Let me start this by saying that not ALL airlines are troublesome about flying with a service dog. When I flew on United, they could not have been more polite, and they were very helpful.
Continental was quite the opposite.
We flew cross country to visit my parents. This was my first flight with a service dog, so I’ll admit I was a little nervous. After all, Hudson highly disliked and feared trains; how would he react to something even bigger and noisier?
I was expecting some trouble with Hudson. I was not expecting trouble with the airline – after all, they are a major corporation in a field that regularly handles service animals. I thought they would be well educated on the rights of a service dog handler. My mistake.
Things started going wrong the day before our flight. I called Continental and told them that because of my disability, I required a seat in a bulkhead row, and needed one for my care assistant as well. I was told that they weren’t available, but under section 382.38 (A) (3-4), the airline is required to have such seats available to PWDs. ABs in those seats are to be moved if necessary. So, strike one.
When we arrived at the airport and went to check in, Hudson was wearing his harness – a large, bulky leather harness that bears some resemblance to a horse’s saddle, with a handle sticking up from it and patches on it that clearly lable him as a service dog. According to the law, this should have been enough evidence that he was a service dog. Instead, I was also asked for an identification card, and when I showed that, I was further asked for a letter from my doctor! Now, in the case of an emotional support dog, the airline does have a right to ask for a letter from the person’s doctor. HOWEVER, in the case of a dog who assists with a physical disability, the airline does not have any right to any medical information. The Air Carrier Access Act requires that personnel be trained to be able to “distinguish among the differing abilities of individuals with a disability.” Now, to me that sounds like they should be watching for signs of what the person’s disability is. A large supportive harness like that and a girl leaning on it most of the time suggests a physical disability, no?
Anyhow, I informed her that she had no right to such a letter, and she called over her supervisor who agreed that such letters were only needed in the case of emotional support dogs.
We went to our gate, and then I realized that I really ought to take Hudson somewhere to do his business before the flight. I had forgotten when we checked in. So I asked the gate agent if there was somewhere that I could take my service dog for that purpose. The gate agent told me I had to go back out to the entrance of the airport, let my dog do his business, and come back through security. This, too, may have been incorrect, though I did not know it at the time. The resources I’m seeing online seem to contradict each other on whether or not I had a right to a relief area nearer to the terminal.
A minor nuisance – Continental boards its frequent flyers before PWDs! The reason to board us the very first is that we often are slower and more awkward at getting our things put away and ourselves set up for the flight. Some of us need more space to maneuver. About 1/4 of the passengers were already on the flight when we got on. Quite counter to the purpose of having us on first!
So then we got on the plane. After the service cart went through, I went to the galley to ask if I could get some more to eat. I was starving. She gave me a sandwich, and went looking for the other item I asked for. When she came to my seat to give it to me, she informed me that my service dog had to remain at my seat if/when I got up and moved through the aisle. Um, NO. WRONG. An emotional support dog would have to, but I have a right to have a dog who is supposed to physically assist me with me at all times. It is for my safety, after all. To be completely honest, I was too shocked and upset to fight with her right then.
We get off the plane to make our connection in Houston. As we rushed across the airport to get on our second plane, we were stopped by the gate agent and once again asked for a letter from my doctor! When I explained that I did not have one and they had no right to ask for one, the gate agent called her superior and asked if they needed a letter for an emotional support dog. Now, why she decided Hudson was an emotional support dog, I do not know. She certainly didn’t ask me! Nor did she pay attention to the fact that my boyfriend was lugging all of both of our carry on luggage, and I was leaning on the dog. I of course corrected her, and her superior once again agreed with me, so we were let on to our flight.
Now, if only ONE of these incidents had occurred, I would have brushed it off as ‘shit happens’. However, this cluster of things happening feels far too much like a problem with the corporate culture to me.
So I called to complain about the treatment. I was told by the customer service person that it was their standard operating procedure to ask for a doctor’s note. She said that because they had not, in the end, prevented me from boarding, they did not believe there was a breech in service. So sorry that I was upset by the whole thing, of course.
I do so hate when people tell me that they did nothing wrong and are sorry I was offended. No. Placation tends to make me furious. Which is to say, the chat with customer service is the point at which I ended up really mad.
The flight back was much better. We were on a different airline, United, which was ever so much better. Hudson’s harness was accepted as enough proof that he is a service dog, which is as it should be. They told us when we checked in that we ought to have told them we have a service dog…because we would have automatically been put in seats that have more room, like bulkheads, and they would be more ready to assist us. We were asked if there was anything they could do to make our flight better. The gate agent even changed our seats on the second flight to the bulkhead row! If it doesn’t have too much effect on the price of my flight, I will definitely choose to fly United from here on out!
As for Continental, well…I am considering filing a complaint with the proper authorities, and will do so if I am dissatisfied with their internal management of my complaint.
Sounds like a good reason to stay away from Continental!
Sorry your first flight was so difficult. I’ve never flown Continental, but I’ve found many other airlines to be just as bad. I have 2 airlines that I love and I’ll go out of my way to use them. I will add though, that the quality of the airline’s service depends very much on what airport you are in. Some airline staff will be great at one place, and horrible in another.
As far as relief areas go, the airport is not required to put them in any specific place, they are only required to have one available. Airports were supposed to consider the input of local service dog groups in deciding on their placement, but the majority of the relief areas I’ve seen that have been put in place under the changes to the ACAA have been outside the terminal. It’s inconvenient, but still an improvement on having none at all.
I would say go ahead and file a complaint. I don’t know if you’ll get much out of it, but if enough people complain, eventually things get done. If nothing else, you may find some personal satisfaction in filing the complaint. Remember that at the airport you can demand to speak to the Complaint Resolution Officer to resolve any disputes. Chances are they’ll try to keep you from doing this, but it is your right to do so. Also, during regular business hours, you can call the Toll-Free Hotline For Air Travelers With Disabilities at 1-800-778-4838. It’s basically like the DOJ hotline for the ACAA. Also, having a copy of the ACAA with you with the relevant parts highlighted to show airline employees never hurts. People tend to back down when they realize you know what you are doing.
Before I got Hudson, when I was just dealing with the disability, US Air was great. As I mentioned in my entry here, my experience with United was very good with Hudson along.
I’d’ve used the hotline, but I was able to make the people asking for doctor’s notes back down and I was halfway through my flight when I had to deal with the flight attendant.
I am definitely looking into filing a complaint. Fortunately for me, my service dog organization is very supportive through that process.
By the time you got to the part where you were talking to customer service, my own blood pressure was up! Myself, I’d file a complaint, just to vent. You should do whatever is best for your peace of mind. But oh, this stuff makes me mad. I’m actually most pissed out the policy of boarding the “important” passengers first. It’s totally irrational, and it totally shows the value system that prizes money over humanity.
I’m grateful for your blogging. My husband and I both live with relatively subtle disabilities. He has a paralyzed arm (noticeable in that the muscles are atrophied) and lots of invisible neuropathy from a rare autoimmune disorder, MADSAM – similar to Guillain-Barre, but normally progressive unto death. It’s a form of chronic peripheral nerve degeneration. His system got rebooted through chemotherapy for Hodgkins lymphoma, however, and he hasn’t had a relapse of the disease. I’m dealing with some oddball condition that was first pegged as probably MS, then as atypical Graves disease plus some mysterious undiagnosed X factor … I have fatigue, dizziness, some minor vision problems, muscle weakness, and sometimes mental fuzziness, which leaves me mostly functional as long as I can rest enough. That works in the summer – not so much during the school year, when I have teaching responsibilities.
