: if you support &/or make your peace w/ rapacious greed & skyrocketing inequality, we're already in the jungle, bonds of human mutual respect already rescinded. No superficial refinement band-aids will salve the Hobbesian beastiality you nurture.
The real flying animals are the Hobbesian "citizens" your dogma breeds, 'above all' the ones soaring on wings of greed to stratospheric wealth on others' backs.
3
I think we all got played by this obviously publicity-seeking, no-name human artist in her willfully narcissistic, viral video-friendly, free media hype stunt of challenging the airline's timely, science-based, and common sense-based rules that the airline reitarated 3X to her, along w/ offering ticket refunds . . .
Yet, she still "defiantly" shows up at the airport with the peacock . . . but instead of her turning into a suicidal/homicidal/catatonic person claiming such extreme emotional fragility to even need an ESA peacock to begin with . . .
She magically finds the emotional, physical, and logical wherewithal to go on a cross-country drive with the peacock - which is much safer & more comfortable for the peacock anyway, staying on ground & having reasonable outdoor breaks as needed! . . .
Let's not play into the artist's media bluff scam by mentioning her name.
If she wants attention & art sales that badly, she should develop real artistic talent - instead of holding a hapless peacock and an airline full of rationally-minded, safety-&-comfort-seeking passengers hostage to her me-centric agenda!
All animals are fellow living beings who should not be treated as property/tools/toys/slaves to excessive human egotism!
The ESA program is meant to help those w/ truly debilitating PTSD, anxiety, etc. be functioning humans in their own homes and in the general public as responsible pet parents who can constructively interact with all other living things (humans and animals).
5
I am reading this on-line. The adjacent pop-up advertisement is hawking "US Support Animals - register your pet today"
3
Black and white. Good and evil. Peacocks and puppies? Good policy attempts to facilitate the shades of gray in which lies wisdom. Brother Leohardt, chill.
3
I would argue that the airlines are partly to blame. When I moved overseas I of course brought my pets. But when I researched shipping options, I was horrified by the stories of lost and injured pets. No way in hell was I going to allow them out of my sight, even if it meant buying passage on a cargo ship for all of us. Luckily, they fit under the seats on the plane, but would I find a way to present them as emotional support animals to keep them safe if that wasn’t the case? Yes. My responsibility is to keep them safe and healthy, not to pander to some grumps on the internet. Also, whenever I see images and stories of water landings or crashes where humans are successfully disembarked, I wonder what happens to the animals in cargo? You can guess. It’s not a risk worth taking.
9
I travel with 2 services dogs. I travel with AKC canine good citizenship certs, a letter from my doctor & a copy of United's service animal policy. They are well behaved & soooo many people have said to me "I wish my kids were as well-behaved as your dogs". I follow all the rules. I travel with poop bags & a pee pad *always within reach* *just in case* one of them suddenly get sick on the plane. Never had to use it but dogs can't tell you they're sick & sometimes you just can't tell. If I am sitting next to someone who is allergic or scared or whatever I take it upon myself to find someone in a comparable seat nearby who's willing to trade seats with the person who does't want to sit next to me ... & I confirm with the flight attendant after I find a solution with my fellow passengers.
All that said there are SO MANY people LIKE YOU who think they know best, who think that they are being taken by me. Some people ask my why I have them & I answer politely that I don't share that as it would share my very personal medical information.
You are pretending to know better than doctors, than experts, than people themselves based on a few articles you read on the internet. Your bar for accuracy is set to opinion, not fact.
Fair enough this IS an op ed, not a news story. But consider the damage you do to so many people who do need help.
I have never had an emotional support dog but the ADA is fully behind the current rules for a reason.
11
You have TWO service dogs? Really?
15
The airlines are at fault themselves due to their abysmal safety record for pets in the cargo hold and their ridiculously high fees for pets in the cabin. I've been on two trips with my dog, and in both cases his fees were higher than my roundtrip ticket. It would've been cheaper if I'd bought him his own seat. This is one factor in why so many people pursue "comfort animal" protection -- they're being ripped off and fighting back.
There are legitimate reasons to travel with pets instead of leaving them with a caretaker, though certainly the stress of flying is not something we should lightly inflict on our loved animals.
I feel bad for allergy sufferers, but even there I feel like this is but one symptom of a larger problem -- air on planes sucks. There should be better filters. As it is, it's hard to fly without catching someone else's respiratory disease. And for traveling pets, making them wear some sort of anti-shed sweater if they're not in a bag (though they should be in a bag) can help.
But while we're at it, let's also revisit the unnecessary restrictions on pets that have led so many to "cheat" with comfort animal status. Restaurants should be permitted to voluntarily allow well-behaved pets to sit in the dining area. That's not to say that all restaurants must allow -- but restaurants should be able to make this choice at their preference. Already any restaurant should have a safe separation between food prep and dining.
8
Seeing eye dogs yes, all others down below if their owners object they can accompany them in the belly of the beast !
3
Once the an airline has positive evidence that the dog is a service animal, they should only permit s limited number aboard each flight.....seating them strategically so as not to disturb other passengers, particularly those with allergies and children who may be afraid of dogs. Chesters should be fined.
3
If you have not read this New Yorker article by Patricia Marx called Pets Allowed from 10/20/2014, I strongly recommend you do so. It's a hoot. The service dog definition and related ADA accommodations, has certainly gone beyond anything we ever possibly imagined. It's time to re-balance the needs of the individual with those of the community for everyone's betterment.
7
I need my dog as emotional support on planes given the stress of parents with out of control children yelling, running around and kicking the back of my seat, babies crying without any attempt by same to quieten them down and passengers bringing on foul smelling fast food and bags far too large to ever fit into the overhead compartments.
10
Pets will NEVER EVER equal the life of a child.
2
Thank you for stating the obvious of our indulgent pet culture.
5
The issue of pet travel is complicated, as the variety of commenters show. Lots of pro; lots of con. The fact is that airlines don't make it easy or convenient to take the animals along. And, there are as many reasons to legitimately or desirably to take animals with us when we travel as there are travelers.
I have worked in the passenger service part of airlines. It is often traumatic to the animal if it is confined alone in a dark cargo hold. But, the most dangerous situation is that when a connection is part of the itinerary. That's why many airlines won't even take 'checked' animals because of danger to them due to summer heat at the connection airport. What does a responsible pet owner who wants or needs to take their animal with them do then?
Airlines are a business. They need to understand that there is a viable market in pet travel. There is profit to be made other than just turning a blind eye to pets in the cabin or modest in-cabin fees. Those approaches only exacerbate the problem. There is a potentially profitable market out there for airlines to promote 'Pet Friendly' policies and to advertise them prominently. Come on airlines! Show your creative entrepeneurial abilities!
37
Add this sensible column to the list of the many indignities of flying. Having seen too many "emotional support animals" each year in over 100k miles of flight, we should not overlook the irresponsible "health care professionals" who provide the documentation needed for such animals to come on board. Besides enabling mass cheating, aren't they infantalizing their patients in lieu of providing some teaching moments?
5
I have a Psychiatric Service Dog for PTSD who I have had for 6 years. I have the letter, required by Federal Law, that makes him a legal service dog & he was trained by a Sheriff's Deputy in L.A. I became a recluse after having 6 car accidents, NONE of them my fault, & one was as a pedestrian; I was training for my next marathon when a car took me out, broke my back, crushed my left foot, and almost killed me. 2 accidents were almost fatal, 2 severe, & 2 minor. On 4/26/09, I was almost killed while running. After being immobilized in a back brace for 4 months straight, learning to walk again, & spending 13 1/2 months in bed, I went back to work. 2 months later, I was rear ended at high speed; Crap! 1 more year in physical therapy. I became a recluse & have just started getting out the past 2 years. My 1st flight one year ago was nerve racking, but my service dog & meds lowered my anxiety. Without my service dog, who goes everywhere with me, including work, I would never leave home. I went to a sports bar with friends for the first time in 9 years to watch the SuperBowl, and an employee sniped, "Ya, everyone's dog is a service dog". I almost pulled out my letter and made him read it, but I let it go. Other people came over to say hi to my dog and comment on how well trained he was. Due to all the fake service dogs, I get rude comments from strangers who mistrust real service dogs which make it difficult for me to want to go out. Please keep your rude comments to yourself.
13
Well, since selfish seems to be the new norm, it's no wonder that this is happening on an increasingly frequent basis. Reminds me of little kids - "Well, he did it first." Wah, wah, wah. I've seen this more and more at the VA hospital where my husband is a patient, and I personally find the behavior rude and disrespectful to anyone needing, truly needing, a service animal.
3
Too bad. I guess I can't take my service pony on flights anymore.
3
I assume this was meant in jest, but don’t laugh. Not too long ago I read an article about using miniature horses to guide the blind because of their long life span and the deep bond between the person and their guide. Check out www.guidehorse.com. This website spells out the requirements under the ADA and provide a lot of other information. And, yes, all kinds of animals have to be accommodated but they can be excluded if the cause problems on a case by case basis.
My niece decided in college that she was going to make her dog a “service dog.” She bought a vest on-line & that dog went to undergrad with her & then grad school in another city. That dog went to restaurants, stores, on airplanes, to class.
It was a scam. She is now a teacher in a public school & her latest dog goes to work with her. I’m allergic to dogs, so one can imagine how I’ve felt about her “service dog” for ten years. When folks question her (which they are afraid to do as she threatens to sue under the ADA), she says it’s both a service dog AND emotional support dog.
This needs to end. I read about a woman on a plane who’s allergic to dogs & was seated next to a dog. When she asked to be moved, they threw HER off the plane.
I know for fact folks scam the system; I’m related to one.
13
She said it was a life-threatening allergy. Allowing her on the plane would have opened them to litigation.
I applaud these stricter rules. Recently while at Costco a man's dog lunged at me not once but twice. I told him that if his dog wasn't a certified assistance dog he shouldn't have it in a public place. He proceeded to curse at me rather loudly and his human friend pulled him away. When I asked Costco what their protocol was they said all they could do was ask a person with a dog if it was an assistance dog, if the owner said yes (and it was wearing the red vest) then they had no legal option but to allow it inside. What if the dog had jumped on an elderly person, or a small child? Costco and other stores would be looking at litigation.
I have a friend who owns a basset hound, "The Dude" is a highly trained dog who underwent years of training and certification along with his dedicated owner." The Dude" is now an ambassador, TSA certified who welcomes visitors to the Albuquerque Sunport. The very time consuming effort on behalf of this dog and his owner are cheapened by the self serving people who wish to carry their pets with them. It's called a "kennel."
5
Thanks for sharing your pet peeve, Mr. Leonhardt. Personally, I find it more annoying that airlines will deprive a plane load full of passengers from enjoying those little bags of peanuts based one passenger having an allergy. Aside from the fact that that is unfair, it is silly because the airline never checks to see if any passengers have brought their own peanuts on board or if anyone is secretly eating peanuts in the bathroom.
6
I was at the Post Office when a woman tried to enter with her Chihuahua. The post office woman said to look at the sign and no pets allowed.
The dog owner claimed it was a therapy dog. The post office woman said show the papers.
The woman left cursing.
Maybe her cursing was a cover for shame she should have felt but I doubt it.
6
It is the fashion to be bizarre these days, but still on reading 'There have been pigs, monkeys, turkeys, snakes and oh-so-many dogs, often sprawled across crowded cabins', this reader exclaimed 'Comment!' which means 'What' in English, followed by 'Come on now'.
The spouse of a powerful union leader once had the seat next to hers, reserved for their golden retriever and it made the News. It also made the News when the same fido allegedly pushed a reverend into the open grave of a dearly departed.
Perhaps you are too young to remember the Ad, 'Fly Me, I'm Sue'. It was always a Jenny, or a female name, never 'Rambo', or 'Tartuffo', and before shedding tears, it brings back fond memories of travels on Delta with Minou, a Himalayan orphan, with a fine pair of whiskers to Boston.
True, she was not booked on the seat beside her carer, but contained in a airline pet carrier, but we had not gone stark rattling mad. Not yet, not in those days and look at 'Where We are at 'Now'.
Minou, please send a meow from The Garden of Paradise, you were my true love; and as for the batty among us who come a cropper, start thinking of an airline for pets only, called 'Noah's Heavenly Ark'.
They should also end the scam of fake support animals being allowed in grocery stores, apartments, trains and buses.
6
While we're at it, how about addressing the issue of people being wheeled on the plane because of various maladies. I can't tell you how many times I've seen wheelchairs lined up at the gate in West Palm Beach waiting for the privilege of "preboarding". They delay the process for everyone. Some time during the flight, the plane passes through "a healing zone" so that most of those who needed the wheelchair in West Palm are able to walk off the plane in Newark. Miracle or more gaming the system?
6
Some in wheelchair are fake, some legit.
I completely shattered one of my heels in a fall years ago, and lack main bone taking impact. Thus when I am on hard floors --like in airports--I will start to limp and have that ankle swell. Thus I have a collapsible cane that I take out as needed.
Result: I often do the early boarding with my cane. But several hours sitting on a plane allows the swelling to recede, and I often can make it without cane when I land.
2
Really, this cries out for a market-based solution. Maybe Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos and Jamie Dimon could augment their healthcare initiative by creating an airline dedicated to "support" animals and their loving owners. Thousands would have improved blood pressure without even exercising. With all the airline mergers over the past decade that have already turned flying into a dog-eat-dog experience, maybe it's time for a new major carrier. "Noah's Air?"
3
On every flight I have taken in the past year, there has been a dog in the cabin (usually in a carrier). And each time I see them board the plane, I worry that they will sit near me. At best, I will end up sneezing my way from one city to the next. At worst, I will have an asthma attack. Surely I’m not the only person allergic to dogs on these flights — though it feels like it.
4
Leonhardt writes, "the trouble started when pet owners realized they could game the system....(and avoid) paying a fee that runs $125."
I would argue that the trouble started when the airlines raised the fee from $25 (which it was about 18 years ago) to $125 each way.
5
The most common diseases associated with dogs that can cause human illness are:
Just listing the first disease noted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as able to pass from dogs to humans. Airplane travelers should have a right to a hygienic trip. If someone can lie about their dog being an emotional needs dog, I wonder if they'll be truthful about Fido's little digestive problem...
