If you’re following me on Facebook or Instagram, then you know that I recently posted a controversial photo that quickly became the center of a heated debate between my friends and followers. The photo was of a woman walking a small dog on a leash aboard a flight from Los Angeles to Toronto. What caused the big ruckus? The pooch was wearing a “Service Dog” vest and it was one of those things that make you go…hmmm?
I didn’t want to say too much because I honestly have no idea if this woman’s dog was really a service dog or not, but the vest sure didn’t look like it was legitimate. My big beef is that I (sadly) know many people who buy these vests/certificates online through companies that don’t require any proof that they’re for an actual service dog. Travelers do it for a number of reasons. One is so that their dogs can fly with them on the plane rather than in the cargo hold. Another is so that they don’t have to pay the usual $125+ each way fee. That’s right…service animals fly for free.
I love dogs and I’m not allergic to them, so it doesn’t bother me in the least. I actually find them comforting. What bothers me is that I know that the increasing number of people and companies who are abusing the system are going to ruin it for those individuals who actually need a service dog for support. Have you seen an increase of “service dogs” when you travel? I have and perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised. Because according to New Yorker magazine: “In 2011, the National Service Animal Registry, a commercial enterprise that sells certificates, vests, and badges for helper animals, signed up twenty-four hundred emotional-support animals. Last year, it registered eleven thousand.”
Have you, or do you know anyone who has, purchased one of these “service animal” vests/certificates even though they don’t actually warrant one?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Good to know: According to The New York Times, one big giveaway is that “assistance dogs are trained not to bark in public, not to go smelling other dogs or people.”
Interesting Stories on the Subject:
- New Yorker: Why are so many animals now in places where they shouldn’t be?
- NPR: Removal Of Blind Man, Service Dog From Flight Sparks Outrage
Airline Policies on Service Animals:
- FAA: Service Animals in Air Transportation – Aviation Consumer Protection (PDF)
- American Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- JetBlue Airways
- Spirit Airlines
- United
- US Airways
Related:
Really enjoyed reading this blog and very helpful information.
Lighten up my goodness if a person goes to the trouble to register their dog, and the dog is providing them with some sort of therapy which is not drug related then more power to them.
I do not think you have done your research on this topic. There is no governmental registry at this point, and these are federal rules that are supported by the Americans with Disabilities Act. What gives you the right to question them?
Service dogs are legitimate for PSTD, seizure alert, & a variety of other disabilities. Its up to the owner to train the dog and if they feel the need to purchase avast and utilize the dog registry then more power to them. And why not provide some empathy towards person with disabilities. Never have I seen a service dog that has infringed on my comfort level or any of my personal rights. You don’t seem to understand the therapeutic aspect that a dog can provide.
I have to have my dog with me in a hotel because of PTSD due to a traumatic home invasion and a hotel break in. I don’t abuse it – when I am not going to be alone in my room at any point, I don’t need her, so she doesn’t come on that trip. She is trained by a professional to check under the bed, closet, bathtub, etc. (FYI, I also can’t be alone in my house without her.) I don’t abuse it- I actually paid for her for a couple years because I felt like I didn’t want to be perceived as a faker. She was always perfect on the flight, quiet in her crate as I would travel even from Florida to Ca. But one flight when we sat on the tarmac for three hours (and one passenger actually fainted from the heat ) changed that for me. When the Delta attendant wouldn’t let me open her carrier just a bit to give her water, she got really sick and dehydrated. The result was humiliating for me and needless to say, very unpleasant for the other travelers. I ended up having to get off that flight. After that, I had my psychiatrist write a letter with my official diagnosis and joined the ranks of a traveler with a trained service animal who also provides emotional support for me. I still don’t abuse it- she stays in her carrier under the seat in front of me just like any other carry-on. Because I don’t need her to be on my lap. She is not there for any traveling needs- just my destination. She sleeps, and occasionally pokes her head up to look at me for maybe 10 seconds before snuggling back down . If people on the plane ask, I tell them I paid the fee, because I’m not going into my story. She doesn’t stay at non-dog friendly hotels- even though I could – and we eat outside if it’s allowed at a restaurant- otherwise she stays at the hotel. She does not wear a vest- because I have proper documentation concerning my diagnosis and also by a certified animal trainer. Because of people abusing the system-sometimes I guess, with unruly dogs, I have been subjected lately to undue scrutiny, especially at LAX , and it’s a real shame. Most of my seat mates are amazed when I get up (even after a six hour flight) and they see I have a dog. For the most part they are not aware she is even there- because she is a TRAINED service animal. I would not be able to travel alone without her.
You see this is fine. LEGIT service dogs? They’re wonderful – I respect that.
It’s when people bring in dogs they claim to be service dogs, no vest (or sometimes vest), sniffing people’s legs, trying to get away from the owner and even jumping on people. They’re clearly not service animals. It’s people like that who make others thing that people like you are not legitimate owners of a service animal.
Yikes, this author is so ignorant!