These are relatively minor issues, compared to your situation, and so I can’t say I know at all what it’s like to walk in your shoes. But I do know how it feels to have a disability that requires explanation. Some people are great about it; others, not so much.
I’m glad that you’re writing and getting the word out about invisible and rare disabilities. You’re smart and articulate. I hope a lot of people will read you, and I just added you to my blog reader.
Do you know the blog Three Rivers Fog? It’s written by a woman your age who’s dealing with chronic pain. You may already know her work; if not, you might check it out. You share a lot of concerns even though you’re dealing with different disabilities, and you seem to have a similar sensibility – intelligent, reasonable, but also politically aware and assertive.
I think that what you’re dealing with sounds like the complications I had added in to my disability due to the secondary fibromyalgia. I tire easily, and losing far more function than ‘normal’ people do when I get tired. It’s been hard for me to balance the need to rest with actually getting things done, though I do better now than I did at first. I did in all seriousness attempt to go full time at law school during my 1L year. Anyone who’s been through 1L will tell you that it’s got a viciousness that far exceeds most other kinds of school.
Three Rivers’ Fog is new to me, thank you for pointing me her way!
~Kali
It’s terrible that things like this happen. I flew with my ex husband and his guide dog numerous times a year, and at least 2-3 we’d have issues like this. Complain, because most people don’t, or can’t and they need to know this isn’t right, it’s the only way things will change.
I’ve complained to Continental, and I’m still trying to decide whether I want to make a formal ADA & ACAA (Air Carriers Access Act) complaint.
I’ve flown Continental once since I started using a wheelchair (well twice if you count that it was a roundtrip thing). Based on my experience, I’m actually surprised by the problems you had. I was traveling with a friend who was also a wheelchair user (and in one direct her father as well) and Continental was very good about pre-boarding us and putting us in bulkhead. There was someone with a dog that I suspect was an emotional support dog (the woman said she had fibro, but the dog was so tiny that I can’t easily imagine it being a service dog) on our return flight and they didn’t seem to hassle her at all.
The rundown of airlines I’ve flown with since becoming a wheelchair user (I know not the same thing, but I suspect airlines that are good with wheelchair users are more likely to be good with service animals):
Southwest – many times, very good experiences. I know some wheelchair users who refuse to fly any other airline
United – wasn’t impressed. I think they pre-boarded me, but they were very insistent that I not push myself through the Philly airport during my connection
JetBlue – perfectly fine
NWA – generally good. I had some minor issues that weren’t strictly disability related when I flew them on my way over in June that I’m really firmly blaming on the Delta merger
KLM – generally good.
BMI Baby (UK discount airline) – fine
Continental – see above
EasyJet – Mixed. Still not sure if I can blame them or Charles de Gaulle for the problems I had there in 2008, but the one time I flew them solo (from Copenhagen to Stansted) I had no problems at all.
SwissAir – no problems from the airline
British Air – I like them UNLESS I’m flying through Heathrow. In Heathrow (at least in terminal 4) they have a “special assistance lounge” that they force even self-propelling chair users into and it’s a whole mess. (When I was there last it was relatively new and an incredibly mess and they nearly made me miss my flight home because people were so stupid about it when things went wrong)
Hmm, yeah, that is a bit odd that they do so well with ‘chairs and did so poorly with Hudson and I.
It really felt like there was a corporate culture problem specifically with the service dogs. The first person I spoke to on the phone said that it was standard procedure to ask ANYONE with a service dog for a doctor’s note. The fact that not only did 3 of their agents mishandle us, but that their customer service defended that action….that speaks to problems far deeper than an individual to me. Their procedure needs to be addressed. It should not be the standard assumption that any service dog is an emotional support dog.
I don’t remember for certain, but I think it was Continental that I had a problem with the flight attendants telling me they couldn’t assist me with putting my baggage in the overhead storage, I had to ask a fellow passenger. Chance it was another airline. Before now, my preference has been for US Airways, as they’ve been the best to me when it was just me.
~Kali
you should contact the folks at consumerist this http://consumerist.com/5030632/delta-makes-woman-with-muscular-dystrophy-crawl-off-plane got a lot of press
I’m just gonna post this here b/c I don’t think there’s another ‘good’ place to put it… Of course, if you already know these things, just disregard.
One of my relatives is getting the whole extended family into using nothing but non-toxic, nature-based products in our homes. It started when he docs thought she had MS, and once she got all her store-bought products out of the house her symptoms disappeared. She’s since done a ton of research and found that a lot of non-mainstream sources are saying that some conditions can be caused and/or exacerbated by toxic chemicals in the home and on/in the body. She’s found a complete line of products with prices comparable to the standard products, but without the nasty crap.
The stuff we’re getting into is a direct sale company, but don’t worry about that part. When you have time, just do some research on household chemicals and see if you think there’s anything that might relate to some (obviously not all) of the trouble you’re having. Some of it shocked the hell out of me, like the contends of Johnson’s baby washes.
I would draft a letter to Continental and point out the contrast between how you were treated on United, and tell them that while, as their cs reps said, ultimately it worked out, obviously you prefer to go with the airline that rolls out the red carpet. With the industry struggling for customers as a whole, the notion that they are losing future business because their reps don’t know what the difference between emotional and physical necessity is and also don’t think of the comfort of their disabled passengers may push them to change their ways and their training.
I just read about your experience with Continental, and I’m not the least bit surprised. I don’t have a service dog myself, but I have flown with my own personal dog under the seat in the cabin many many times. I almost always fly American because my dog is on the large side of the carry-on weight, and they fly the largest planes cross-country. One time we chose Continental and it was a horrible experience from start to finish. When we went to check in we were told the dog could not travel with us and as we contested it nicely the situation escalated. At the end we had a woman at the next checkout stand getting involved and she went so far as to accuse us of abusing our dog by flying with him. We called when we got to our destination and they refunded us our return ticket and we flew back on American. Never again will I fly Continental- I personally think they have issues with animals.
>There was someone with a dog that I suspect was an >emotional support dog (the woman said she had fibro, >but the dog was so tiny that I can’t easily imagine it >being a service dog) on our return flight and they didn’t >seem to hassle her at all.
FYI, a SERVICE dog can be any size or breed. I myself am paired with a Chihuahua. The definition of a Service Animal is one that is individually trained to perform a service that mitigates the handler’s disability. The key is training. Altho he’s tiny, my little guy can retrieve things for me. He gets my pills for me when I ask, or when he senses that I need them. DOWN WITH SIZE-ISM!
>It really felt like there was a corporate culture problem >specifically with the service dogs. The first person I spoke >to on the phone said that it was standard procedure to >ask ANYONE with a service dog for a doctor’s note. The >fact that not only did 3 of their agents mishandle us, but >that their customer service defended that action….that >speaks to problems far deeper than an individual to me. >Their procedure needs to be addressed. It should not be >the standard assumption that any service dog is an >emotional support dog.