Campylobacteriosis (Campylobacter spp.)
Campylobacter spreads through contaminated food (meat and eggs), water, or contact with stool of infected animals. Dogs infected with Campylobacter might show no signs of illness at all or might have diarrhea and a slight fever.
Most people who become sick with campylobacteriosis will have diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever within 2-5 days after exposure to the organism. Campylobacter can cause serious life-threatening infections in infants, older persons, and those with weakened immune systems.
1
I think its fantastic that people are finding so much solace from animal companions. But a plane is not your living room. Its a safety issue and a hygiene issue - animals dont belong in the cabin of a plane. If you have a service or emotional support animal, either have it securely boxed in the cargo area, or just dont fly.
2
Two points:
1) I agree that it's a problem and selfish that people are abusing the emotional support animal policies of the airlines.
2) I don't agree that getting around rules, sometimes arbitrary and stupid, is ipso facto selfish. Take restaurants in the USA--why is it illegal to take your pet inside a restaurant (assuming the restaurant itself would allow it)? Many other countries allow animals in restaurants, if the establishment itself does. And how about illegal bodega cats in NYC? They're actually helpful animals.
I hate to sound so unsympathetic. Yes, the discrimination of the disabled is an abomination and should have no place in our moral and civil discourse. That said, I would also like to point out the animals in the cabin is discrimination of the non-disabled. I too have a right as a passenger to have a good, restful flight.not having to jump over drooling animals, scratched, or bitten and having sniffles, itchy teary eyes and a severe sinus headache. The service animals can be kept away for a few hours and the disabled can do without them for that time without any distress or that which cannot be managed. We have to be sensible not politically correct especially when some hoodwink the system knowing darned well of the inconvenience caused to 99.9% of the passenger population.
2
Anyone else get the ad on this page for the questionable service that promises to help you "Fly with your pet for free" by registering them as an emotional support animal? That's about as ironic as it gets.
1
My dog loves his carrier. He is admittedly a bit big, but he will happily squish in for an hour and a half flight and goes nuts when the carrier comes out. I pay the $250 round trip for him to sit under the seat. I even have a health certificate, just in case someone has an issue.
I was appalled at the Madison Wisconsin airport when the people working the front desk (on my return trip home) had a problem with his size vs his carrier size. They had a problem, but no solution to offer us. They only suggested that for next time we get him a service vest because everyone else works the system so this is how they don't have to deal. I don't feel comfortable with him loose in the cabin. He is well behaved, hypoallergenic and friendly. But what about turbulence or people having to move around him. Nope, the carrier it is!
Also, as the author points out "But people weren’t thinking about the collective cost of their actions." Of course not! Have you walked the streets of NYC lately? Selfishness abounds, so it's not just related to our pets. We do what we want when we please and to hell with the consequences.
3
We need a new airline to serve this obvious market. All Creatures Air. Dogs and cats and pheasants are all first class with us. Cabin attendants trained as vet assistants. Beverages served in doggy bowls. Lavatories with kitty litter. Who's ready with the venture capital?
5
Airlines don’t care about people. You really think they’re going to care about your pet?
1
I personally want cats banned from planes because I am deathly allergic. When is that going to happen?
4
Cats want you to take a bus.
9
Agree 1000%! The self centeredness of people traveling with these animals is astounding! It seems that no one has any shame anymore about cheating the system either. A friend's daughter has a fake "certificate" and takes her dog on planes. It's absurd. There is nothing wrong with this girl, and never bothers to think about the people who really need it. If you must to bring your dog on vacation, kennel it under the plane like the rest of us who still have respect for common decency.
4
I owned a cat from 1988-2007 and travelled with her all over the world, from LA to NYC many times and also to Europe, Asia, Latin America, everywhere. She was ALWAYS checked into the kennel area for flights. She arrived fine, always. It's absurd that people need to bring their pets into the cabin with them. Just absurd.
2
This is a wonderful example of how regulation benefits all except those who would impose costs. Can passengers refuse to fly alongside a dog, a cat, a pig, a member of the Trump family?
2
but the airlines have gamed the passengers, charging for pets and not having having any of the service PAID for..
i don't wish to detail it, but i traveled with a dog, caged as per regs ... he was never given water, left on the tarmac (in the heat) till the last instant...last off the cargo
Phooey ... I do not have him any more BUT i go by car, stay in motels, actually do everything to avoid air travel... (big losers are cruise ships.... if it doesn't leave return to port of NY, i just don't go
I work at MSP airport, not even in a forward-facing capacity, and every day I see half a dozen big dogs on leashes, in the concourses, obviously there to fly in the cabin. It is crazy to me. How are people able to justify this? I mean I would never put my dog in cargo (the worst days are when I have to work near baggage claim, where the cargo dogs get left - ugh.) But I would drive, not try to fake my dog as a service animal. A couple of my parents' friends who are about 80 actually put a vest on their dog and got some phony papers from the internet. People are selfish and gross.
4
This is a timely column. Excesses like this, and obsessions with “micro-aggressions”, “triggers” and “safe spaces” in parts of academia, allow progressivism to be unfairly derided. A similar situation is the growing frequency with which ultra-orthodox Jewish travelers refuse to sit next to members of the opposite sex. At a certain point, we need grownups, in the form of a functional US Congress, perhaps, to stand up and say ENOUGH! Flying is a privilege, not a right, and people must be compelled to adhere to certain basic standards. Furthermore, airlines should be steered away from their current cretinous behavior nickel-and-diming passengers with spurious fees and ever-shrinking legroom.
5
Let's ban kids under 10, while we are at it. Or at least make parents and kids sit in a designated section away from civilized passengers.
12
Apparently the emergent Party Line is that it's all the airlines' fault for imposing reasonable regulations and--shock!--charging you for dragging Bowser or Fifi onto the flight.
Oh, well. It's no worse than the guy I got stuck in traffic school with about fifteen years ago, who loudly insisted that speed limits are un-Constitutional infringements on His Rights, and drivers had the right of way over pedestrians.
He was of course in traffic school for blowing through a school zone at about 60. Those third-graders....a man cain't hardly live no more, without some dern lbr'rul telling him what to do.
These people ought to be ashamed of themselves, but of course if they COULD be ashamed of themselves, we wouldn't have this problem.
3
Owners who let their dogs run freely in public need to have voice control over their animal. Plain and simple. Hardly anyone seems to. Their dog rushes up to me in a park, or in an airport or whatever and they call lamely, " Jasper!" and the dog totally ignores them. Then they say to me, "It's OK, he's friendly." as he slaps my legs with a wet, muddy tail and they look on fondly. Sure, maybe he's friendly, but that doesn't make it OK. That is not the point. The next dog might not be friendly, and I don't need the stress of wondering. Know that I do not love your dog or find him charming.
2
Airlines, while legitimately requiring increasing amounts of documentation from people traveling with their animals, do nothing with this information, based on my travels with my own ESD.
Airlines do not screen people who will be seated next to animals about their allergies or their affinity for/fear of such animals, as they easily could do.
Airlines could keep a block of seats for people traveling with animals (and for people who didn’t mind animals, like the parent who amused her small kid by playing peek-a-boo with my sweet dog for six hours).
Airlines could reserve a section far away for people with allergies/phobias.
Airlines could allow people traveling with animals the option of paying for a seat for the animal (perhaps requiring a special seat cover at additional cost — like headphones).
Airlines don’t want to bother with all this.
I would not be surprised if the peacock lady was hired by an airline to provide a good visual for anti-animal ranters like your opinion writer, to gin up the outrage against “selfish” travelers.
As for the dire health effects of animals in public places, around food, etc.: save your fear of contagion for your fellow human passengers. How many people will fall ill from contracting an air-borne contagion while airborne?
Lots.
Rabies: not so much.
This is such a US obsession. In France dogs are welcome most everywhere. So sane.
8
If you can't afford to board your pet while you travel, you either can't afford the pet or you can't afford to travel. This country has gone well and truly nuts.
4
When we used to travel with our dog he was always in a carrier and we paid the then $85 dollar fee. We travelled first class so there was space under the seat in front for him in his carrier bag. Since then I have travelled in front of a woman with two rabbits (in a carrier), a loose golden retriever who wandered the aisle, a loose beagle with a young woman who looked college age and the dog had no vest or other proof of being a service dog and lots of women in fur coats carrying Yorkies who were evidently too cheap to pay for the dog in a carrier. Disgusting when people cheat the system and also, the minute the plane takes off put the dog in their laps, no matter how much discomfort that might create for other passengers. Americans get uglier every day.
5
America has made itself about greed and selfishness. America is about winning and hiring the best lawyer. Is there any better example than lawyer Gorsuch or the emotional support animal in the Oval Office.
3
I am not aware of a law that protects "support animals" to the extent it covers true service animals.
A service animal is professionally trained to behave in ways the species would not ordinarily, as befits their need to provide a human service.
A comfort animal is one that does nothing more than act in the way the species normally acts; a purring cat sitting in your lap, a dog sniffing and licking your out stretched hand.
And that is the major distinction between them. The person may have some real emotional need for the comfort animal but that does not make that animal have the same legal status as a trained service animal.
22
I actually have barely noticed any animals on planes...
but if this is a problem, I imagine it begins because airlines have a long, terrible record of pets dying and getting lost in the luggage cabin. If they just did their job, people wouldn't feel the need to personally oversee their pet's safety.
41
Every time I fly, I must wait until I reach the gate at the airport, then I must stand in line to tell the agent I cannot fly on a flight with a cat or some dog breeds on board because I am asthmatic. So far no problem. But what if...does Cat get to board, not me?
Great piece! Unfortunately, it will probably take a significant safety incident to end this lunacy. Getting passengers off of a burning aircraft will be hampered by the chaos caused by these flying pets. The issue may been caused by selfish passengers, but lack of leadership by air carrier management and the FAA is perpetuating this dangerous situation. Also, where are the pilot's and flight attendant's unions?
157
The airlines and flight attendants are lobbying Congress for relief but no congressperson wants to take on the admittedly difficult task of writing legislation that allows legitimate needs but stops illegitimate ones. Also, they fear the public backlash. Unfortunately common sense and decency seem to have gone out the window; we really shouldn't need such legislation to begin with. We've gone decades without it; why the sudden change?
3
If someone feels that they are truly in need of an animal's company when flying, then an airline should take advantage of the opportunity by offering special pet flights where animals are welcome (at an appropriate cost). Humans who don't mind traveling with the menagerie can also go along. As for me, I can't imagine being stuck in an airplane with someone's untrained, overly friendly or overly aggressive "furry family member".
2
I've seen a dog at the opera in New York, on the owner's lap! When I complained, I was told that there was nothing to be done - the owner had a letter asserting this was a comfort animal. Fortunately, the dog appeared to find Puccini soothing and didn't make noise. But as others have said here, Enough is enough.
5
Let the airlines crackdown on all pets. Some colleges now require the pets to be registered with the college before the person can bring it to class. Maybe a $200 registration fee would help. Some years ago an article appeared that ponies would be better service animals than dogs as they live longer. Well, we could change all the planes to 747's and have half the space devoted to horses!
If people can't grow up and fly without their pets, they can always stay home.
Please airlines give us a free soft drink and get rid of the animals!
4
This reminds me of my friend Debbi, who owned a nice white rabbit. Debbi was fortunate enough to work for a small oil drilling Company, whos headqurtars was in Luxemburg, Europe, and was doing so well, that the owner woild fly Mondays from here to there via Paris, on the Concord. Also, the guy would bring his family of two children, one wife and one Mistress; my friend and of course; her white rabbit. The latter was tacked into a shoe box, occupaying one more seat. (you figure out the cost of this ordeal, twice every week). It so happened that Rabbit, for his own decision had once jumped out of his comffi box and, in panic started jumping from seat to seat until landing on the knees of the most famous Opera singer; Montserat Cabale. The screaming went on; it was feeding time for passengers, turned quite messy. Rabbit was not permitted to fly in the cabin any longer and Debbi had to get over her self declared Mental problem. Imagine how much money was saved; both creatures had to stay home and work through long distance connection.
2
Here, here. Would that we devoted as much kindness and consideration on our fellow humans as we do on animals.
5
How many animals are killed each year vs. number of humans killed?
You are right. We need better conditions for our pets when they fly legitimately in the cargo compartment. It was this fear of my dog being mishandled or put into the cargo as if it were luggage, that led me to bring her on board as an “emotional support” animal.
I felt guilty about cheating the system, but my fear of what she would endure in cargo outweighed my social guilt.
9
How about you leave your pet with a friend or hire a pet sitter? Like most people do...
9
How about me permanently moving cross country - on a one way plane ride.
Not all is as simple.
There have always been people who think that their out-of-control children are so wonderful that everyone should have to put up with their noise and disruption in restaurants, at concerts, on public transit, or in libraries.
I once saw a post on a travel website in which someone asked if it would be a good idea to stay in a Japanese ryokan with their children--because their children were "loud," as if the children were as uncontrollable as the weather.
Anyone who complains about brats in public is said to "hate children." (Actually, I hate their parents.)
Now that fewer people are having children, those kinds of self-centered people have transferred their inconsiderate arrogance to their pets.
Here's a thought: If you're not actually relocating, leave your pet at home. There is probably a young person in your neighborhood who would be happy to earn money feeding and interacting with your pet(s). If you have to travel a lot and you live alone, don't get a pet. Both being home alone and traveling in crowded conditions are stressful for animals.
If you have a legitimate need for a service animal, other than terminal self-indulgence and arrogance, however, welcome aboard.
9
It seems to me there really are only two instances where an animal should be allowed in a plane cabin:
1. The animal is a true service dog that provides a necessary service to someone who is disabled, i.e., blind, deaf, etc.
2. A person or family (or active military) is actually relocating or being transferred--until airlines can provide a safe cargo option.
If the non-service animal cannot fit in a carrier under your seat, you should be required to purchase a seat for your animal and be required to sit in a two-seat row so no stranger is required to sit next to your animal.
If you have an emotional/mental condition for which you need to be with your animal, you need to find an alternative way to reach your destination, choose a destination based on your ability to get there by other means, and/or have your friends/family visit you instead.
We've got to stop elevating the individual over the community in this country!