1) “the vest sure didn’t look like it was legitimate”: Legitimately what? There is no official agency handing out official vests and patches. People with legitimate issues are only required to have the necessary paperwork: the purpose of these vests and patches are to make it easier for them to interact with the public. That’s it. Which leads me to…
2) “people who buy these vests/certificates online through companies that don’t require any proof that they’re for an actual service dog”. Yes, because these are not actually for any official purpose.
3) Showing up with your dog in an official-looking vest at the airport won’t make the airline waive the pet fee. Almost every single American airline these days requires that you not only have paperwork from a doctor or mental health professional with you, but the large majority of these airlines require that you send this paperwork to them 2-3 days before your departure, because they will need to verify not only the validity of the license number of the practitioner, but also speak with the practitioner and confirm that the requestor is in fact their current patient and that they did write the letter.
Which again brings me back to: the vest is irrelevant.
Personally, I don’t fly THAT frequently, but frequently enough – maybe a dozen or more legs per year on average – and I have only seen 1 on-leash, non-carrier-bound service dog on a flight in the last 5 years.
You say, “What bothers me is that I know that the increasing number of people and companies who are abusing the system are going to ruin it for those individuals who actually need a service dog for support”.
Maybe so. But what you’ve done here is publicly post a photo in multiple venues, questioning the validity of an actual person’s service dog, instead of focusing about all the people who you know for a fact are trying to scheme the system. Why do you think that because (based on what I can see in the pic), the owner is a cute, young girl, and she has a tiny fluffy dog, that that necessarily makes the situation suspicious? Why not interview those people you know and discuss their reasoning? And while we’re at that, maybe the problem with those who do abuse the system is not that they are fee-dodgers but that the airline fees are completely obscene. Less than 10 years ago, the in-cabin fee was $50. Some airlines now charge over $200. The animal is basically a carry-on bag. It’s not to deter a everyone from bringing their pet on board because there is already a limit to the number of animals allowed in cabine. There’s zero reason behind these fees.
Possibilities: the dog may be a seizure alert dog, or be comforting enough to her during PTSD-related anxiety attacks that she can avoid taking medications that come with side effects. Neither of those jobs require a golden retriever with a better fitting vest.
Please write a better article next time, thanks.
I have PTSD and have a service dog Dachshund(Two)..Although I rarely travel with both they provide a valuable service and I don’t need as many drugs with my dogs treatment.If anyone abuses the system(parks in handicap spaces),then they should be both ashamed and penalized.I have a paper card I carry with a toll free number if anyone has a question of the legality of my dog.I don’t take them where they are not welcome.I have never taken them on airplanes but many times at pet friendly hotels.I explain they are not a pet,but a trained service animal.
Pet therapy for my disease is far better than the wacky drugs they give you.My card clearly says it’s my responsibility to keep my dog under control.She poops or pees outside and I clean it up.If she finds someone invading my space her motor rumbles before a bark and I settle her down.Most people try to pet her because she is cute and most of the time she allows this unless she feels I am threatened.Then a simple quiet growl deters people.She doesn’t go off on them.I think the people that you speak of that abuse this system should be ticketed and repotted.
and then there are all those blind people sneaking their dogs on for free !
So much misinformation.
Airline personnel are all trained in what’s needed. An emotional support animal is not a “Service Animal” and requires a very detailed letter from a doctor written within the past year. Documents are examined closely every trip. Veterans with PTSD are often users of ESA’s.
There are service animals trained to warn of heart attacks and epilepsey before they occur. There are even more crucial service animals for other conditions.
I travel a LOT and like the pets (and even some kids) who reduce the stress of flying today.
People with animals should be courteous enough to take the very rear seats so as not to slow down deplaning and allow people with dander allergies to be seated further away. And they should be allowed to board early for those rear seats.
Obnoxious a-holes are the worst to fly with.
Dead on – there needs to be more formal certification of the need, and it must be presented to allow travel. Too any people are stretching it in the name of saving money or their own time.
If proper systems are defined with parameters then the risk of system exploitation can be decreased. Nice perspective by the way, Thanks
Isn’t anyone reading the ADA specifics for what constitutes a service animal? A service animal must be TRAINED to perform a specific task, i.e., guide dog, task dog, seizure dog, etc. These “emotional” and “anxiety” dogs are NOT service animals because they cannot be “trained” to perform those functions. It infuriates me to see people who feel entitled bringing their dogs into the stores, on airplanes, etc. under the guise of being of service.
i would urge anyone considering calling their pet a “service dog” to read this post by Elise Lalor, a dog trainer who trains both Search & Rescue dogs as well as service dogs for autistic children.
http://monkeytailranch.org/fake-service-dogs-real-problem/
My personal feeling about this is karma. Would you want your faux service animal to keep a genuine one off a flight?
A friend (acquaintance) of mine got a job in the Virgin Islands last year and said he would never put his Dog (75Lb MUTT) in the hold of a plane so he went on internet and bought a service dog kit. Now he and his dog are happily on an island. later X friend