I totally agree, Kali. I think a big part of the problem is the whole invisible disability thing. Very few people would go thru the trouble of dragging a wheelchair around just so they could bring their dog on a plane. But it wouldn’t be hard to carry a cane or some crutches to look disabled. I think people automatically feel sorry for anyone in a chair, but tend to look with suspicion on those of us who appear able bodied. After all, no one WANTS to be in a chair. But lots of people would like to bring their dog with them everywhere they go. It seems to be an unfortunate part of human nature to bristle at someone who’s getting “special” treatment. The old, “How come SHE gets to have her dog and I can’t?” thing. Goes all the way back to kindergarten.
PS–I’m pretty sure Continental doesn’t allow ANY dogs on flights, even in cargo.
Thank you for reminding me that service dogs come in all sizes. The reason I was suspicious of her dog being a service dog was that most (obviously not all) of the services I know of being done for people with fibromyalgia really require a bigger dog – things like assistance with walking and balance, which a dog needs to be able to counterbalance you. It’s comparatively rare for a small dog to be a service dog as opposed to an emotional support dog, but you’re right, it happens. Being as much of an exception as I am, I should know better than suspecting that an exception I see isn’t real!
Yeah, the invisible disability thing is terribly frustrating. Even a chair doesn’t ‘protect’ me, I’ve found. People assume that, since I’m healthy looking generally, I must be some kind of a malingerer. Worse, I think, since I began to put on weight. Especially when I’m in a ‘chair or an electric cart at an airport, I almost always get glares. Don’t get me started on the way people look at my handicapped placard, especially when I get out and seem okay until I get Hudson out.
I’m surprised that you had so many issues even after you showed them a service dog ID card. I don’t know what these guys want. You shouldn’t even have to have ID but I know for a fact that the airlines won’t just take a verbal assurance that your dog is a service dog any more. You better have some sort of proof and the more the better.
Sounds like a case of someone looking for things to complain about. What the poster describes is not that much of an issue. As someone with a severe disability myself, it is my responsibility to NOT act like others have to give me special treatment. Life is much more enjoyable when you do that. Having a challenging and threatening tone of entitlement like the person who posted this makes matters worse. You are upset they asked for a doctor’s note? Big deal. Leave being upset for the real transgressions.
Actually, what I was asking for was to NOT be given special treatment. To be treated like every other passenger on the flight who wasn’t asked for a doctor’s note. To not be hassled about my medical condition.
There were only a few instances where I expected ‘special treatment’, and most of those were defined by law – a ‘rest area’ for my service dog, bulkhead seating, and access to my service dog at all times. The expectation of boarding first, as a person with a disability, is both logical (in that I need more time to get settled, particularly with Hudson) and common industry practice.
Now, about my tone. You know what tone arguments are, right? A way to shut people up when they complain about valid issues. Google ‘tone argument’ and you’ll see dozens of people discussing this issue.
Furthermore, I was perfectly polite to every employee I interacted with. I was firm about being given my rights, but polite. This is, however, my blog and place of personal expression.
Defining some transgressions as ‘real’ and others as ‘not real’ is likewise a way to shut people up. It may not be a ‘real’ transgression to you, and that’s nice, but I like my rights and I do view impinging upon them as being a ‘real’ transgression. Whether you choose to defend your rights or not is your issue, not mine. Historically, ignoring “small” infringements on rights just lets people know they can get away with bigger ones. I don’t care to give that impression to anyone.
We’ve posted an article on our site asking service dog owners about their experiences (good and bad) on commercial airlines. we currently have over 40 user comments http://www.servicedogblog.com/2009/12/flying-with-service-dogs-good-or-bad-experience/
Wow, I wish I’d read this before I started calling around. I called Continental first and was treated awful. I found your blog, called United and NO PROBLEM. We haven’t flown yet, I was just trying to get info and make the reservation! I’ll post on our blog about the flight when we go!
I hope your flight with United goes as smoothly as mine did! They really were lovely to me and the boy, though we had a good crack-up when the flight attendant asked me if I’d like to put my bag in an overhead compartment…yeah, that ‘bag’ was Hudson, curled up in a ball under the seat in front of me!
What happens now that United and Continental have merged????
Well, I’m tentatively hopeful. We flew with United this past summer, which was after the merger, and I was nervous. It went very well with one minor issue – they now let their frequent fliers board before people with disabilities, which I am not thrilled with. Other than that, the experience was much as we’d had in the past. No difficulties at ticketing, security was actually really nice (they let me secure Hudson to the scooter and walk through the metal detector so I wouldn’t have to be patted down, which can trigger my PTSD), flight attendants were pleasant, so on. I’m thinking one of the four flights (we had a connection going each way), they couldn’t provide us with bulkhead seats but could give us the ‘economy plus’ that have more room, but to be honest it was half a year ago and I’m not 100% certain. Anyhow, about the boarding order – I prefer when we board before the frequent fliers so that there’s more time and space to get the dog settled, his equipment put away, and medication and books and whatnot put where I want them, but as long as there aren’t many frequent fliers, it’s not too bad.
I have an update! I flew United shortly after posting the United/Continental question on an old United route and it went very smoothly. No problems whatsoever, only friendliness and helpfulness.
That’s great to hear!
But I also hear from United employees that the Continental transition is not going smoothly, so unclear still on old Continental flights w/service dogs.
Has anyone had any experience with southwest? I called and they seemed really helpful and it didn’t sound like I was going to have a problem, but my service dog won’t be done growing so won’t be able to brace yet without injury. They said my verbal confirmation would suffice unless I seemed fishy. *paraphrased* He alerts and retrieves dropped items. It will be his first time flying and doing all of that stuff so I am nervous. I just want things to go as smoothly as possible on the airline relations end of things. Should I bring a doctor’s note just in case?
My understanding (and this is via a friend-of-a-friend) is that Southwest is typically quite good. Remember, even if he can’t brace yet, if he can do things like pick up dropped items and he has completed his ‘public’ training (that is, he knows how to behave appropriately in public), he’s a service dog.
Legally speaking, your verbal confirmation DOES suffice. If you have a vest that has service dog patches on it, that’s helpful because it clearly marks him as a service dog; you might also consider getting tags that say service dog on them. Here’s what the law says: “Carriers shall accept as evidence that an animal is a service animal identification cards, other written documentation, presence of harnesses or markings on harnesses, tags, or the credible verbal assurances of the qualified individual with a disability using the animal.”
Thank you for the reply! It puts my mind at ease to know that as long as he’s alerting on me and/or picking things up for me and behaves he is considered a service dog. I’ll let you know how the trip goes (both there and back) with Southwest once we fly. Probably won’t be for another month or so.
I wanted to make a new reply to this comment, because our last trip put us on Southwest. It went extremely smoothly, and we were treated well by everyone we interacted with. Southwest is definitely our new favorite, with one small warning for those who are not experienced in flying with them: make sure to request pre-boarding so you can snag the seat you want!
I have an update on United — and it’s not good.
Flying this summer (my first time since the Continental merger became more complete), the woman at the LAX counter told me I could not get on the plane without having faxed all the dog’s medical records and mine to the airline. I didn’t even know anyone used faxes anymore. Seriously, a fax machine? Who has one of those? A fax machine???