3
My hobby is raising puppies to be wheelchair companions and hearing dogs. It's very rewarding. The last puppy we raised was paired with a 15 year old with Down Syndrome who has never had a friend. It's tremendously rewarding. I really resent the people who take advantage of the system because they want their pets with them. It's actually really easy to tell if an animal is a legit service animal. If they are wearing a vest does it have the name of an organization or does it just say 'Service Animal.' You can buy those vests on Amazon. Please don't!
Service animals are trained to be calm and quiet. If you see a Yorkie barking it's fool head off and scurrying around it is not a service animal. If you hold treat in front of the animal and it grabs for it it is not a service animal.
It shows how many people cheat and are ruining things for the truly needy that someone can bring and peacock (a peacock!) to an airport and expect to get in the plane with it.
262
Last week I went to my bank. It was lunch time and I was in a hurry. The woman in front of me had a husky on a leash and was talking with the teller about dogs. Her banking business apparently complete, they continued a conversation about the merits of particular breeds. The line of patrons behind me grew ever longer, and not a little frustrated. We all had things to do.
The bank employee suggested that the good doggie deserved a treat. She left her post and went to some unseen corner of the bank and got a dog treat, which she slid over the counter to the happy canine. The dog upon its back legs, licked,chewed and drooled it’s way through the biscuit, as we all watched stunned.
Now we have to stand in lines behind dogs at banks? Insane.
6
The day I require a pig or a peacock to fill any kind of emotional-support role in my life in order to fly is the day I STOP flying. Please, give me a break already. Just how creatures such as these provide any kind of emotional-support is beyond me. If I have to pay extra to have an aisle seat, a sandwich or carry an extra bag on board, then every animal brought on board should be charged the same.
I sincerely have empathy for any individual who truly requires a service animal, i.e., seeing impaired, seizure prone, etc., But when ALL domestic airlines starting nickel and diming the customer for every single item a few years back, then every customer should be charged equally, across the board. If folks are required to pay an extra $125 so Fluffy the emotional-support dog can fly, it would be amazing so see how many folks stopped bringing their personal pets on board.
Various manufactures make calming/anxiety jackets and vests for dogs who are prone to nervousness and fear from thunder, lightening, firecrackers and other assorted large and scary sounds. When worn, these garments hug and apply gentle, constant pressure to calm anxiety, fear, and over excitement. I believe similar clothing is available for adults. Perhaps people who are afraid to fly and need "emotional support" might find relief and/or benefit from one of these garments in place of brining Sparky on board the plane.
4
It comes down to a lack of empathy of our country. We should respect those with disabilities and try to respect their extra needs without resenting the "advantages" those accommodations give or trying to game the system to take those advantages for ourselves.
It is the same ugly impulse that had brokers renting out handicapped children to Disney World tourists so they could cut to the front of the lines
1
I also am annoyed by people who game the system. But i love having the dogs around. Sign me Conflicted.
5
The allowable cheating by people with their pets is analogous to having a President who pays nothing in taxes by taking maximum ALLOWABLE advantage of even the slightest tax loophole. When the president takes such advantage of the system at the expense of others (he pays nothing, we pay to make up what he doesn't pay yet is money is needed by our society to function) and proclaims, "That makes me smart!", it's no wonder people think taking advantage of what is allowable, even though they know it isn't right, should be done in every possible situation.
5
The airline that has the backbone to offer an adults only pet-and-child-free flight service will get my 100 percent loyalty and custom.
7
"When trust breaks down and small bits of dishonesty become normal, people need to make a conscious effort to restore basic decency."
This wasn't, by Mr. Leonhardt's own admission in the opinion newsletter this morning, supposed to be a political story. The slow slipping away of mutual trust in our society, however, is but one indicator of our political leadership that increasingly refuses to acknowledge even the most basic facts or offer even the most basic courtesies. Down is up. Up is down.
Oh, and your peacock is a comfort animal now?
Whatever. Eye roll ...
1
Seriously? As long as pets behave themselves, i.e. are well trained by responsible owners, they aren't a problem -- anywhere. The problem is people -- homo sapiens -- who don't like animals. They're not much more than cases of arrested evolution.
10
I think fewer people would go through the cumbersome process of falsifying documentation of their pet as an ESA if airlines didn't charge an exorbitant $125 each way to bring a pet as a carry-on. What exactly does this fee cover? The animals are required to stay in their carrier so I don't think it's a form of insurance against destruction or damage of the plane. If airlines lowered or eliminated this absurd added cost, I think they'd see fewer people trying to sneak regular pets onboard (and out of carrier) as ESAs.
11
Exactly! Airlines charge ordinary pets $100 each way to travel in a box or bag which must be placed under a seat at all times like a piece of baggage. No airline staff ever touches the animals so why the high fee? Just another way to rip off passengers.
5
Here in HK we seem to have a huge issue at the airport also... not with pets but with perfectly able people requesting wheelchairs... which allow them to skip security and immigration lines AND they get wheeled to their gates as well!
6
This situation is analogous to Trump. We really shouldn’t need to regulate service animals, but because of some dishonest cheaters, now we will.
Likewise there have been many unwritten rules of the Pesidency that former Presidents have followed, which are now being broken by Traitorous Trump. So now the Congress should proceed to enact those unwritten rules as laws.
1
There is a huge legal distinction between Service animals and Comfort animals. Service animals may only be dogs, with the sole exception of miniature horses for the blind, and are governed directly by the Americans with Disabities Act (ADA). Comfort Animals may be of a variety of species and are governed under the Fair Housing Act of 2005 and HUD. Medical documentation is mandatory for Comfort Animals. It is not for Service animals.
It became necessary for me to learn the legal distinction between Service animals and Comfort animals because I am a member of one of the groups of the "unseen and unheard" disabled the original ADA was written for: I am medically Deaf. I lost my hearing as an adult. To hearing people I do not appear to be Deaf, but I am, with
a 105 decibel loss in the left ear and a 95 decibel loss in the right. I have flown with a service dog and have been grilled about the "need" because I do
not sound like Marlee Matlin
In reality, there are only two questions
authorities may ask regarding Service animals: 1. what service they provide; 2. are they induvidually trained (no documentation required).
i have experienced the infringement on my rights that Tom Panek described in this opinion piece. It is very unnerving.
Delta and United's efforts are misplaced because there is a distinct difference between Service and Comfort animals which they have not taken into account.
3
I used to occasionally fly my dog as cargo years ago. Thankfully, nothing happened that couldn't be fixed. Once, she was left at a layover airport, and a couple of times we had to deal with cancelled flights after she'd been checked in, and one time I was terribly concerned about sitting on the tarmac on a very hot day. But we came through each time although I finally decided never to fly a pet again. Unfortunately, there are some situations where people must fly a beloved animal - for example, moving overseas or to Hawaii. The stress and fear of watching a beloved animal disappear down baggage black hole can be traumatic; the last time I flew with an animal was 25 years ago and I remember it as if it just happened. The problem is not so much that people want to game the system as that people are terrified their beloved pets will suffer or die during transport. After all, even humans these days find airplane travel horrible. Airlines can not or will not tell you the conditions under which the animal will travel. Until they get serious and professional about handling our furry family members, do you really blame flyers for doing what they need to do?
14
Wow. Great piece. Can we extend this to retail outlets, especially food shops and restaurants, where people are often too lazy to tie up there pooch outside? My dog survives the cold and even enjoys all the petting by passers by. And, so far, I’ve survived being inside without him.
3
Before the early 2000s, you could take a dog that fit into a carry-on sized bag on a plane for free. No paperwork, no questions asked. Nobody cared, nobody abused the system. Today, you can still take a dog on a plane with no paperwork as long as it fits into a bag, but you pay between $125 and $250 each way. This incentivizes people to "cheat" and "game the system" by falsely claiming that their small dogs or cats are service animals. Were the airlines less greedy, this entire issue would not, in fact, be one.
11
I apologize in advance for being politically incorrect, but let's for a moment imagine a flight where each of the passengers does at least one of the following:
- Brings their precious pet animal.
- Weighs at least 250 pounds and occupies at least two adjacent seats.
- Reclines their seat back as far as possible.
- Spreads their flu-like illness by sneezing and coughing throughout the flight.
- Is accompanied by at least one ill-behaved, unvaccinated child.
Yeah, I know. Every single one of these people has a "right" to encroach on the comfort and health of their fellow passengers (who have no say in the matter). But short of having separate sections for non-humans, the amply-sized, the obnoxious, the thoughtless, and the ignorant, it's hard to see what airlines can do beyond enforcing some guidelines and hoping that their customers will behave as societally-aware adults instead of petulant children.
3
Right on. We had a neighbor who pretended to be "sight impaired" so he could get his dog a free ride. Honesty and trust seem to be sliding in our world.
2
Excellent and well written analysis of the long time culture in America focused in individual rights.
I remember my first airline flight as a 19 year old non-smoker (without asthma). They had (after many years of not having them) separated smokers from non-smokers on the flights.
My ticket said "non-smoking seat" but when I got to the airport all the non-smoking seats were taken, and, I had to sit near the back of the smoking section. I thought: "OK, how bad can this be?". There were only about 5 rows at the back for the smokers. By far, the planes seats were primarily non-smokers.
As soon as the non-smoking light went off after climb, ....every.....single.....person....sitting in the smoking section lit a cigarette and started smoking. The entire cabin became foggy and the rear smoking section became intolerable breathing. I still remember wondering how on earth people so willingly subjected their systems to such terrible air.
Everyone on the plane was coughing, noses running.....
But, if I had said anything to any of the smokers, would have been a big fight.
Because, HEY KID, its my right to smoke ANYWHERE I WANT.
Same thing with the animals. Ask them. Those people have RIGHTS!!
Sad. Everyone has rights in this country. But, nobody is civil and respectful anymore.
1
Why would people be honest about their pet needs when we have a President who lies about his taxes and everything else under the sun? For one thing, apparently, these people who lie can avoid paying a fee to bring their animal on board. What a cheap scam.
I have flown with my companion animal, my pet, (a dog--a West Highland White Terrier) several times, both within the USA and internationally to and from other countries in the Americas. Each time I flew with her, she was in her crate which fit under the seat. I always made a reservation for her and paid for her to fly. Domestically, sometimes her round trip ticket cost more than mine did. I love my animals and would not put them in jeopardy by taking the risk that they might not be able to get on the plane with me or that they might be hurt if not in a safe container.
People have become so selfish, exhibiting behavior which is harmful to the other passengers and to the animals. The airlines need to have simple rules that animals must have a reservation in advance, and a limit on the number of animals per flight, size of the animal, etc, (that was the situation when I last flew with my Westie, a few years ago). Animals that are not really service animals or that are large must have safe accommodations elsewhere than the passenger cabin. All animals should have a reservation and pay a fee, even if the fee is nominal for real service animals. It's just common sense and simple respect.
3
I complely concur with Leonhart's analysis of this trend in air travel. I, too, love my dog but do not assume that it is appropriate to force him on others, especially on an airplane with such limited space. Services dogs are a special exception. That people are so self-indulgent and subservient to their anxieties, or too cheap to arrange for proper care for their pets, that they would forge service dog credentials speaks volumes as to the number of neuroses affecting our culture.
2
Ah, the joys of progressivism.
Gluten free, trigger warnings, safe spaces, and micro-aggressions. Now this.
I think it’s becoming clearer and clearer that to be a progressive is to be mildly, clinically insane. Or if not crazy, than just extremely fragile.
Maybe this is why the left is so deeply unpopular. People want stability and security. In the modern lifestyle left, they see mental and emotional instability and insecurity.
And as a frequent flier, the pattern is there. It’s on flights into and out of cities like Portland, Seattle, Denver, San Francisco, L.A. and D.C. that seem most plagued by emotional support animals. Dallas, Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago? Not so much. Where
“precious” people are abundant, so are emotional support animals.
Good on the airlines for trying to quash this.
1
What about those of us with allergies? An asthma attack on an airplane is no fun, and do you want to pay for my $700 Epipen? Now, if I tell a flight attendant I can’t sit near a cat because I go into anaphalactic shock, I risk getting kicked off - not the animal. That to me is completely misguided.
3
It it does not need to be a scam. If you have a frog in box you can travel with it. Dogs and Cats under 45 lbs that can share your space should be legal, provided the owner puts down a $100 behavioral policy.
If the animal acts up, they lose the deposit.
But, people are allergic?
I flew to Asia near a person with Patchouli scent, I am adverse and vomited a few times. Pets have become critical elements of some folks lives. In France, many “ small dogs” are present in restaurants.
Make it legal, create regulations and fees and forget trying to deny what is so very often a harmless idea. Some airlines could section off seats, telling everyone in advance it’s a pet friendly or dog friendly airline and you could pay the premium, blind or not. They take space, they should pay. Then you could decide to fly with them or not. The airlines then decide whether it’s good or bad business to allow domestic animals. But like everything else bad behavior will cost you...
4
I have been flying with my emotional pet, who is a dog, on American Airlines, for 3 years. I’m not sure what other airlines have introduced, but on AA, I had to fill out the Airline’s forms and have my psychologist explain, the necessity for my need to travel with my dog. After this, each and every time I travel with my pet, I have to call the Special Needs Division of AA, and confirm my status and the fact that my pet will be with traveling with me. I travel with my pet’s documents and her proof that she is actually registered as an ESP with USA Service Dog Registration, which is renewal annually. When we are in flight, although I can have my 12 lb dog on my lap, for her comfort, safety and for those around me, I keep her in her travel carrier. I trust that people with an ESP, have the same consideration and follow the rules as they were intended.
I would like to believe that individuals with a true need are not going to be discriminated against by those who have scammed the system.
2
Ha-- the special needs division of aa once screamed at me that she would never remove a dog from my flight, even if it resulted in a severe asthma attack-- I don't know why airlines , with their sophisticated systems, can't tag flights that I book as non- animal flights and just not worry about it-- oh well, I have had to limit my travel -- Taiwanese airline was wonderful though
Substitute 10mg of Valium for the animal and get the traveler to sign a waiver regarding the medicine.
2
Amen, amen
Amen, amen, amen
Real service animals yes.
Pets NO!
1
Gosh! And here I was thinking of declaring my girlfriend as a service animal (she certainly provides comfort) so she could travel with me for free. But now it appears that idea won't fly (literally)!
1
As usual, a relatively small group of 'all-about-me' jerks is making life harder for others. I love and rescue animals but only take them on planes when absolutely necessary. And I understand that inconveniencing other people is the best way to lose their sympathy for animals. Delta has been a wonderful partner for a rescue group in CA that flies chihuahuas on death row in Fresno to Minneapolis for a reasonable cost per dog. The dogs are in kennels. Over 300 dogs are saved from death because of this arrangement. Needless to say, if Delta decides not to continue this, the jerks with the peacocks and pigs can have all these unnecessary dog deaths on their breezy consciences. All about them, all the time.
1
The emotion support pet scam extends to housing now. Condos and co-ops that prefer to be pet free are being advised by lawyers that they are guilty of discrimination if they don't welcome support cats, dogs and other animals.
1
I am an animal lover but do not want someone else's animal next to me on a plane or for that matter in my hotel bed!
1
Hi Verb - I have stayed in hotels with pets many times. Usually the hotels have a few rooms specifically for people with pets. If you have a problem with sleeping in a bed previously used by a pet, you could ask for a non-pet room. Or stay in one of the many hotels that don't allow pets at all - most don't. It's easy to criticize the people who want to pass their pets off as service animals so they can fly in the cabin at no cost. But some of us are traveling with our pets, following the rules, and paying extra fees. I hope we don't get penalized as well.
3
I too have a fear of flying that I have mostly conquered. One of the ways is by getting an aisle seat with extra legroom. How dare the airlines want to move me if someone with a pet happens to sit next to me. I am also very allergic to furry animals. The thing is now my fear of flying has returned because I worry about having an animal near me and complaining about it. I could be moved or even kicked off the plane. How absurd is that?
2
This article is a welcome breath of sanity in a problem that nobody is addressing. I fly over 150,000 miles a year and has encountered a veritable Noah's Ark of animals, the vast majority of which are purportedly "emotional support" beasts. I sat next in first class to a nervous woman clutching a small chihuahua that kept lunging at me and snapping. I vividly recall one nonstop from Dulles to San Francisco where an entitled passenger and her Great Dane actually bumped a paying passenger so her dog could enjoy a middle coach seat. When I asked the woman what services her dog provides, she paused for several seconds before tersely replying a one word answer: "mobility." She of course needed no mobility assistance, although one wonders what assistance her horse dog could have provided. Perhaps she could saddle and ride the creature. I own two large dogs (pointers) and love most animals. However, people are scamming the airlines and tremendously inconveniencing others, not only passengers but flight attendants and other airline personnel, to have their animals fly for free. Its time to limit service animals to legitimate and recognized animals which have been trained, such as seeing eye dogs.
274
I agree with you and when the airlines started to scam the public by all of the nickel and diming of charges for luggage, blankets, and the list goes on., it's a natural progression. And when airlines cannot guarantee the safety of dogs in the hold, it's a natural progression. I fly less and less every year and when I travel with my Havanese, I pay. And I get no points.
6
Very thoughtful and balanced comment....but I really got a chuckle out of your "..entitled (lady) and her Great Dane.." story. It created quite a jolly mental picture. Thank you.
Nobody enjoys a middle coach seat.
1
Guide dogs for the blind are trained for years at a cost of $50,000. Two of my blind clients' guide dogs were attacked at our hospital by pets their owners claimed were emotional support dogs. So many people lie and say they meet the standard for a service animal: that they can't leave their homes without an emotional support dog. They just don't want to pay an airline fee or leave their dog outside the cafe. One such liar had 2 teacup Yorkies with vests that said "Guide Dog". Another woman let her huge dog run around the coffee shop I was in, barking, then lied about it being a service dog. These self-indulgent liars are endangering real service animals and people with allergies or fear of dogs. Please stop. Real disability isn't a joke or a convenience for you to lie about and co-opt.
369
I also work in a hospital, and we have also had to crack down on the phony sevice dogs.
2
Recently, I went to a movie where the person next to me had a pet dog. I don't have an issue with dogs, but this is getting ridiculous. Just because the seats are lounger types, it doesn't mean anyone should have to sit next to someone's pet (allergy issues or getting out of control). The movie is only 2 hours. Leave your pet at home.
16
Animals are expensive. I know-- I have four of them. I hire a pet sitter the few times a year I travel. The cost of the pet sitter really adds to my travel expenses. As a result, I travel less often than if I had no pets. It's a trade-off. People should leave their pets at home, service animals excluded. Don't get a pet if you can't afford to board it or hire a sitter when you travel.
16
Ever since the accession of Trump to imperial grandeur, I've had to take my Roald, my pedigreed, highly trained Norwegian blue parrot with me in coach whenever I fly. He is a registered comfort cockatoo, and his vocabulary-- almost 200 words-- is inevitably soothing to other passengers and flight attendants as well. Often he talks about the scenic fjords of his birth; I have seen grown Scandinavians cry in response.
9
While I understand the need for an emotional support pet given the current occupant in the White House, I hope this is in jest.
1
My favorite line: "It is one of the downsides of a modern culture that too often fetishizes individual preference and expression over communal well being." I think this line could be appropriate in articles on a very wide range of topics.
13
This is all nonsense -- a manifestation of a phenomenon Judge Bork aptly called "radical individualism," whereby one's wish or whim is subjectively elevated to an imperative whose burdens can be casually and irresponsibly inflicted on others as some sort of "right."
Trained guide dogs for the blind or those seriously and manifestly impaired people are one thing. Pets whose owners don't fall into these categories should have to ship their pets. Let Fido travel in steerage! And if your need for "emotional support" is so great that you must, just must enjoy Fido's company every step of the way, then charter a private jet, or at the very least agree to reimburse the airline and the fellow passengers for all harms suffered, inconvenience, and double the expenses incurred.
8
When someone slaps a phony service vest on a dog and tries to pass that pet off as a service animal it makes honest people mad. Dexter the peacock has now been outed as a performance animal and not an emotional support animal. Dexter's owner is a member of that selfish group of Americans who believe that the rules do not apply to them. So I am in favor of tightening the rules and challenging these individuals who consistently put their desires above the safety and comfort of the majority. Thank you airline companies for taking the lead and I hope grocery stores and restaurants follow suit.
15
This issue is not restricted to airlines; while shopping in my community grocery store, I witness the massive fraud of people bringing in their pets under false pretenses, not to mention the inconsiderate folks who bring their pets to restaurants! Again, this 'me' first mentality violates the consensus that sustains a functioning society. In lieu of enforceable laws, must we engage these frauds in public shaming?
7
Yes, we should yell at them loudly in the store. Shame them. It's not against the law to do so. Once enough people see that others are not afraid to yell at the offenders, they will join in and make it very uncomfortable for these people. I would leave a restaurant immediately and loudly if I saw someone bring in a dog, other than a blind person, and I would be speaking loudly about it the entire time.
2
Bob, I'm with you on this issue.
One could also point out that in a real aircraft emergency, fake “service animals” will be more hinderence than help in trying to ensure passenger safety. Face it, many people are remarkably self-centered in situations where social considerations should dictate less selfish behavior.
5
I have no problems with support animals. They are very well trained and have peerless manners when on harness, and are generally quite friendly off harness too.
I do have concerns with an essentially untrainable animal being called a support animal and brought out where it can cause chaos in public. A peacock fits that bill. That point was made abundantly clear by author and peacock owner Mercedes Lackey.
https://www.quora.com/Can-a-peacock-be-an-emotional-support-animal
If you have a regular pet, great. If you want to bring it out in public, you have to be willing to accept the consequences--and far too many people aren't willing.
1
What needs to happen is that bitten passengers start suing owners of the pets that bite (and the airlines as well) for a few hundred thousand dollars each time. I bet you’d quickly see a huge decline in pets being brought on board!
4
Thank you sincerely for this sanity check and well considered piece. It is not just airlines. Pets are now permitted on NE Corridor Amtrak trains. They are supposed to be contained, not permitted outside of their carriers. Yet I have encountered roaming dogs, including a Pug who was certainly cute enough but who was completely unsupervised, was running up and down the aisle, was nosing around people's luggage, was scrounging among the trash left on the floor (trash on evening NE Corridor trains btwn NYC and Boston, separate issue). No responsible person in sight. The dog began to pant and to droll (from stress most likely), so droll on the carpet, and then also began to slide its bottom along the length of the car (from worms most likely). Ugh. I LOVE animals, but I was completely grossed out. Then at a stop, the door to the train car opened and the outside door as well; the dog would have left the car and left the train had I not intervened and herded it back into the car, thinking that surely someone would come forward. But no owner in sight. No conductor in sight. By now, other passengers are showing visible signs of agitation and distress over the dog's well-being. Owner eventually returned to the car from wherever and merely said, to the dog, "Oh, there you are." And gave the concerned passengers the stink eye.
8
The perspective missing from this article is that the industry being cheated is the airline industry. Very few industries have as bad a reputation, from all the customer service fiascos to the ever-multiplying ancillary fees. I doubt people abusing this loophole felt a strong pang of regret over being able to fly their pets for free. Sure, keeping Dexter the peacock out of the plane is a "blow for sanity", but when will one of these blows actually strike in favor of consumers?
2
Funny story:
We were on a flight with a blind person and a black lab seeing eye dog.
At end of the flight, the blind person was accompanied off the plane, while staff held back the dog. We were among last off the plane, so the pilot exited behind us, as he held onto the leash of the dog.
When we got to the terminal inside that gate, people waiting for the next flight literally gasped aloud to see a pilot in very dark sunglasses, holding the leash of a seeing eye dog.
14
Easy solution: convert a row or closet to kennel cages so dogs/cats can fly in cabin, and owner can visit with pet when seat belt sign is off, and let "real" service dogs continue to sit with owners. The airlines need to make a real solution to the problem of pets being mistreated in cargo and people wanting their pets in the cabin.
5
Was thinking about buying just one ticket and claiming my spouse as an emotional support person.
41
I myself would rather sit next to a golden retriever than a 300 pound person who has already raised the arm rest and overflowed into my space before I even take my seat.
17
The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed for good reason, to help people who are amputees, blind, etc. Now we have become a society where everyone is disabled, and can get a doctor to write a note to that effect. In today's America any person who cannot find a doctor to justify a disability, well that might be a real disability.
2
This is also a problem for landlords and condo associations. Some forbid dogs as a courtesy to residents who don't want to deal with the noise, mess, and occasional danger which dog owners bring. Then someone brings in a so-called emotional-support dog. It's not trained, it bothers the neighbors, but no one can do anything about it because the person says they have a note from (some) doctor (somewhere) who says it's an emotional support animal.
Leonhardt is right - it's a scam and a selfish display of disrespect to one's neighbors, whether in a plane, grocery store, neighborhood, or wherever.
7
Airlines should provide climate controlled and supervised pet transport for crated animals and charge accordingly.
6
Great to call out the pet scam. It is real, and absurd. But, in an airline atmosphere of "really don't care about the customer, this is the epitome of the "don't care".
How about another scam: "Handicapped" Have NEVER seen a handicapped person emerge from a car displaying their free parking, preferential parking, closest parking placard. Usually bright-eyed bouncy drivers trotting in and out of stores, free parking everywhere. But, handicapped? Never seen one in a car with a placard.
2
This article states clearly that it is a study of " how decent people can make decisions that are more selfish than they realize. It is one of the downsides of a modern culture that too often fetishizes individual preference and expression over communal well-being." This sounds la lot like a typical modern Libertarian behavior. Service animals are legal and welcome. If a person needs emotional support and is handicapped by their need then by all means, have a trained certified emotional support animal. Documentation should be required, always and the same legal standard should apply to all helper animals. I feel sorry for the managers that are on the front line of this nonsense.
2
Too often I have seen folks putting their dogs in "service dog" outfits while in the security line. I am a business traveler and the practice has become epidemic in the last year or so. Leonhardt nails it - the practice is dishonest and should be called out. Not so, obviously, for the blind. Service animals, their trainers (who realize what is appropriate and what is not), and the needs of the genuinely handicapped are too important to become the heart of just another scam.
4
For perhaps the first time I totally agree with you Mr. Leonhardt. And the scam continues at other venues not just airplanes. Good call.
6
You know what another term for "emotional support animal" is? PET!
And if you want to take a PET on an airline there are breed restrictions and size restrictions (must fit under the seat in front of you) and must stay in their carrier for the flight and you pay a fee.
For people who need to bring something along to make them feel better (seriously? snakes and pigs?) then I suggest trying a stuffed toy.
6
Thank you for saying what many of us have been thinking since the trend of "emotional support animals" began. If you need an animal with you to fly, then you're not stable enough to fly. Take a train, a bus, or drive yourself.
And if airlines are going to continue to allow this silly practice, then charge a full fare for the "emotional support" animal, thus giving the already-rich airlines that extra revenue they so desperately crave.
226
I couldn't agree more! Charge for "service" animals (except dogs for the blind, and perhaps others who should be really properly vetted), and all the cheaters and liars will think twice about claiming emotional support from an animal. I've been attacked and seen others attacked by several dogs in supermarkets and coffee shops, and have had to change seats on a plane at a non-reimbursable cost. Airlines, please get rid of this nuisance.
3
All airlines have to do is use the laws of many states which have clear rules on what's defines a "service" animal, meaning license, special vests on animals, etc., and what's defines "emotional support" animal, meaning letter from medical professional and registration of the animal. The former are trained to be obedient and not bother other people. The latter have restrictions they're for that person and doesn't bother other people. Some states apply this to grocery stores, restaurants, delis, cafes, etc. anywhere food is kept, prepared or sold.
1
I'd rather sit next to someone on a plane with a friendly dog than a spoiled, obnoxious, brat any day. Talk about fetishes!
10
I think for many, the thought of transporting a pet in the cargo hold feels very frightening. If the airlines could come up with more humane accommodations for traveling pets, it's likely that fewer people would try to game the system.
7
In the old days, smokers had to sit in a specified smoking section on the airplane. Why not create animal zones and non-animal zones on planes? This way I can do my work, catch up on my sleep, remain allergy-free, unbitten, unlicked and un-peed on, while the pet owners and their pets get to enjoy each other's company.