I do carry all the dog’s records and documents and all of mine, but it felt humiliating to have to hand all of that over, and the experience was exhausting/trying/intimidating/infuriating.
After 45 minutes of her on the phone with their “disability department” (I have never heard of a disability department — is there such a thing?), she finally did say it was ok for me to go ahead, but the experience was nothing like my experiences with United in the past.
Flying with United out of LAX, if you don’t want a showdown, bring along all the doctors’ letters you have, especially if your disability is not clearly visible.
Well, shit. That’s really awful. In the future, here’s a phone number you want to keep handy – 1-800-778-4838 (for people using TTY, 1-800-455-9880). It’s the hotline for people with disabilities for the Department of Transportation, and it exists to straighten out things like this in real time. If you have the wherewithal to do so, this website has all the information for making a complaint about what happened http://airconsumer.dot.gov/ACAAcomplaint.htm (and I think you have a very valid one!).
I’m going to hope that you just got a completely inept person at the counter. Hope. Hope. Hope.
I have an update. I complained to United and they gave me a $50 voucher. Thanks, United.
Their complaints division (or whatever) called me after I complained to their regular 1-800 number. I am not a big complainer but I did want them to know that what happened was unacceptable. I also just wanted them to better train their counter agents at LAX. Employees at one of the largest facilities in the country (world!) should know the basic facts/rules on disabled passengers. I think I probably did get just an inept person (but I fear this is increasingly more likely on United since their merger, according to my friend who’s a counter agent in NYC).
Tragically, my friend in NYC tells me that all my previous service animal travel and (unsanctioned!) details about my disability are in the United database.
I’m flying again around Christmas, I’ll let you know how it goes.
Something else of note especially for Californians. I don’t know if the following is helpful, but it’s something to keep in mind: I have had my dog only for about a year, and at first I didn’t bother registering her with the state of California, because by federal law I don’t have to, and I don’t want to advertise my disability, much less have it registered with the state. But If you “aren’t wearing an eye patch” (as one restaurant manager said to me), having a dog accompany you can be a constant struggle. (This too I understand, because the health department has been coming down HARD on animals in restaurants in CA.) So I finally, finally registered the dog with animal control, as the state of California requires. (For a while, California had this system where you couldn’t register your dog as a service animal unless you swore that you could not pay the regular $15 dog license fee — so if you had $15, you had to lie in order to get a state-approved service animal tag — they’ve fixed that.)
Here’s what I’ve done recently that helps the airline process along: when they ask for your ID at the counter, I say, “Here’s my ID, and I’m traveling with a service dog, and here’s her ID.” I hand both of the IDs over together. So far I have been given no problem (except by United at LAX, above, but I hope that’s all OK now).
Oh yuck, that stinks. A discount on a future flight with someone you don’t want to see again in order to apologize for…the reason you don’t want to see them again. That makes oh so much sense.
Knowing that they’re keeping that unsanctioned database, it might be worth making a complaint to that website I mentioned in my first reply to you.
Very weird situation with the licensing in CA. If we ever end up living there, I’ll have to remember that. (Because of my fiance’s career, we don’t really know exactly where we’re going to be living in the future – where ever he gets a job, you know?)
I do find that having a service dog ID is helpful. My service dog school provides us with one they insist we have on us all the time, so I just give them that. I’ve suggested people look into IAADP (International Association of Assistance Dog Partners) as a possible ID if they don’t have one provided by another organization like you and I do.
Oh, also. When I said, “Tragically, my friend in NYC tells me that all my previous service animal travel and (unsanctioned!) details about my disability are in the United database.” I meant, ” — and yet! They still gave me a hard time at check in!”
I was told an airline could NOT legally ask for any papers or health certificate for a service dog (ie proof of rabies vax, etc.) unless they are flying in cargo, which of course a service dog is not. What if you are flying internationally? What about entry into another state or country? I have HUGE concerns about over vaccinating my tiny 4.5 pup and it seems many countries require re-vaccination upon entry (US being one) regardless if their rabies vax is up to date or not. Over-vaccination is the leading cause of chronic illness in our animal companions today. Hawaii has this list of requirements, which I find to be completely over the top and have told them so.
http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/guide-service-dogs-entering-hawai-i
Any thoughts or experiences to share? I suffer from seizures and cannot leave my pup behind, nor am I willing to give her the chemical tick treatment or have a microchip inserted into her. We would be flying out of LAX to boot. Now I’m not so sure I even want to go……
Well, this is not the airline asking, it’s the state of Hawaii. So what airlines can ask isn’t actually the right question here.
As far as the vaccination issue traveling through different countries, you want to look into the ‘pet passport’ or PETS travel scheme. Basically, you get a passport for your dog that shows certain health standards like a rabies vaccination. As far as vaccinating coming into the US, that is required if your vaccination is out of date, but as long as the vaccination is current and you have proof, I see nothing that requires they be re-vaccinated. I’m looking at this CDC site, for reference – http://www.cdc.gov/animalimportation/dogs.html The big issue is having the proof/documentation of the vaccination, and that it have specific things they look for – not just that your dog was vaccinated, but with what product and what lot number and expiration date of that product, etc.
Personally, I do very strongly recommend the microchip. They’re about the size of a grain of rice, and it’s supposed to be pretty painless to insert. I know more than one assistance dog partner who has had their partner get lost (one during a car accident that severely injured and hospitalized her, one during a violent storm that caused him to be separated from his partner, and one where the dog was attacked by a group of dogs and ran to escape), and been reunited because of the ‘chip. All 3 of those dogs had managed to shed their gear, and 2 of them had no collar/tags when they were found – they very well might never have been returned to their partners without the microchip technology (the third still had her collar, but the tags had been torn away by one of the attacking dogs). I think the ‘chip is more humane than the alternative (a barcode tattoo on the inside of the lip). Those are really the only two ways you can guarantee that a dog will be able to be identified if it is lost.
I sympathize on the question of chemical tick treatments. My good friend Sharon, of can’t tolerate them, due to having Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. I will say, though, that there’s nothing that I know of that legally prohibits them from requiring tick treatment. Also, because Hawaii doesn’t have much in the way of winter, they have ticks year-round, and they’re abundant. They can pass babesia and erlichia, the latter of which can cause a lot of symptoms including immunosuppression – it’s sometimes called ‘canine AIDS’. So while you don’t want the chemical tick treatment, doing it for your trip to Hawaii may make sense and protect your dog.
As far as going to Hawaii, frankly the only point on which there might be legal standing to challenge their requirements is on the prong that requires documentation from a physician for the dog. At least in theory, the ADA states that you aren’t allowed to ask for documentation like that, so I don’t know how they get around that. Apparently Hawaii is ‘allowed some autonomy’ with regard to assistance animals. Then again, they let people related to housing ask for documentation from a doctor, so I suppose it should not surprise me that a state is allowed to ask.
To be honest, though, if you are going to Hawaii and you can’t leave your dog behind, you really don’t have a choice on the microchip and the tick treatments. If you go without doing these things, your dog will not be allowed out of the airport. I’m not exaggerating; this isn’t something you can just push your way through. They will quarantine your dog, and frankly I wouldn’t want to put any animal through Hawaiian quarantine – it’s basically like locking them in a very, very spartan kennel for as long as they are there. You’d be better off finding a good dog boarding facility.