2
I don't fly if I can help it. Haven't for two years and hope I never do again. What a miserable and disgusting industry.
2
While that's your choice, not everyone can avoid this "miserable and disgusting industry" as you put it. Therefore, articles like this are not only timely but pertinent to a good portion of the population, and will perhaps allow us to have a discussion about how to make air travel more humane, for both people and pets.
Oh lighten up . you obviously are not a dog person, Half the plane for pets half for people who don't like them.
6
This clearly shows something very strange about self interest and cheating. Character is something Americans always thought they had, but in thirty years of watching the American side shows I know better. Why government should not mandate a license with training for such comfort animals is beyond belief. Some fake a pit bull as a comfort animal. The results of that are in the news everyday. Nobody seems to care.
3
I believe that it was Dave Barry who said that if he were ever reincarnated, he'd like to come back as a dog in America.
It's not just on planes. I'm an Albuquerque Open Space Trail Watch volunteer. On our trails, as well as on city streets, dogs must be on leash. Dog feces are actually toxic to many wild animals, then there is the stench. I've been attacked by "dog's that don't bite" multiple times, one bite causing a TIA from blood poisoning. It's not just that the dogs are off leash, I love dogs, but because of this sickness in American dog owners, I no longer own a dog. The excuses the owners use for not following the law follow the same lies used on board planes. "My dog is a family member and deserves to have the same rights as us." Or, more often "expletive, you, I don't care", an epithet that is the new American normal. As long as Americans continue to anthropomorphize their pets, it will be difficult to stop this silliness.
5
My favorite "pet" peeve when boarding a plane is the inevitable person in line in front of you somewhere who apparently thinks he or she is the most important and last passenger to board. So, he or she takes his or her sweet time putting a carry-on bag in the overhead bin, holding up the line for what seems like an eternity. Worse, the same knuckle-head will hold up the rest of the plane while deplaning, for the same reason. And, then, ylou end up missing a tight connection scheduled flight because you couldn't get off the dam- plane in time.
4
Seriously, David? The President is seriously considering a "bloody nose" for North Korea that could start a nuclear war and kill thousands; the designated ambassador (Mr. Cha) has withdrawn because he can't participate in that idiocy; there's an avowed Nazi running unopposed in the Republican primary in Illinois; we're on a glide-path into autocracy, in which party "trumps" patriotism and there are NO checks on an erratic and unreliable President. And one of the finest journalists I know is writing about...flying pets on aircraft? Is this "snakes on a plane," or what?
2
What is this madness? As a European, I had no idea this was going on. I only ever fly short-distance in Europe and never saw an animal on a plane. People have to put it into a special cage and it is transported in the cargo hold. Letting animals into the cabin is rank idiocy.
7
Our President lied to get to the White House; why can't we lie to get on the airline with our support tarantula?
3
Absolutely spot on. The “comfort animal” nonsense has gone on far too long.
You can’t board a plane without your “comfort animal”? Stay home, and stop making a nuisance of yourself!
6
Is it a coincidence that dishonesty among travelers is occurring in conjunction with dishonesty in the White House?
More in conjunction with the dishonesty of illegal immigration that got Trump elected. People in our country illegally are demanding that every aspect of their law breaking be accommodated so they don't ever suffer the consequences of deportation.
Even if they are criminals. Even if they abuse the birthright clause and even if other politicians break the law to do it.
This country has ALL gone mad. Electing Trump was bad enough.
But accepting the scams of people who aren't from here?
Scams all over the place. People imposing on others, for selfish and sometimes even dangerous reasons.
My comment might seem like a non sequitor.
It's pointing out the entirety of the trend.
Again, trust is badly damaged. If not utterly destroyed because of it.
1
i never thought i would agree whole-heartedly with anything that Mr. Leonhardt wrote, but i was wrong. This pet psycho-babble must end. Now.
4
Interesting to see an ad next to this Op-Ed from US Service Animals: Want to fly with your pet for free?
1
Any more pet peeves, Mr. Leonhardt
3
I detest seeing animals, except obviously trained and obedient service animals such as seeing eye dogs in restaurants and airports. If people are going to limit their own lives because they cannot emotionally separate themselves from their pet or because they anthropomorphise the trauma their pet might experience in a carrier away from them, or just dont want to pay the extra charge, then they need to stay home until they become strong enough to bear it. Until recently all sorts of folks have traveled by public transport without their pets and did just fine. The current snowflakes are sucking up all the air and attention that actual differently abled people need for assistance.
6
Bravo. I believe the only service animals allowed on planes are seeing eye dogs and service animals for individuals with particular documented handicaps. I lived in Morristown NJ where seeing eye dogs are trained on the local downtown streets with handlers and their new owners. It’s an amazing experience to witness.
Owners who travel with pets onboard pay a hefty fee and the spaces are limited.
I despise passengers who game the system boarding with pets adorned with their cheesy service animal bibs which they bought online. Wink wink!
What an insult to truly handicap travelers.
Yes, I love pets, but my pets are not everyone else’s pet and why should I make a passenger uncomfortable.
Even worse for me was when a passenger who sat next to me with her oversized golden retriever assured me was he very friendly. In fact he was so friendly he farted for 3 hours and gassed out the plane!
3
" and how decent people can make decisions that are more selfish than they realize."
You are being far too generous. If these cheaters are morons when it comes to this, they are morons in every other aspect of their lives. The wide-spread abuse just made it easier for the morons to be morons; honorable people don't get corrupted by such abuse; decent people don't take advantage of such situations. They continue to act with decency and honor. So please just call these cheaters what they are and always have been: morons.
3
Caps for emphasis - THANK YOU JESUS!!! Someone finally is making sense. The more troubling aspect of these cheaters and their supporters is the total disregard, disrespect for humans, but meh maybe not since we are living in a self induced, narcissistic society fed on social media selfies.
Hey I want a #metoo re this article.
4
Imagine sitting next to someone with a dog on a 5 hour or even a 15 minute flight. A comfort animal or whatever nonsense they call it. If someone needs such an animal 24-7 they probably should be institutionalized. What if you hate dogs or have dog-a-phobia or can't stand the smell or slobbering or barking or growling or snarling. And just imagine if the dog urinates or defecates on you or there is an emergency in flight. A whole airplane jeopardized by a stupid dog or a slithering snake or a giant Peacock. And all those people, or mostly all, are just trying to stiff the airline out of a few bucks. All animals, except for the blind, should be in the cargo hold without exception. Those claiming some mythical need should bring along a comfort blanket or their stuffed animal pillow.
6
People who have nothing better to do. Animals can go in Cargo. Our dogs were transported thus from Europe. But I don't mind dogs in restaurants... on planes too crowded not a great idea even in a carrier, where they should be. Saw a dog freaking out (unhappy puppy) held by owner on subway yesterday. Saw dog when owners (interesting term, no) left frain.. Her behaviour evidenced her to be a rather shy dog. Owners prob bring pets along because boarding fees are much higher than pet in room or pet on airlines fee. I did not see pets on trains in Europe... for the person who wants to take the pets on trains. Allergies can be a very serious issue.
Pure insanity.
2
If the animal doesn't travel in a 'carrier' who is responsible for cleaning when it relieves itself? Surely not the flight attendants? And woe to next passenger who finds his paid for seat wet with urine/feces. Is the animal owners charged a cleaning deposit prior to the flight? They certainly should be, and If it were high enough, it might limit this selfish practice.
4
"The best solution, of course, would be based not on some Transportation Department regulation but on simple trust. People who really needed service animals could then bring them on planes without having to carry documents.
Maybe a trust-based system will return at some point".
I sure hope it does! I'm 73 and I have a recently evolved new purpose in life that I hope will let me live another 10 - 15 years to find out. The pendulum swings back and forth and I hope it starts to swing back the other way, and soon. We no longer have a functioning government, now led by a man who epitomizes concern for self over that of others. And a large minority appears to support him. I personally know some who do.
I've read several articles recently by NYT columnists pointing out the rise of self interest over that of society as a whole.
I am reminded of a week I spent in Taipei 25 years ago. I almost immediately noticed there was not a shred of litter anywhere in the city. I became obsessed with finding some; anything, a cigarette butt, a discarded piece of chewing gum. I never found a single one.
I don't think our form of government will last much longer if the pendulum doesn't soon begin to swing back the other way towards functioning in a way that supports the better good of all of society rather than personal interests.
3
In many respects - this is a classic tragedy of the commons problem where individual users acting independently according to their own self-interest behave contrary to the common good of all users by depleting or spoiling that resource through their collective action.
I see this daily when folks with handicapped passes park in zones designed for the truly handicapped simply because their Dr's path of least resistance is to give them a handicapped chit.
I would love to see a demographic-politico breakdown of who abuses these types of systems.
5
Except airplanes are not "commons". This is an example of a deranged bureaucracy acting like a fascist dictatorship.
We were at a nice restaurant in DC last week. While seated at our table I spied a dog walk in with his owner. Imagine my surprise when I realized the dog was off leash And a pit bull. I personally like pit bulls, but I also am cautious around any animal I don’t know, and believe all dogs should be kept on leash in public. So this off leash dog roamed the restaurant and I started to wonder if it was too late to my allergy meds. I went to the hostess and asked why is this dog being allowed to roam the restaurant. She declared oh he’s a service animal. I called BS on that really no vest no leash and a pit bull that’s not a service animal. She then went on to admit it was one of the owner’s dog. This owner cares so little for the health and safety of his patrons he thought nothing of bringing his pet in. We loved the food but we won’t be going back.
7
This is why we can't have nice things. Try to accommodate people with a legitimate need for service animals and every moron with a dog tries dragging them into stores and on planes. Then eventually some moron tries bringing a peacock on a flight just to get some attention/publicity. I'm sure we'd all like to have our pets with us all the time, but there's a difference between a want and a need. A difference that most people can't seem to wrap their heads around these days.
5
"It is one of the downsides of a modern culture that too often fetishizes individual preference and expression over communal well-being."
This sentence should be etched in marble.
4
People with their "emotional support" needs are completely overlooking the stress they cause on the animals they USE, by putting those animals in strange and stressful environments.
It is cruel to use animals in this way. Very few animals except the most well-adjusted and TRAINED dogs have the natural characteristics to experience something like airplane travel without undue stress.
People who are doing this, please realize the harm you are causing, the selfishness involved in your actions.
6
Excellent column.
2
The airlines are in part responsible for this situation. From time to time I fly with one of my dogs, and to make sure it has a spot on the plane I jump through all the hoops to make sure I can board with the animal - including paying a hefty fee, and at times in the past requiring a vet visit to obtain a health certificate - only to have to shove the dog under the seat in front of me while confined to what is commonly called a Sherpa bag. I've had my dogs sneered at by security agents who claimed they could be carrying contagion. Enough already! How about a $25 fee to take an animal on board? It would bring the cost down to the point where people would not be tempted to use the ruse of an "emotional support animal".
3
I’m sick of seeing pets everywhere.
Everyone loves their pet, but there are too many of us and too many of them. Think of the amount of meat (and the environmental damage) from feeding all these dogs!
My block smells strongly of dog urine six months a year, and I am constantly dodging piles of feces on the sidewalk.
The worst ones are the little dogs. Their owners baby them and think they’re harmless, but they are almost universally poorly trained and often vicious with children.
Pets are a hazardous luxury, and it’s time we put some controls on them.
3
>> A cottage industry sprung up in service of low-level fraud
That should be sprang up. The past tense of spring is sprang, not sprung.
3
Between the multitude of pets and the " handicapped" who take the " miracle flights" ( prevalent from Boston and NY to FL) and wheelchair on and walk off unencumbered, the ADA has made it difficult for ground personnel to differentiate those in true need. And the law apparently forbids them to ask. Perhaps a small tweak will save time, improve safety and restore sanity in the once friendly skies.
2
Allowing pets on the plane has been the most stupid idea ever. Thank you for the article.
2
As an animal lover/owner, there were a few times when I needed to fly with my pet (cat)--who remained in a hard case under the seat or in the hold and had the equivalent of her own ticket, I am happy to see this charade finally called for what it is. Yes, true service animals need to accompany their humans, but pets need to travel in ways that do not annoy or threaten the health or well being of others. I do agree that airlines must start taking safety precautions when pets are relegated to cargo. I once ran out onto the tarmac when I saw my cat, in her carrier, on the cold ground during a snow storm waiting to be loaded with the luggage! Not what I had paid for! This was in the 1980s, when one had access to the tarmac. Back then US Air allowed one animal (in an approved carrier) in the passenger cabin--no exceptions--but it took advance planning, otherwise, in the hold, for the same fee. When it was impossible to leave my cat at home, it was comforting to know that I could have her transported along with me. No one lied about her being anything but a pet. But airlines are also to blame. People take advantage because they are scared to rely on airlines who cannot even be trusted to take care of human customers these days. Why not have a pressurized, climate-controlled area set aside for travelling pets. I'm sure it could be very lucrative if people learned to trust that their pets were safe.
2
"there were a few times when I needed to fly with my pet"
Like, what, exactly? Most normal/intelligent people either put their pet up in a pet hotel or find a friend to take care of it.
2
NYT,
I would love to see a feature story about how Westminster dog show pooches travel to NYC. As such valuable dogs, are some of them allowed on extra paid seat? Do they go in cargo--which seems risky for dogs that have to compete with the best.
3
I find this quote to be a perfectly-phrased description of what is happening in so many corners of modern American culture: "...decent people can make decisions that are more selfish than they realize. It is one of the downsides of a modern culture that too often fetishizes individual preference and expression over communal well-being."
So many have become obsessed with seeing how far they can push the limits of their individual freedoms and rights, and in the process have lost sight of the communities around them, and taking pride in contributing to the greater good.
Abusing the loose regulations of flying with your emotional-support pets, 1) complicates and weakens the case for disabled passengers who rely on their service animals, 2) violates the rights of those who have paid to have a safe and comfortable flight, and 3) is cruel to the pets themselves who will be just fine waiting in the comfort and safety of home until their owners return. Air travel is excruciatingly stressful for any animal. Just don't do it! It's not worth it, to do it, just because you CAN.
1
David, there's an element of greed on the part of the airlines that you're missing here. They would charge us $100-150 for our 5lb poodle which in some cases was more than my ticket. He stayed in his case under the seat, took up virtually no fuel and he didn't get a seat or even a beverage. That is what contributed to the falsifying of service documents.
5
I wonder what would happen if pet owners had to personally experience their lungs shutting down and the ensuing feeling of suffocating for the duration of a flight due to pet dander filling seats and surrounding air? Might undergoing life-threatening asthma caused by their pet make them reconsider taking their animal everywhere they go? I long for the days of inhabiting airplanes, restaurants and stores —any and all confined public spaces —and not being afraid I might not be able to breathe. One person’s pet is another’s very real threat...
4
Thank you for this clear-eyed description of the problem. Thanks to airline moves to squeeze every penny out of seat space, luggage, on-board and "amenities" (pillows, water, etc. flying has become a necessary evil that is barely tolerable. The notion that roaming animals will be added to the mix is truly crazy making.
Leave your pet at home. Better yet stay home with it.
3
As as with most problems in our society, this won’t be addressed in a serious manner until something tragic happens.
2
Who's responsible when I suffer harm: the pet owner or the airline? My attorney will advise.
1
Severe asthma attacks due to animal dander(fur) are life threatening. No emotional support animal in the passenger compartment of a commercial airline trumps another fellow passengers physical well being.
1
It is wryly appropriate that the Google algorithms put an ad proclaiming "Want to fly with your pet for free?" next to this article. The website will provide you with "lifetime registration" for your "service" animal, a doctor's letter and associated documents to make sure you can travel with your pet.
I am an animal lover, animal owner and have, when necessary flown my pets internationally on the plane with me. But come on pet owners - be responsible! It is stressful for animals to fly, so leave them at home when you can, and when you can't, pay the fee and don't ruin everything for those for whom it is a medical necessity. In a society that should balance individual rights and desires with the needs of the whole, people who have allergies have the right to fly without enduring a major reaction.
1
more animals,yes! More homo sapiens, no way!
3
Pets are not humans and do not have rights. People do, but with rights comes responsibilities. I love myself but this is totally stupid dog and all animal. Pets can go in kennels ,small children can't. Stop comparing your "right" to bring a pet on to parents with small children--its a false equivalent. Grow up people.
2
I work in a library at a college. Our police have told me that we are allowed to ask two questions if we see an animal: "Is this a service animal?" And if the answer is yes, we are allowed to ask "What is the animal trained to do for you?" Those are the only two questions we are permitted to ask and I will not hesitate to do that. We serve a lot of veterans and disabled students and all the animals (dogs) they bring in are legitimate.
I, too, though, can't stand when I see people bringing their little dogs into the grocery store. Drives me insane. The employees feel they can't say anything. But I'd bet someone would say something if I waltzed in with my 90 lb. Husky/Malamute. People are so afraid of confrontation these days that they suffer or brood in silence. Glad to read this piece. When we travel, we make sure we budget in the house/dog/cat sitter, otherwise we can't go.
Crying babies and misbehaving kids are a lot more of a nuisance than a well-behaved animal sitting under someone's seat. It is annoying on a short flight, but it is intolerable on a longer flight or a flight overseas. Several years ago I sat on a Swiss Air flight to Geneva for more than a half hour after take off was scheduled because of a young child was throwing fits in business class. He was already in a state of misery as we boarded, but the flight could not depart until he was escorted off the plane. The problem I saw with the whole episode was that they were trying to convince him to calm down and continue on to Europe. I cannot imagine what a nightmare that flight would have been had they convinced him to stay.
4
Note to Times headline writer: the fact is that lots of bird owners do not think it is a 'scam' that their birds, unlike this beautiful peacock, can actually fly really well. Ha. Who needs a plane? Peacocks only fly a little.
I've worked in a public library where we experience this on a daily basis. Your quote by Tom Panek aptly describes the situation but the constant threats and actual lawsuits filed by people with "comfort animals" make it easier to ignore the situation rather than contend with it.
I'm a student with a limited budget and unlimited depression. I live for my dog, and whether people find it silly or not is irrelevant. It keeps me going. My german shepherd isn't perfect, and neither is my wallet. The ESA policy gives me an affordable choice to travel back home with a dog that is not dangerous albeit her imperfect behavior. On one of my flights, a passenger had allergies and they moved me in order to accommodate that passenger. On all flights, the airline made sure to let the people sitting next to me know of the dog and make sure they were OK with it. They even told me my dog could not take up their leg space unless they were OK with it.
Animals die as cargo. Employees working in the cargo area have ear protection, and yet dogs with even more sensitive ears merit only a cold cage. Dog attacks happen beyond the airport, and there is a legal system in place to handle those, and muzzles exist for a reason. Other behavioral issues provide a unique opportunity for airlines to impose even more of their beloved fees which would ultimately discourage people taking (or simply encourage training) the few rotten apples which ruin the crucial and humane transport of hundreds of thousands of pets like my own.
11
It's all going to depend on whether Ivanka can get whatever emotional support animal (pit viper, least weasel, blind mole rat, Madagascar giant hissing cockroach, etc.) she wants on any plane she wants. That's all there is to it.
2
Hooray! Finally a call for normalcy! The emotional support liars are despicable frauds that should be permanently banned from ever flying again. How dare these self absorbed narcissistic liars be allowed to tramble on the rights of the truly disabled!
By the way pets are a major cause of global warming so in addition to many let owners being liars and fraud they are also ruining the planet and poisoning fresh water
1
First, with all of the grave problems facing the U.S. today, I find it laughable that Mr. Leonhardt chose to tackled this... errr.. scourge.
My previous dog flew as cargo in American Airlines, who kept delaying the dog's departure until the last flight. The dog arrived shortly after custom agents in charge of clearing dogs left their Dulles office for the weekend. He spent the weekend in a cargo facility, in his dirty, feces-filled crate, given food and water at the mercy of cargo company employees. When I finally was reunited with my dog, he was missing half a tooth and was obviously in a terrible emotional state.
I played by the rules. But the airlines didn't really have rules to make sure my dog would be safe. So now, my current dog only flies in the cabin with me. (And, I pay about $150 for this pleasure and lose the right to a carry-on bag.) But if I were ever faced with the choice between passing her off as an emotional-support animal or having her fly cargo, I will choose her welfare.
I sympathize with those who are bothered by animal allergies. But since pet dander I might bring on board the plane on my clothes, carry-on luggage, and other items might trigger an allergic reaction, I am not entirely sure that a complete ban on pets would solve the problem. In addition to that, you are likely to encounter seizure-alert and seeing-eye dogs, whose benefits far outweigh any discomfort to allergy sufferers.
6
Make the questionable cases take an ark.
1
Well this is quite a start to the Chinese Year of the Dog!
2
How ironic that the advertisement that accompanies this article reads: "Want to fly with your pet for FREE?" and links to a site with the long-distance therapists that are mentioned in the articles.
1
I just travel with my wife.
1
My emotional support tarantula, Venomia, vehemently disagrees with David's narrow-minded stance. If Mr. Leonhardt would just give Vennie a chance, she would be happy to demonstrate that she is absolutely silent, non-disruptive and her bite is not the guaranteed death sentence portrayed in those old jungle movies.
1
I like to consider myself pretty progressive on a great number of issues, usually sexuality, gender and race. But a peacock is not a service animal. In fact, how much trauma do you think you're inflicting on a bird brain by flying? Baby humans already freak out because they don't understand what's going on, imagine an idiot bird! Just rent a car. And if your life involves a LOT of travel, maybe you shouldn't have pets and rather invest in therapy or drugs.
A modest proposal:
(1). Certification for the animals, and
(2). A physician's certificate that their owners are under psychiatric care.
David, don't even try to rationalize this idiocy.
2
This is no different than illegally parking in a Handicapped spot. There's a reason that privilege is reserved for a particular subset of people, and that deserving parties are issued a tag to hang from their rear-view mirrors.
If you're taking advantage of a policy not intended for you, just be grateful you don't really need it -- and ask your doctor for some Xanax.
4
"In DOG I do not trust."
I don't know which would be worse...sitting next to a pig or some 350 lb trumpkin. America is going to the dogs.
I wish we could limit the snakes on Air Force One.
4
"Some autistic children, for example, function better with a trained dog." -- Really? How many? What percentage? Should the fact that 2 autistic children out of 100 function "better" with a dog mean that 100 out of 100 children should be allowed to bring their dogs with them on a plane?
I expect bleeding heart ignore-the-facts Leftism from Leftists.
1
Sorry for the typo. It should say BUDGETS
I'm highly allergic to loinfruit. We should ensure the pleasant flying of ALL passengers and make sure to store all screeching, defecating, chair kicking hindrances to pleasant flying under the seat or safely in cargo where they belong.
Peacocks are particularly poorly behaved
We should also end the scam of handicapped parking spaces for anyone with a banner to hang on their rear view mirror. In perhaps a year of casual observation, I have yet to see a handicapped person emerge from their Escalade in the Publix parking lot.
1
Perhaps people who need or think that they need, this kind of support should bring along their therapist instead. Most don't bite.
3
When I step up to the ticket counter to pay $125 for my dog to travel in his kennel with me, I am frequently met by a surprised clerk; a passenger who is not gaming the system! However, it sure makes me feel like a bit of a sucker.
the same phenomenon is occurring in food establishments...it's the #me.me.me movement
3
The peacocks we have to worry about are those whose preening egos ruin it for those who have real disabilities and real needs. Enough feathers have been ruffled, and I continue to hope that I am never seated with someone’s hippo at my feet.
I take my 14-pound dog with me everywhere, and she's never barked, urinated or defecated (plus, I diaper her, just to be careful) on a flight and remains in her carrier at all times onboard. But I have always paid the pet fare for her, and it has always just infuriated me how many people don't. And if a seat-mate told me there was an allergy issue or fear of dogs, I would cheerfully ask to be reseated so as not to cause someone discomfort. It just frosts me that other pet owners are so rude and unreasonable, and that it reflects badly on the rest of us.
7
Do these people have no shame, buying a doggy vest that says "support animal"? It is ridiculous.
2
This same kind of scam is spreading with handicapped parking! Have you noticed how many times a perfectly able-bodied person pulls into a handicapped parking space?
1
How do you know that person is "perfectly able-bodied"? Many disabilities that make walking or breathing difficult are not obvious.
No mention of cats??? Hmmmm. . .
3
Pets are like religions,we are free to have them as long as we keep them to ourselves. No one has the “right” to impose your pet or your religion on anyone else.
It’s just as ridiculous to insist that Americans submit to religious beliefs of others as it is to board peacocks on planes. Perhaps Trump’s presidency in all of it’s stupid disregard of laws, the Constitution, and moral norms has given permission to the fetishes and neurotic delusional claims of his supporters justifies any claim made on the basis of “belief”?
Eliminating any limits to the lies, bragging, and propaganda may seat a peacock next to you on your next flight.
1
Has anyone noticed that some children on planes sound remarkably like a peacock?
5
The column is a diatribe rather than a cognizant argument. Unruly children, drunken, loud, partying passengers...they too are a nuisance. Perhaps the entrance of exotic animals is crossing the boundary, but I would much rather sit next to a dog than many of the passengers I have had to tolerate! We all need to step back and put things in perspective.
5
In trump land everybody cheats.
It's the new American way.
Thanx for nada donald
3
I vigorously agree with the pionts made and strongly hope the outcomes suggestd come sooner than later. Thanks for addressing the flagrant abuse reflected in this absurd situation.
1
I have a friend who now travels everywhere with her little dog (who probably is okay). I asked her whether she had been able to fly without him in the past. Of course she did. This is a total scam and everyone knows it.
2
Harley noted in round trip to China,
"On the way over there were several dogs..... On the way back their were none."
Perhaps because dog is a Chinese delicacy?
1
Pet-friendly airlines and/or flights are obviously needed, and would be a boon to travelers with (and to those wishing to avoid) animals.
Although Leonhardt, or his headline writer, labels travel with animals a “scam” undertaken to avoid fees, many people would gladly pay extra for an in-cabin pet seat, were such a solution available.
BTW: The vitriol (and ignorance) of many of your self-righteous commenters on this opinion piece are really amazing.
3
The underlying problem is that many people operate as though only their own interests matter and are incapable of seeing how their actions may adversely affect others. This behavior is seen when smokers light up in areas clearly marked with No Smoking signs such as the air intake vents at the medical center where I work. Certainly some of these people are stressed by a loved one's condition, but it doesn't mean that they should pollute the air where patients, employees, and others enter and leave the hospital. Self-restraint seems to be an obsolete notion. This explains in part how a spoiled, narcissistic, norm-shattering idiot can become president.
2
No need to worry about Penguins on board: they can't fly..
1
I have 2 acquaintances who have ESA’s. One told me that it was a crime she had to pay $125 to transport her small animal under the seat. She wanted to show me how to get a vest and license for less than $100. And a second person followed her lead. In both cases, it had nothing to do with emotional support. It had everything to do with saving money. And, of course, I did not do this. I paid sitters to leave my 70lb lab at home. And I too love dogs. But it troubles me to see them in stores more frequently now.
3
We need top to bottom anti-jerk laws in all relms of society.
From the presidency to the commons.
And anyone should be able to make an equal claim that the presence of an animal is an emotional hazzard to them.
Your emotions vs mine.
2
You can extend this a little farther and ask yourself “ why is having a siberian malamute in a tropical climate considered okay?” Slavery is now considered an embarrassment worthy of revisionist history. So why is it considered okay to enslave animals?
According to Darwin's theory of evolution, Chips, Gorillas and Bonobos are our nearest cousins; some animal lovers consider them as 'persons with rights'. If so, they are the ones who should be allowed on planes as passengers....'
I must fly with my emotional support kangaroo. And, by the way, I pack all my toiletries in her pouch so I save on extra baggage fees. Win/win!!