The only bit of good news I can give you is that if you’re in the continental US and flying or driving to somewhere else in the continental US, there is basically no difficulty over requirements for your dog beyond the airline wanting documentation that it is, in fact, a service dog. And at that, legally they have to let you fly if you can tell them what your dog does for you, under the Air Carriers Access Act (ACAA) – unless your dog is an emotional support animal, in which case you do need documentation from your treating doctor.
I do apologize if I sound unsympathetic; I’m not. It’s just that I don’t want you to get tangled up in the law, and unfortunately, your options at this point are to either follow the law exactly or not have your dog with you.
I agree. It seems Hawaii is not very “holistically pet friendly”. đŸ˜¦ At this point I’m going to forego the state altogether. we’ll just go somewhere else….That said, I was looking at the link to the CDC and it does state “Dogs must have a certificate showing they have been vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days prior to entry into the United States. These requirements apply equally to service animals such as Seeing Eye dogs.” Correct me if I’m wrong, but it makes no allowances if the shots are up to date.
Duh! I just re-read the CDC site and it states “at least”, not “within”. I misunderstood that. Sorry!
Now you’ve got it! They want the vaccine to have been long enough ago to have taken effect, and to make certain that your dog didn’t have a rabies infection incubating, because they’re not really sure how long it takes to go from infection to symptoms.
I got off on a Hawaiian tangent, lol. So, would the airline then, be able to ask you for any documentation for your service dog at all?
Legally, if you have an emotional support animal/psych service dog, they can ask for documentation, and refuse to fly you without a letter from the person who deals with your psychological health. If you have a service dog who does non-psych-related tasks, they can’t ask for one. Mind you, most of them still will, but you can just remind them that they aren’t allowed to ask and are supposed to accept things like service dog ID, vests or harnesses, and the word of a ‘credible person with a disability’ regarding their dog’s status. That is to say, theoretically your word alone that it’s a service dog can be enough, but having other items that identify your dog as a service dog makes life easier. I find that handing them Hudson’s ID from his service dog school is the easiest way to deal with them, though I do inform them that his harness that clearly marks him as a service dog SHOULD have been enough. If you want a card to hand them, an ADI (Assistance Dogs International) membership card might do the trick. (Also, if you have a service dog and aren’t a member, I’d suggest at least looking them up! We get Hudson’s heartworm and flea/tick meds free through them, and also the joint supplements he took for a while after he injured his leg, and they have all kinds of services and a nice newsletter)
Thank you, I will look into ADI. So the airlines have never, in your experience, demanded to see a rabies or health certificate? Are they allowed by law to ask for such things? Thank you so much for answering my questions. đŸ™‚
It’s definitely not the common practice. I’ve flown on 4 or 5 airlines going from one side of the continental US to the other, and never been asked, nor do I know of any assistance dog partners who have been asked. From the way the law is worded, it looks like they should only be asking if you’re flying into another country, and that country requires it. It would certainly be required in places that are rabies-free like Hawaii and Ireland; other than that, I’m not sure where you’d run into it.
With the exception I just noted, it doesn’t look like they should be able to ask for health documentation generally for flights within the continental US. The only documentation I know they can ask for is this: if the flight is over 8 hours, they can ask for documentation that the dog will not need to relieve him/herself during the flight, or that it can do so in a way that doesn’t create health/sanitation issues.
*facepalm* Sorry, wrong assistance dog organization. I meant IAADP – International Association of Assistance Dog Partners.
Thanks! I looked at ADI and was a bit confused, lol!
How did Harley do on the flight? I am bringing my service dog with me on a flight from St. Louis to Baltimore, then to Boston for Christmas. I am a bit afraid the noise of the plane will make him nervous. Any pointers?
Well, he’s a very good boy, but Hudson’s first flight was seriously stressful for him.
Your prep starts before the flight. You might want to order a Thundershirt, my trainer swears by them and Rescue Remedy. I am personally not sure about Rescue Remedy, but Thundershirts are amazing! No food for 24 hours before and no water for 12 hours before. You should be okay feeding your dog before you get on the second flight. Make sure you potty your dog before you get on the plane, the dog relief area in most airports is before security. Don’t be surprised if most people don’t know where it is. If the ticket agent does not know, try someone with security.
Bring a supply of really good treats chopped up small and expect to give your dog a lot of them. We like Zuke’s Z filets. Start giving your dog occasional treats once you board. If your dog is still taking them during takeoff, s/he is doing very well indeed! Pet and talk to your dog in a soothing voice.
Oh, and as far as dealing with access challenges, I recommend having a copy of the Air Carriers Access Act with you, parts dealing with service dogs highlighted. I always carry my book of service dog laws published by Assistance Dogs International, and that is something I recommend to all SD partners.
Wow, I totally forgot something important. I recommend pre boarding so you have time to settle your things and your dog before it gets crowded. Most SD partners I know prefer window seats because you never have to worry about people tripping on or stepping on your dog, not to mention the hazard that the refreshment cart presents. I’m the odd one out, I sit on the aisle because I have a touch of claustrophobia.
I’m actually looking to get my new service dog in about a week and will have to fly with him in just over a month after getting him. I’m hoping it won’t be too much stress on him all at once (I’ll be in the car from MN to UT, then flying UT to MN).
I was planning on flying United, so I’m glad to hear that they’re so accommodating. My SD is going to be a GSD and around 75 pounds, so I hope his size doesn’t pose a problem. While somewhat unrelated to this thread, do you think that this will be too much stress right off the bat?
Also, since technically there is no registration body which which we must certify/register our dogs, I really wish that we could all agree on one organization ID card or something. I see the frustration behind not knowing whether or not a SD partnership is legitimate, but at the same time, you’d think they would notice that all of the IDs they’re being presented with are different.
I’m going to look into the IAADP ones, since those seem to be most common. Also, my dog’s vest is black with reflective striping, should I get a red one or something for travel? Just to ease their concerns over the legitimacy of my disability?
United has gotten some negative reviews from SD partners since the merger with Continental, unfortunately, see other comments.
As far as stress, Hudson and I took our first flight together something like 6 weeks after we finished our 3 week orientation/training. It was not real pleasant for either of us, but we made it through and I don’t think it impacted our relationship any. Just above your comment, someone asked me about flight advice, so maybe give that a read.
ID cards are a rather long, involved issue, but at the heart of it, the assistance dog community as a whole feels that having a central agency giving out ID cards creates more problems than it fixes. The way things are allows people with disabilities, dog trainers, and assistance dog schools more flexibility in meeting people’s needs and determining what a dog can and should do.
To my knowledge, the IAADP IDs are among the best because the membership costs are put to good use and there are a number of benefits we receive. The other organizations that give ID cards tend to be for profit companies that don’t have much interest in us.
As far as your vest, any color is fine as long as it is a well-made piece. I would just add patches that say ‘Service Dog’ on them on each side, and consider ‘Do Not Pet’ patches.
Oops, I forgot to address the size issue. I hope for both your sakes that you are a short person! Hudson and I have a tight squeeze, and he is smaller than your dog and I am short. You may want to try to get you and your dog used to your feet being either under or over him, as you may not have room to put them around him. Don’t expect to be able to put a bag under the seat in front of you, as your dog will be there. You do still get the same number of carryon bags, they just all go overhead.