1
Oh God I'm glad that I don't have to live in the US. Life there seems so bizarre. Alligators in the sewers, snakes in the next apartment, dogs urinating on the footpaths and now, peacocks on planes. That said, back in the 80s, I used to take my sulphur crested cockatoo, everywhere with me. On my shoulder to help me drive to the office. Inside my bush shirt on the ferry ( great amusement for the Japanese tourists to see her head poking out next to mine) and on the plane at the weekend. For that I used a cat carrying cage held long way up with a perch inside and a rope sling over my shoulder. The point was, every situation was controlled. My dogs love driving anywhere but they wouldn't want to put up with commercial flight. It's almost too much for me and we have the world's most passenger friendly airline. If a pet can't fit into a carry bag or cat cage, it's owner is deluding themselves thinking the animal enjoys as well as annoying other people. I agree about the screaming kids by the way, but at least they are human,
2
Only “ service “ dogs for the blinds should be allowed in the cabin .
For emotional problems take a mild sedative or a camomile tea .
3
It’s about time somebody did something to curtail this nonsense.
1
Your conclusions are far too limited.
As others point out here, the American (Conservative) fetish with faux-individualism is a plague on civilization; worse we are only at the outer borders of the logical extremes of this plague of "winning" and already we're tearing ourselves apart.
But an even deeper hole is the absence of moral judgement required to accept this long-standing Conservative ethos in which money signifies personal worthiness, ethical excellence ("It's business, this is what they're supposed to do"), and winning supplants every other consideration, including the religion so freely and deceptively trotted out as the reason for such hatefulness, greed, and self-admiration as the world had yet to see (granted, Fellini did have a nice try at it).
Every single "legitimate" source of social guidance in America has abandoned its responsibility for a two-year-old's whining need to get everything, to get it now, to get it it no-matter what. They make us stupid in the sight of the wiser world, they betray the noble sentiments they still yammer to the media every second of their sorry public lives.
We have reached the extreme at which people no longer need to be labeled "losers": simply suggesting there might be a saner, kinder, more successful way than grabbing at stuff and crushing one's enemies brings raised eyebrows, turned backs, and faux regret the poor fool doesn't understand.
United paved the way, that idiot peacock is their reward.
How about a few valium before you fly. Leave the animals home.
2
Wait a minute here. I am a frequent flyer and fly every other week. I have noticed an increase in dogs on planes and even cats but I have yet to witness an incident. In fact, I recently remember thinking how well behaved all these animals have been. There are millions of flights every year and the anti-animal flying folks can point to only a handful of incidents involving animals on planes. The irony here is that every week we read about another incident regarding a human passenger on a plane. Far more than we hear of animal issues. Just as one can point out the dog that defecated on the plane there is the man who defecated on the plane and smeared it all over the bathroom. Which is worse? I can tell you right now, humans are far more annoying on planes than animals. And there are all types of human issues: There's the slow boarder and the overhead bin hoarder. The drunks and the seat back kickers. There's even folks doing yoga in the middle of the aisle. These people are far more annoying than any animal I ever traveled with. As an animal owner myself with 2 little dogs and 2 cats, if the airlines just didn't try to gouge every customer who wants to legitimately fly their pets, then the problem of folks trying to sneak their pets on board as free service animals would go away. But of course that's not an option to the airlines as far as they are concerned. Despite record profits they are still going to charge an inordinate amount to fly your pets. And that's the problem.
2
As someone with a family member who is blind and must navigate with the help of her Seeing Eye dog, I applaud this op-ed. The only problem with the solution being proposed by the airlines is that an additional burden is being placed on those people who are truly disabled and now must provide addition documentation, in advance, to travel. Seeing Eye, Guide Dogs for the Blind and other legitimate service animal training organizations provide documentation and use distinctive vests and harnesses. People who are blind, for instance, now have an additional hurdle to deal with due to the many scammers out there trying to take advantage of the previously lax standards to travel with their pets.
133
It is very sad that it has to come to this.
4
That "part labrador" that mauled someone on a flight was a pitt bull, plain and simple. The photographs at the time made it perfectly clear. Moreover, the dog was behaving aggressively well ahead of the attack. Even real service animals are allowed onboard only subject to the safety of others, so there's literally ZERO reason for "emotional support" animals. This is simply people scamming their pets onboard because they can. As a dog owner who would love a free ride for my pooch, I encourage all airlines to stop allowing any "emotional support" animals. Service animals only, and subject to the well-being of other passengers.
6
People who need their pets so badly should just stay home with them. From the top to the hoi polloi US society has just overdosed on complete self-centeredness.
4
I'm taking my service ferret as soon as I can find a vest for her that coordinates with my Hermes scarf.
1
Sounds to me like a scam to boost the owner/artist's page views and YouTube revenue.
The whole thing was staged.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42880690
What? You mean no more pigs (at least those of the four footed ilk) allowed on planes?
Sanity, sanitation, and common sense prevail!
2
When I pulled up this article I found embedded an ad for one of those companies selling registration for service animals or emotional support critters. You just fill out the form, and one of their "therapists" will contact you after which they'll send you a vest and "official"registration. You can download your emotional support letter the same day as your purchase. Worried about acceptance? The site assures that "99% of businesses won't even bother asking you about your animal." Um, yeah, some controls are necessary here.
2
We are becoming an ever meaner and thoughtless society toward the needs of others. We think we have to compete on everything, including who can get to the red light up ahead first and pull into the lane with fewer cars, an act of quiet aggression that accomplishes nothing at all.
Don Henley, once of the Eagles rock group, even wrote a song about this. One of the refrains was "Nobody else in this world but you..." He had also apparently encountered this phenomenon of "I'm first, you don't matter." In such a situation, everyone has to get meaner and more selfish just to survive.
I was on a plane heading to California. The guy across the aisle coughed for two hours straight. Finally, I went forward and got a handful of tissues for him, which he refused to take. Then, he got up, took a cough drop and stopped coughing for the rest of the flight. Wow.
Flying is one place where consideration is most required and most often lacking. With jammed planes and crowded overhead bins, people just get more and more pushy.
1
Flying pets? Hey, if pets can fly why bother taking a plane? Let these needy folks fly Doggone It Airlines.
DD
Manhattan
It is unfortunate those members of the 'me' group in our society, who are so needy they must have a slavish non-human pet near them at all times to satisfy their unfulfilled cravings for affirmation, seem to have no compunctions about forcing their neuroses on the non-neurotic members of the society.
3
air travel is a major cause of climate change. stay home.
1
A record 3,391 firearms were discovered in carry-on luggage at U.S. airports in 2016, 83% of which were loaded, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said in a blog post Thursday.
And yet: Peacocks. Emotional support dogs. This is what generates reader outrage, hundreds of letters.
People are so dumb.
1
I had to change seats on a flight. Some lady had her "therapy" dog and the gentleman next to her was Muslim from Africa. Well, he just could not handle a dog near him, so I offered to take his seat. I think people don't realize some cultures are not as accepting of dogs as others.
1
Dogs can smell really ad on long flights. What is wrong with cargo?
Wasn't it United Airlines that dragged a ticketed passenger off its plane last April 2017?
Several thoughts:
1)It saddens me there are people who even hate genuine service dogs, for the blind, physically handicapped, from flying or for those who truly need emotional assistance (key word, truly), like a vet I know who was shot up badly, lost his entire unit, and needs his dog just to function at all, based on 'the inconvenience of it". I agree with the idiot way people are using this, but some (small) group of flyers need this.
2)As a pet owner/lover, with dogs, a cat, exotic birds, I know how hard it is to travel having them, besides the cost boarding animals has its risks, exotic birds are subject to diseases that can kill them easily, and dogs and cats die despite requiring animals to be innoculate. When you have a pet, it is part of the deal,like having a kid, it is one of the sacrifices. That said, it is selfish to expect this to be a justification for inconveniencing others, it is like people who leave their dog tied up outside all the time because "they do bad things in the house", dog barks its head off, and they do nothing, then wonder why the neighbors hate them. Some, maybe more than a few pet owners, seem to forget other people when it comes to their babies, and the sad part is their actions likely mean that people with legitimate needs will be denied.
Does this mean I can't travel with my 3,000 emotional support crickets?
The concept of "emotional-support animal" is itself a scam.
3
The ad next to this story: US Support Animals, with bold type "Want to Fly with your Pet for Free?" (Caps in the original)
Check your parrots, your rhinos and hogs;
Keep track of your pets in your logs.
For the sake of our sanity
Avoid the calamity
Of air travel gone to the dogs!
2
How interesting that an advertisement for "U.S. Support Animals", offering to have my pet fly for free, appeared on the page next to this article. It offers just the services the author describes. . . and decries.
2
My emotional-support tarantula respectfully disagrees with Mr. Leonhardt's opinion.
Thank you! It's about time!
2
We pay a monthly pet fee in our lease. At the last renewal, when I was trying to negotiate a lower rent increase (aging appliances and permanently soiled wall to wall carpeting) the manager offered an option - that we could write a letter stating that our cat was an 'emotional support animal' and then the pet fee would be waived. His casual tone made it clear that this is a current practice in an area with a crisis in rental housing. Shocked, I said that I wasn't so hard up for money yet that I would lie to get a break on the rent.
FWIW, any animal in the cabin of a plane needs to be in a carrier under the seat or in the bulkhead area. Those who use larger service animals should be required to show documented proof in advance of training. The kind of training required for service dogs for disability (not just emotional support) is not a do-it-yourself job. Airlines ought to have a registry for legitimate service animals so that once the information is verified by the airline, the pet is 'approved' to fly.
5
It seems apparent from the article and the commentary around it that there is a significant market for pet-friendly services like airlines, restaurants and shops.
Why not use this as a learning experience and cater to this demand?
3
Having your dog labelled as an Emotional Support Animal allows you to put the dog (which I hope is small and remains in its carrier) on your lap as opposed to putting it on the floor under the seat in front of you. Very recently I flew with a 9 pound ESA, well-trained dog. I told the airline I had no objection to paying the $125 fee, but was told that if I did that, the dog would be automatically declared a 'pet' and subject to being on the floor for the entire trip.
I own multiple species of pets. I really love them. I like having them around me. I think they are amazing gifts that make my life more complete. I don't travel with them because I don't think anyone else should have to be subjected to my pets. Why? Because no matter how awesome I think they are I know that not everyone feels the same way and that they *do* represent a potential threat to safety if they get loose (ever try to corral a terrified cat from a confused and cramped location?). Sure, it would be nice and it would be convenient if I could take my pets with me but it's only convenient and nice for me. Not for anyone else - including my pets.
8
If people weren´t legitimately afraid that harm will come to their pets by virtue of being put in a cargo hold, there would be fewer unwarranted efforts to bring the pet into the cabin. Airlines have a miserable track record when it comes to the transportation of people´s pets and this is what we should be concerned about.
There´s a lot that could be done to ensure safe travel for animals in general and in the case of dogs, there are ways to ensure a dog is friendly enough to safely travel in the main cabin. People with allergies can travel with a dog accompanying a blind passenger so why not with an elderly, friendly dog accompanying someone who is moving to another country? Maybe only allow dogs in the bulkhead area and when that fills up, you have to wait for another flight. Or create a special, heated and well lit area separate from the main cabin for pets and allow owners to check on them during the flight. The point is, pets are not cargo. Treat them with genuine concern, guarantee their safety and people will gladly pay to travel with them. It might even be profitable for the airlines if they could manage to provide truly safe pet travel.
3
Thank you for this important op-ed.
Service animals are highly trained, disciplined workers, uninterested in the world around them unless something in it pertains to their owner and his/her needs. A trained service animal is easy to spot once you know what they look like.
I work with many people who have disabilities. Service animals are the difference between life and death for many of them, and make it possible for them to move through the world and have contributing lives. Seeing the difference true service animals can make compounds my frustration when I see individuals trying to game the system and push their pets off as something that they are not.
Please stop the abuse. You are putting people at risk and endangering the livelihood of others. Even if you think your pet is highly trained, it is not a service animal and never will be.
17
The other side of the coin is that flight attendants need to inform passengers when animals are on board. Also, if they had been on a previous flight, the area needs to be thoroughly disinfected.
I have a serious allergy to dog dander/saliva. The last time I flew, I became ill and detected dog odor in the area where I was seated. I asked the flight attendant if a dog was on board. She said no. Then I asked if a dog had been on board the previous leg of the flight. Her excuse was that she was just starting her shift, and had no knowledge.
I was so ill, I just know I must have been sitting in a seat that had been fouled by a dog. I was miserable for many hours. A shower at home and an Albuterol inhaler helped me recover. I just knew I had been exposed to DOG!
4
The same thing has happened to me with cats. I was sick for hours during and after the flight.
If the drive is 6 hours or less, I'll drive instead of fly. Flying is a hassle, airports are insane, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better because people are willing to put up with all manner of abuse for lower fares. Not to mention that unless you are flying nonstop, because of delays, cancellations, bad weather and garden-variety chaos, the whole door-to-door exercise takes longer than driving for ever-increasing distances. Funny, though, the experience on European and Canadian airlines is better. Which makes me wonder: Is it us?
3
Since a full grown Labrador weighs about 70 lbs and is on the larger side. I want to have my 12 year-old daughter flying for free with me. Having her close by gives me emotional support. She weights about 70 lbs like a Lab, but:
- never bites (only her brother),
- is fully potty trained,
- does not lick strangers and
- is quiet.
I want that flight for free! That would sooth my nerves.
19
For years I have wondered how the "cheaters" could possibly feel OK passing their non-certified animals off as support companions, totally ignoring the fact that there are people with legitimate and often severe animal allergies who will be made miserable by the presence of these creatures. Why are their "needs" (legitimate or otherwise) greater than their neighbors' need for a healthy environment. I adore dogs - in fact, my last one (who sadly passed away at 14) had been raised in the Guide Dog program and was a model citizen. I would never, however, have thought to pass her off as anything other than a beloved pet, nor would I have subjected others to having to sit next to her for 5 hours in a plane if they didn't choose to. I'd like to add another point - I see a lot of bashing of flight attendants in many of the letters below. I fly often, and rarely have I seen any behavior other than professional from the flight attendants with whom I have flown. In fact, they are often exceptionally courteous, kind and frequently funny. Air travel is a huge pain these days - always uncomfortable, often delayed - but don't blame the flight attendants. They are professionals who do their best in very difficult circumstances and with very difficult people. Shout out to the Alaska crew on the PDX - DCA direct!
5
Sorry, but I don't but the animal allergy argument. I am SEVERELY allergic to cats and therefore it is standard practice for me to pop a few Allegra before a flight and make sure I have Benadryl and tissues in my carry on. Maybe it's because I grew up in a dense urban area but I don't expect strangers to cater to my needs without knowing me - instead I take reasonable, precautions steps to ensure that I am comfortable in a situation where I may be in an enclosed space with a known allergen.