I strongly recommend requesting pre boarding, as that gives you more time to get your things and your dog settled. Most of the SD partners I know prefer the window seat, as it leaves you a little more foot room and means no one ever has to step over your dog.
In many planes, getting bulkhead seats gives you a bit more room. Legally, in the US, you have a right to the bulkhead seats if you request them more than 24 hours before the flight and tell them you have a service dog. Be prepared for them to tell you either that they don’t have the ability to give you that seat or that they are already assigned. Tell them that they are required to by law, section 382.38 of the Air Carriers Access Act. If they still refuse, you can ask for either a supervisor or their disability compliance officer, who is legally required to be available 24 hours a day.
First, thank you for this very nice blog!
I just read the ACAA section 382.38, while it specifies they must give us a seat, it reads as follows; ” (3) For an individual traveling with a service animal, the carrier shall provide, as the individual requests, either a bulkhead seat or a seat other than a bulkhead seat.”
So what, and please correct me if I am wrong, I read in this is, one may sure request a bulkhead seat, but they are NOT required to give it to you.
Yes, we have had some uncomfortable flights. On our last visit my collie had to sit in another location with a kind older gentleman – to keep him safe during take-off and landing which I certainly understood. Would hate to see my dog go flying off and across the entire plane’s interior! Also thanked the gentleman profusely for being his guardian for the “iffy flight times!”
My Service Dog (A full-sized Lassie look alike collie) and I have flown extensively (over 50,000 miles in USA and abroad) on; United, including Express, American Airlines, Swiss and Lufthansa. I always make sure I have my doctor’s latest letter, the vet’s, plus all pertinent vaccine papers, and USDA certificate.
In all but one flight (of over 50), we have been treated exceedingly kind. Once he was even given his very own blanket (to keep) from Business Class. And almost always attendants volunteer to bring water.
I make it a point to not take anything for granted, to be more than kind with humility (real – not super imposed) myself, and always remember to say thank you!
You have in fact gotten that one wrong. What the law says is that you can request the type of seat you need – bulkhead, aisle, window, whatever floats your boat – and they have to give it to you. Hence the ‘as the individual requests’ language. (Legal interpretation is kind of my bailiwick, as I am in the legal field)
I definitely agree that one should be kind to one’s flight attendants. It’s kind of a thankless job, and service dog partners often do have to make more requests than other people. Making requests politely and remembering your ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ can go a long way towards making their long day feel a bit less, well, long. One of my cousins was a flight attendant for about a decade.
While I’ve got a rather acerbic tone here, I really am quite pleasant in person. I make sure people respect my rights, and I politely inform them of what my rights are when they’re ignorant of my rights, but I really only get snarly like this in my own personal space. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t be upset when their rights are trampled on, nor am I making a tone argument, merely stating that that is the approach I choose to use, and it usually works well for me.
CrissCross, how did it go with United?
After giving it some thought, I’ve opted not to travel with them at Christmas. I have been a United passenger a long time, and I have great frequent flyer status with them, but the past couple trips have just been a nightmare. And I was horrified that they keep info about my disability on file. So I’m going to give Delta a try. I’ll let you all know how it goes.
I really appreciate the tip about carrying the Dept of Transport’s 800 number. I’ve written it on the side of the dog’s document folder, just in case. I also appreciate the tip about printing out the Air Carriers Access Act — good idea.
I have a rather large service animal (100lbs). He’s great. It will be my first time traveling with him and I’m very nervous. Im mostly nervous about his size. Has anyone seen a large service dog before? I am on United and it is a bulk head row. I am afraid he will take up the ground of two seat and disrupt another passenger but, I need to take him with me. Have you seen this?
Oh my, that is a big boy! I haven’t seen a dog bigger than the 65-75 lb range on a plane. If he can’t fit in your foot space, they can ask you to purchase a second ticket. If the plane isn’t full, ask if they can sit you next to an empty seat instead, or if there’s anywhere you can fit with your dog. My understanding is that if there is somewhere else that the dog can fit (even if it’s away from you) without blocking an aisle or an exit row, you can ask them to let the dog stay there. If your dog can’t fit anywhere in the cabin, they have to transport the dog in the hold for free – but you have to have a kennel that fits the requirements to ship a dog.
Jessica have you flown yet??? if so how did it go??
I am traveling with a 140lb dog. but I have gotten 2 seats and i am in the bulk head… but i am praying for a not full flight also.
I flew United and everyone treated me very well. As soon as I arrived at the terminal however a representative told me that I would have to buy a second seat if Gustav too up too much space. I was worried, but as soon as I got on the plane I saw that they had left a seat next to mine open purposely. The staff was wonderful, they all loved him. It was a 9 hr flight and they brought him water and treats all the time. He did take up 2-3 spaces in the bulk head row, luckily the person sitting 2 seats away didn’t mind his presence. All in all I think that I was more nervous than I should have been, things went perfect.
I’m so glad to hear your flight went so well! I’ll admit, I was nervous for you, flying with a dog that big. My boy is a handful about how much space he takes up, he totally needs 2 spaces and he’s only 65 lbs!
Oh, been there done that. Contenintal is horrible. Alitalia is bad as is TAP airlines. TAP…well….all I can say is check out my blog, as I dont even want to retype and relive what happened there….http://largodoesrome.blogspot.com/
Here’s some more:I liked flying with TAP with regards to my treatment with my guide dog. We were welcomed(after about 78 emails back and forth) and treated well on the flight. HOWEVER: I am still, AFTER 3 weeks, MISSING LUGGAGE!!!!!
NOW: Here is the story…upon landing I was missing 3 pieces of luggage(I am staying in Italy, off and on for a year or so, so I had alot, and my first trip is 5 months long, and needed food for my guide dog)
Within 7 days or so, my guide dog’s box/crate was delivered—_BROKEN!!!!!
There was also one bag with the crate(one still missing). That bag was missing her dog food(she eats a special GRAIN FREE food that is very very expensive here in ITaly to acquire), a guide dog harness, her dog coat(she is cold here in Italy), Some of my clothes(church and dress up clothes for special occasions) and some other stuff. The total cost of the missing items from the BAG THAT WAS DELIVERED? 2000.00 EUROS. Now, I am on a pension. My pension is less than 700Euros a month. I have saved up for 2 yrs to be able to make this trip. I cannot afford to replace these items. I even had to cancel my time in Naples area to come to Rome to try to care for it. I will probably have to cut my “pilgrimage” short due to this. I have sent many many emails. To date they have given me an “advance” of 200 Euros.
Cripes! That sounds deeply miserable, and horrendous. It is good to know about – only so many airlines go to each place, and it’s good to know about the ones that don’t do well. I hope that you are able to get adequate compensation, though obviously that doesn’t really make up for the mucked up trip and the frustration and all the time they’ve taken from you. I’m very sorry to hear that such a mess was made of your vacation – these things are so precious to us, especially those of us living on limited incomes, and it seems like some companies are completely cavalier and uncaring about how they affect them. It may be time to call in my own profession, the lawyers, and I hope you are able to get one who will not take too much out of the renumeration. If you can afford it, it is often cheaper to pay a lawyer a set fee than to pay them on contingency (because this way you’re taking the risk – if they get paid on contingency, that is only if you get paid, they are betting on winning but acknowledging a risk that they might lose and get nothing, but if they get paid a set fee they get paid regardless, so there isn’t the risk in there for them).
As of this last trip cross-country to visit my parents, I have found my holy grail airline for travel in the US: Virgin America. The bulkhead seat is their ‘main cabin select’, which means you’ve got 38″ of space – double what is normal on the tighter planes nowadays. For people buying tickets into those seats (as opposed to us, who bought regular main cabin seats and got put there because legally they have to if I ask for it because of the service dog), it’s a significant premium, so the middle seats on both the flight out and back were empty, which meant my dear Foof had plenty of room to stretch out. Also, their seats are wider than the shrinking industry standard, which was a significant increase in comfort, as neither I nor the fiance are skinny people. They were lovely on the phone and moved us to the right seats with minimum fuss, even though they’d been booked separately because my fiance needed to stay longer for a conference happening near my parents’ house. The ONLY question re: the dog, both directions, was someone at the check-in counter who asked, “Is that a service dog?” No asking after documentation, no fuss, nothing, just asked if he was a service dog and accepted my answer. It was wonderful and really felt like…well, like being treated like everyone else. I requested pre-boarding, to have time to get the dog settled and things arranged, and that was easy. On the flight back, I was flying by myself because my fiance was at a conference, and they brought my bags on and loaded them into the overhead with no fuss – other airlines have made me ask other passengers to help me. On both flights, a flight attendant checked in with me to make sure Foof’s needs were seen to when they were doing their drinks service. I needed help getting into one of my bags on the flight where I was by myself, and it was brought down for me and put back up with no trouble. I really can’t say enough about how well I felt like I was treated on the flight, and how much more comfortable we were with all that extra space. We had lucked out and bought the tickets on a fare sale, so we ended up paying a little more than 1/2 what we normally pay to go cross-country, but we’ll probably stick with them even at higher prices. To be treated better than anywhere else has, and more comfortable than on anyone else…well, it’s worth more than a little. (Also, we can get a direct flight, which cuts transit time by about a third, even when you figure in that this airport is about an hour farther away from my parents’ house.)
Here’s More of that story:
A clock made of flowers that actually tells time? If only we could wear it on our wrist! http://bit.ly/tap_geneva_en
Timeline Photos
”
So basically, TAP AIRLINES ARE THEIVES> BEWARE. THEY WILL LOOSE YOUR LUGGAGE AND THEN NOT PAY YOU FOR IT.
1) They are lying. I have a witness who was with me, who will testify that they were told in Miami, that the container contained service dog, and other medical related equipment and some clothing and a computer and a regulator and bcd.
2) Further I was told that the money that I received in Rome was “down payment” on the claim, as I needed to be able to purchase some of the things that were missing.
3) Further, even without the items that were not medical in nature, the cost of the items that were missing were far in excess of the measly 1000.00euros that was given to me. There were two missing service dog harnesses, both of which total a cost of 1000.00 euros(one harness will cost me over 750.00 euros to replace, the other will cost me about 275.00euros to replace.). The dog food that was in the container runs 99euros each per bag, there were three bags of food in the containers. That is another 300.00 euros. The leashes/collars were more than $300.00 euros in value. The crate, which was found and delivered, was damaged, and it is valued at over 200Euros, and the dolly that was attached to it to make transporting it is valued at $100.00 euros.
4) You can’t come back and “punish” someone at a later date, for something that your attendant CHOOSE TO ACCEPT A MONTH EARLIER WITHOUT CHECKING. She was asked several times if she should not pull the three bags out, and that I was willing to pay for one of the bags if she desired. She CHOOSE NOT TO.
HENCE I SHOULD NOT BE PUNISHED FOR THAT A MONTH LATER AND HELD HOSTAGE AT THE AIRPORT.
5) Further, according to your website, if I had had to pay for the bags, I would have, at worst paid 40.00*USD) for the first bag, 75.00(USD) for two bags, and 150.00(USD) for all three bags. That is what I came prepared to paid.
HOWEVER< I HAVE A LETTER FROM YOUR ORGANIZATION STATING THAT I WOULD BE ALLOWED TO HAVE THOSE BAGS CONTAINING SERVICE DOG EQUIPMENT AND OTHER MEDICAL RELATED EQUIPMENT FREE OF CHARGE. You are simply trying to justify stealing from a person who is disabled on a pension who has saved for years to take that trip.
6) The bag on the flight contained medications AND OTHER DURABLE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, which you ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CHARGE FOR, ACCORDING TO THE ACAA AND THE EU EQUIVALENT.
Simply put, you are attempting to excuse theft.
And, I will continue to post this on your wall daily and on my websites and I will contact the EU organization that regulates flights, and will contact the ACAA regarding this, as well as I have been in contact with a solicitor regarding this. He says that, with all the ILLEGAL PAPERWORK that you 'required' when I booked the tickets(I couldn't afford to loose the cash that I paid for those tickets.)so I couldn't afford to cancel and rebook, that I have an excellent case for "discrimination" in the US and the EU.
"
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES ROCKS when it has come to assisting me with what Mazie and I need when we travel! Mazie has been my 89 lb yellow lab helper for almost 7 years now and we have had wonderful experiences on Southwest. One time when my connection was just minutes after landing, the PILOT of the jet I’d just disembarked from, took Mazie out to do her business, and brought her back for me! Another time, Mazie had gobbled a bunch of pecans (fallen from trees in my dads backyard) in Alabama before I left to catch my flight back home. She threw up over and over in the plane. I was so upset, but the flight attendant brought the little ‘blankets’ they give you if you’re cold and showed me how to let Mazie puke on one, sprinkle coffee over the puke, then fold the blanket over so she wasn’t hanging over her vomit and told me to do it over and over each time so Mazie wasn’t laying in or over her puke. I was so grateful for the compassion. I was almost in tears anyway because my dog was sick! I have only praise and appreciation for the excellent employees at Southwest Airlines!!
I am about to fly on Virgin America for the first time with a Service dog.. I did book the bulk head just so i could get the free food. Plus i have a Saint bernard to pull my wheelchair. I have also never flown with being in a wheelchair. so has anyone ever flown Virgin America that is in a wheelchair and or with a service dog?
I mentioned in one of the other comments that I’ve flown Virgin America with my service dog, and it was far and away the best experience I’ve had on a plane with him. I use a scooter and my furrier half, Hudson. You’re going to be cramped with a dog that big, and I hope he’s very well trained to lie at your feet and not spill over. Have you flown with a service dog before? You only have a right to the space that is YOUR foot space, you don’t have a right for your dog to be in other people’s foot space. With 2 seats, and in the bulkhead row, you’ve got a chance. If you have time, having your dog practice laying at your feet curled up so they aren’t taking up too much space is a good idea. My dog tends to…creep…even though he’s very well trained, so I have to keep checking to make sure he’s not invading other people’s space. He’s 65 lbs, and on a Virgin America flight, he still managed to creep into someone else’s space when there was a seat between us! He can be a bit of a pain in the butt. Anyhow, my advice is to tell the other person in your row (if there is one) that you apologize in advance if your dog starts crowding into their space and to please tell you if it does happen. The guy in my row was very nice about it when Hudson got in his space, and I felt like talking about it in advance meant that he would say if he was being bothered before he got angry, if that makes sense. It seems to me that sometimes, people avoid talking about a service dog annoying them because they feel like they aren’t allowed to, so they won’t until they are absolutely furious and lose their temper.