1
We travel with our 10 lbs. dog on occasion. He stays in a crate that fits under the seat and we pay the $125 fee. We got a prescription for "doggie downers" from the vet and give them to him well in advance. Still he whines prior to takeoff after which he typically settles down. We realize that this can be annoying to other passengers and try to be conscious to reduce the dogs stress and bother to other passengers. We would never pass our pet off as a "support" animal to circumvent the rules, and fees. The truth is I did get this dog to help me through cancer treatments, but those ended long ago and even then I would not have gone the "support dog" route.
3
Once again, abuse by a few, who game the system affects legitimate needs. I travel to Europe with a pet, and it is a hassle. But she stays under the seat, sedated, in a carrier for the duration of the flight. On Delta, I pay $200 each way to take her, and it counts as a carry-on, so I'm paying almost half of the price of a ticket to lose a carry-on bag. I agree that unless you are going for an extended period, travelers should leave their pets with a caretaker. It's time to stop this "service animal" scam. If you wish to travel with your pet, follow the rules!
5
I know a woman, she is a resident where I work, who has a service dog. He is a Great Pyrenees - big. Some resent the special exemptions to condo rules that she and her animal get. But having know this woman for ten years it is obvious to me that she is alive because of that dog. She is bipolar, she has tried everything even electric shock therapy but nothing kept her stable. Nothing kept her engaged with the world nothing kept her from killing herself. Now she takes that dog on hour walks three times a day. Everywhere they go she is known - it is a big white dog, big - she talks to people, she can think about a future, she is on a schedule. That last is big, she is on a schedule that makes her get out of bed, makes her interact with others and makes her care about something. So all those experts who say there is no good data on the benefit of companion animals aren't designing their studies correctly or talking to the right people or paying attention.
I know the plural of anecdote is not data but those with mental health issues, PTSD, unipolar and bipolar depression have in my experience saved their lives by getting a service companion.
I am not a shrink I am a functioning person with uni polar depression but my meds mostly work most of the time except when they don't. I am 60 yrs old, I have had this disease 45 years, I know this disease. Companion animals are a big important addition to the traditional arsenal of treatments for mental illness.
4
Either people are not smart or poor, they just don't want to spend the money carrying their beloved pets to destination with them or trying to outsmart the commercial companies to carry their pets on an airplane with them for free. Of course, there are legitimate medical reason to board a pet with owner together on an airplane, but the percentage is probably is very low & most likely is below 0.1%. Where is the decency when you need them. I think people are spoiled. They think they are entitled to do this kind of things free of charge.
3
Thank God someone is saying this. Maybe grocery stores and other private businesses will follow suit.
14
I have never had to share a seat with an animal, but did one time with an obese person who was supposed to occupy only the seat next to mine. Her immense bottom flowed under the armrest and took about 1/3 of the seat cushion that was supposed to be mine. I spent over two hours cringing on the remaining cushion, as there were no more empty seats on the plane I could move to. Nothing in the seat purchasing process makes a person who should be buying two seats for their size actually acknowledge that so the airlines could prevent innocent passengers like myself from being so infringed upon.
11
It's too bad that Leonhardt and others are afraid of animals or, for whatever reason, don't want to be on the same plane with one. Generally speaking, I prefer animals to people, but I think we should continue to allow people to fly on planes. But my main comment is How will charging $100 to the pet's owner make the animal less annoying to Leonhardt? It will reduce the number of animals (although boarding your pet will cost far more), but for those willing to pay, it doesn't solve the "problems" that Leonhardt laments.
2
Thank you, Mr. Leonhardt! The emotional support animal scam has got to end. Here in California, those who feel so entitled have no problem bringing their non-service dogs into grocery stores, restaurants, and convenience stores in violation of health laws. The stores will do nothing to stop these irresponsible pet owners for fear of law suits. Sometimes the grocery stores here feel like dog parks. I've seen dogs in grocery carts and just roaming stores, neither of which is legal, even for true service dogs. I have two dogs myself and foster rescues, but my dogs do not belong inside these stores. If we all brought our dogs to these public places, they would need to install cleanup stations like the local pet store. Bringing these faux service dogs into any place where food is sold or served is illegal and gross. Just stop it people!
And please don't compare children to animals. That argument is a nonstarter and reflects a basic lack of humanity.
16
I recently was at a wildlife area, where the entrance was clearly marked NO ANIMALS, NO DOS Allowed. There was about a half mile trail to a bluff and then down to the ocean beach. This is a bird sanctuary, but also has small mammals. Our group was enjoying the view and birds, when a young man and his girl friend appeared down the trail, with a large, unleashed dog. Now I love dogs, and this guy was VERY friendly. One of the gentlemen in our group said to this person - did you not read the sign at the entrance? It says NO DOGS. This guy cavalierly replied it was a "service animal", laughed, and walked off. This illustrates the selfishness many people have. Rules don't apply to me. It's OK to lie, and if I want to take my dog someplace inappropriate I should have the right to. This unleashed dog was still rather a puppy, and bounded up to nearly everyone in our group. Message to people in general -Not everyone appreciates your dog ( or any other critter you may own), and people in a wild life refuge certainly do not appreciate your selfishness. I say his as a huge dog lover, and someone who would never put my dog or the public in such a situation.
22
I'm a dog owner, avid hiker, and believe that dogs should be allowed on trails. I like to take my dog places. The guy in your story is why most of us can't do that. He is reason many dog owners are restricted. I train my dogs, and follow the rules, and I can't take my dog places, but this guy does and gets away with it, and does so in an irresponsible fashion. Infuriating!
2
There should be a separate area on flights for folks who bring their pets on a plane for whatever reason that airlines approve them to do it - including a 1986 law forbidding discrimination against handicapped air travelers. Consideration must be given to passengers that do not want to sit next to another passenger with a dog or any other pet, there are folks who are allergic to dogs, have a fear of dogs and simply don't want to feel uncomfortable - especially in the 'cattle car' economy where space is very limited. Will the airlines keep two seats 'open' for passengers who want to move away from another who has a dog?
7
So glad that this abuse by often narcissist & entitled passengers have abused the right of the truly disabled. I'm allergic to dogs & cats & birds & have a right not to be seated next to one. For, me, an animal lover, my allergies- tested by a reputable physician, are bad enough. Separate compartments for animals could solve this. Selfish pet owners are likely opponents of "government interference" when they impinge on others' rights. Ditto for restaurants, stores, beauty salons, meetings, etc.
1
It’s truly unfortunate that so many commenters have missed the major fact in this article. The federal law on which airline pet regulations should be based focuses excluvely on people with disabilities, a specific class of individuals who are carefully defined in the law. If the law had been followed, there would have been no snakes or pigs, or, potentially a peacock. The abuse of this law - by people without handicaps with handicapped stickers on their vehicles as well as by certain airline passengers - demonstrates a complete disregard for people with disabilities who do need these accommodations.
15
Definitely overdue. Also, have people noticed the proliferation of "dog strollers" and even "dog baby bjorns" of late? There certainly seems to exist an emotional disturbance afflicting many people these days, but I doubt "support animals" are the answer. Perhaps a little less navel-gazing to start...
6
Allergies to animals are no joke. I am allergic to cats and dogs and am under the ongoing care of an allergist/immunologist. Why an animal would trump my well-documented health problems beats me. And yet I’ve been told by a flight attendant that if I were seated next to a passenger traveling with a cat, for example, I’d have to move to another seat. The animal and its owner could stay where they were.
7
Have to point out that I think it's interesting that the breed that mauled a man on the San Diego flight is consistently described as a Labrador. Erm, I'm not an expert on breeds, but I know a pit or part pit when I see one, I think?
http://www.tmz.com/2017/06/06/dog-attack-delta-lab-u-s-marine/
4
This is a part of the American epidemic of
entitlement. Because it's "my" pet or
"my desire" or "my right" we end up
up with Trump in the White House. Truly
the "tragedy of the commons," which then
hurts those with a valid need for animal
companionship for health and safety reasons.
The curse of entitlement chews our souls.
5
I'm hoping some allergists weigh in on this issue. I can't be in the same room with a cat for very long before my eyes start streaming. If I have to stay, I'll sneeze and wheeze uncontrollably and disgustingly until everyone around me urges me to leave. I always leave of my own accord before that happens. Some people say "Why don't you just take a pill or something?" Well, I do take allergy medicine, but all the types I've tried do not protect me against cats. I know people treat their pets as children, and they love them. But what about allergic adults like me and allergic children? Give us a break!
5
Mr. Leonhardt~ You said that some people believe they have an emotional condition that flying with a pet solves but not to confuse that with a medical condition.
You lost me there.
Since when are emotional conditions not medical conditions?
5
I was on a plane once and it drove me crazy seeing so many animals on board. The service crew had to pick the cart up over the animal's leg, tail, etc.One of the crew members fell because of a dogs tail and the owner flipped out because the dog got hurt
3
I am considering getting a service dog because I am going deaf. I don't need a large dog - just one with good hearing and good manners, a dog to keep me safe by warning me about approaching cars and ringing stove buzzers, a dog to warn other people about my utterly invisible but profound disability.
Hearing loss is devastating my life. I really need a dog.
And yet, I know I will need to fly to Europe each summer with the dog to care for my family. Unlike someone with a visual impairment, I don't need a large dog. I just need a dog with good hearing and good manners. It never occurred to me, though, that I would infringe on passengers by bringing a large or free-roaming dog on the plane. The dog I get for my physical disability will be a small one that I can safely bring on the plane in a carrier. I feel I must respect the needs of other people. How is it ethical to do otherwise? How can people be so utterly egocentric?
4
I don't think this article distinguishes clearly enough between pets being allowed in cabin in carriers for an additional fee vs. pets being passed off as emotional support animals to allow them to travel for free. The latter is obviously fraud and should rightly be cracked down on. The former is simply allowing people, for a reasonable fee, to not have to put their FAMILY MEMBERS in a potentially life-threatening cargo hold. It may be inconvenient for other passengers to hear an animal make noises or be exposed to allergens, but no more than being exposed to the sounds and germs of a screaming or sick child. A passenger who pays for their pet's passage and can keep them safely enclosed during thr flight should not be shamed or ridiculed for doing so.
3
How about this: if you travel frequently, maybe you should not have a pet. Better for you, the animal and the rest of us.
4
I show bantam poultry. All I want is a way to ship them on the plane I'm flying on, so I don't have to drive all the way to the midwest or east to shows from California. I don't need them in the cabin, they are not pets. But when airlines are subjected to misuse of service animal designations, it makes them less willing to accept animals as freight. And quite a few planes are not set up to do that anyway. So yes, an airline that would ensure safe conditions in cargo holds, and make an effort to be reliable on connecting flights, would certainly get my business. I could easily have taken two bantam hens in a cat carrier that would stow under the seat, but Delta wouldn't let me because the birds were "poultry" and they only allowed psittacines.
1
I think most people accept the well-trained service animal that is needed by the owner. I recently spoke to a young who was training a dog who also, needs a service dog. He told me that anyone can get the service dog harness. So many people who want to travel or take their dog into restaurants or other place that prohibit dogs simply fake it. For this young man the problem was that an excitable untrained dogs have attacked his first dog often in restricted places. His dog was selected and trained to remain calm and recognize when his owner is showing sign of an health related attack and signals that the owner to get help or medicate.
The problem is how do get people to resist their personal choices over the real needs for service animals.
130
I have a relative who is a strapping young man but suffers from mental health issues and after several hospitalizations got a support dog at the strong encouragement of those treating him. He occasionally travels back and forth between college and home with this well behaved animal with all the paperwork and with great care to avoid anxiety and issues of all around him. But he'd like to avoid any challenging discussions of why his dog is allowed. Please think about this before mocking anyone over this (admittedly) complicated issue.
114
Mocking others is never appropriate but if challenged the young man should acknowledge he understands a) people are sceptical because many abuse the privilege but b) for the minority that really does need animals, like himself, they are as essential to him as a passport or luggage. He needn't provide details beyond that reassurance.
With a well-behaved animal and respectful owner, it should never be a problem. It is unrealistic though with all the abuse to expect people inconvenienced to bite their tongues. You would serve his interests better by urging those abusing the system to desist for the sake of people (like him) who are lumped together unfairly with the selfish ones.
7
".. and with great care to avoid anxiety and issues of all around him." It would cause me anxiety to have to be seated next to a dog, be it big or little. How exactly would your relative take great care to avoid anxiety in me? You're saying he shouldn't even have to be asked why he's brought his dog, but you're fine with others having to sit next to it?
16
I think he, with help from the crew, would relocate himself or help you find a better seat. Luckily his experiences are generally positive - there are people who try to make it best for all concerned.
While legitimate service animals should be permitted to assist their people, the dilemma of person needing animal to help vs. person with severe allergy to animal has been underplayed at this time. So, too, is the possible health problem of an animal assisting his/her person at a buffet. While a server of food many need to wear a hairnet and gloves around food to protect it from contamination, the service dog may approach the food to help the person. What happens to the allergic person who swallows a hair of the dog along with whatever else was in the buffet (See cases to validate these issues). This could be a balancing issue, with the weight of the balance allowing the service animal to help the disabled person, with the allergic person warned to keep allergy pills or an epi pen available to stop severe allergy attacks. However, why should the allergic person have to chance a reaction from animal dander if the dog is a beloved pet of someone else and the comfort it provides to the person is the love of a pet to a person? Perhaps the line should be stronger to protect those whom animal dander or feathers could harm. What to do about comfort snakes with no dander when the snake is merely a pet, I don't know.
1
We have cats, and I adore them and consider them to be part of the family. That said, I won't make them travel with us. They hate anything to do with traveling, starting with and including the vet. If we have to go somewhere, they stay home or at a boarding facility, it's better for them, quite apart from other travelers. Not to mention possible problems with "emotional support animals"; real support animals are too well trained to misbehave, and frankly, our cats would be more likely to start a fight with them, but all bets would be off if it was just someone's untrained pet. No, because we love them, the cats stay home or someplace where they can get the kind of treatment they are used to.
4