Anyhow, I wish you luck on your flight! Sorry I didn’t get your comment up (or respond) earlier, I dislocated a couple of ribs and…well, I haven’t been out of bed much, and I can’t use my computer in bed without hurting my neck.
Thanks for the post. A lot of good information in it as I am in the process of getting my dog certified as a service dog for emotional support.
An emotional support dog has a COMPLETELY different set of laws. What I wrote here doesn’t apply. Legally, they can require you present a letter from a licensed medical health professional (therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, etc) that is less than 1 year old, on that professional’s letterhead. It must state that you have a mental illness as defined by the DSM VI, the dog is necessary to your health, and you’re under that medical professional’s care.
Apparently, some airlines will call the medical professional to verify the letter.
Please, PLEASE don’t try to take your emotional support dog on under service dog rules, because you may be denied!
Yes, I am aware of the fdifferent guidelines. Getting the necessary paperwork. Thanks!
I like checking into this conversation once in a while, to see what others’ experiences are, and to give updates. Last year I was incensed to discover that United keeps the observed details of my disability on file. Since then, I’ve been flying Delta, and guess what: they do the same thing. (Of course!)
There’s no such thing as privacy anymore.
That said: I haven’t had any problems with Delta in the past year (I travel a lot). They’re much better than United/Continental these days.
So, I may have missed this if someone already explained but I have a dumb question. I found this when I was looking up info about traveling with my service animal. I was under the impression that all I needed was to have a legit and documented disability and train him the service task or tasks I need and he would be my service animal and be able to fly with me and have access to pretty much everywhere. Everyone keeps talking about the airlines wanting an ID for the dog and documentation. Do I need that? Where do I get that? I was under the impression that the online places that made IDs for service animals were scams. I know I don’t legally need a vest or any sort of gear to indicate that he is a service animal but I got a vest and some patches to make my life easier. So what paper work do I need exactly? I’m confused.
I’m not planning to take him on a plane anytime soon. I’ve got the service task down and that’s great but now I’m working on getting him comfortable in public places and trained and all that fun stuff. It’s like he forgets all of his training when we go to a public place. I have one of those invisible disabilities and Comet doesn’t really look like a service animal although he’s starting to do pretty well with everything even in public places.
KK Advice would be much appreciated.
Hi Leslie, and welcome!
Legally, you don’t need an ID or documentation for a service dog. It is helpful, but not legally required. I do recommend that people become members of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP), which gives you card that identifies you as a service dog partner. I mostly suggest that because it’s got good benefits, like a newsletter and free flea and tick medication and whatnot; the card is just a bonus.
You’re absolutely right that what you need is a legit disability and a dog who is trained specifically to mitigate your disability (and has the training to behave appropriately in public). Yes, the places that do IDs for service animals online are scams. I’m not completely certain why airlines so often ask for service dog ID; I think it’s just a quick and easy way for them to assess the credibility of a service dog. If your dog is behaving appropriately, you can describe the tasks he is trained for if asked, and he has a vest and patches that identify him as a service dog, legally that should more than cover all your bases. It won’t be as quick and easy as it is for those of us who have ID cards issued by our programs, but you should be okay. Personally, I wouldn’t want to give any money to the ID mills – they’re making it easier for people to pretend they have service dogs, and I don’t want my money going into their pockets. There are enough people with fake service dogs without these businesses!
It sounds like you have a lot of work to do with proofing! Getting down the ‘public face’ is a big challenge for most dogs. We are, after all, asking them to do a lot of things that are contrary to their instincts in a distracting environment. I don’t envy you training that! When you’re doing public work, I hope you’re starting with relatively low distraction public places and working up towards more exciting/difficult ones – the smaller the steps you’re taking, the better you set your dog up to succeed.
Anyhow, I hope that’s helpful!
Thank you. I’m glad my research was right. I’ll look into that.
Yeah, I’ve started with taking him to the grocery store at night when it’s slow and I live and work in a hostel so I use the distractions and craziness of a hostel as a training tool. He is actually doing really well. We went on a bus for the first time and he did well. We also went to the doctor’s office and he did pretty good. He’s insanely smart and learns things fast. It’s fun to watch him figuring out what is expected of him…I can almost see the wheels turning. He is still very young (somewhere between 1 and 1 1/2 years old) and is picking everything up fast.
Thanks for the info!
Can anyone tell me if and how I can fly on United with just a therapy dog?? I’m actually trying to fly with two(I know I’ll need to buy 2 plane tickets)but with my physicians paperwork in just my name and not the second passengers will that work?? Really any advise flying with United with a therapy/emotional support animal would be much appreciated!! Thanks!!
You are being punished because so so many people abuse the system. I just flew with an obnoxious woman in front of me with her “service dog” in his internet-ordered vest. It was clearly her pet.
The solution is national service dog licensing that eliminates any compromise of your privacy and ensures proper treatment of those who have a real service dog,
I don’t know that I agree with you about a national licensing body for service dogs. Here’s the thing: in order for there to be a national licensing body, we need to develop a standard of some kind. The thing with standards is that it’s easy to leave people out. I know of people in the UK who can’t take their service dog with them because it wasn’t trained by the national service dog organization. They need the dog because they have uncontrollable blood sugar or heart issues that the dog can sense, but because the UK has a system that doesn’t include training dogs for what they need, they can’t have the dog.
Setting up a system that deals with a variety of kinds of service dogs would be extremely complicated, and expensive. Getting a service dog is already prohibitively expensive; do we need to add to the cost? If we don’t put the cost on service dog partners, who shoulders it? At a time when politicians are constantly trying to chop apart the parts of the budget that actually provide services that help individuals, I sincerely doubt that we’ll get money for a new government office. The easy solutions would mean leaving out people with more unusual disabilities. How would licensing work? Would we operate on a trust model – the same trust model that is being abused now? Or would we require some kind of verification (which could be easily faked, if all you’re asking for is a doctor’s note or a trainer’s note)? Or would you want the dogs to have to pass some kind of inspection? While that seems to offer the best possibility of sorting real service dogs from fakes, it would be extremely expensive. You’d need inspectors all over the country. You’d need to create some kind of standardized test, and train the inspectors in administering that test. You’d still risk leaving out people with more unusual disabilities. Also, the inconvenience would be massive. I can only imagine the waits to have your dog inspected, because let’s face it, nobody is going to fund something like this appropriately. And what are you supposed to do until your dog can be inspected? Go without and hope your dog’s skills don’t fade away as you leave him/her at home? Take the dog without a license and be refused in places?
There aren’t any easy answers to the situation, unfortunately. The current system is trying to respect people’s autonomy and allow for multiple training models (service dog schools, individual trainers, and owner-trainers). I have trouble envisioning another system that doesn’t leave some of us out in the cold – and we’re already pretty disenfranchised just by being people with disabilities. We don’t need another hurdle.