Iirc, attacking someone's service dog is Felony assault in the US, so United not only have an obligation to say sorry, they are obliged to hand over any surveillance footage they have to the authorities for potential criminal charges against their employee.
Iirc, attacking someone's service dog is Felony assault in the US, so United not only have an obligation to say sorry, they are obliged to hand over any surveillance footage they have to the authorities for potential criminal charges against their employee.
this is assuming something bad actually happened and from what i could see nothing as sinister as this person is claiming actually happened.
Um, I do have to make this clear again... Attacking someone's service dog is felony assault. Because it's functionally no different than kicking someone's walking stick away from them.
Nor is berating someone for asking for assistance with reading their documents "just bad luck", particularly when they have already explained they have problems they need help with.
I'm not sure what more they would have needed to do to qualify as "bad treatment" to you?
In regards to the treatment of his service dog, it is absolutely unacceptable to treat any animal, let alone a disabled veteran's service dog in such a manner. However, I have one issue with this story. In his video he mentions he DROVE to the airport to pick up his lost bag. He claims to not be able to read the reservation due to PTSD and brain injuries. Can someone explain how he is able to drive (as I understand) but cannot read a reservation? BTW, the flight schedule is below for his flight. As you can see, it operated everyday except for the 15th. I feel bad for the guy but his story seems very embellished or the details are not correct.
Some disabled people can drive, but have problems reading small print. Some disabled people can read just fine, but can't drive. Some disabled people can walk, but can't stand in a queue for more than a minute... Not every disabled person fits into your standardised identification of 'disabled'.
In regards to the treatment of his service dog, it is absolutely unacceptable to treat any animal, let alone a disabled veteran's service dog in such a manner. However, I have one issue with this story. In his video he mentions he DROVE to the airport to pick up his lost bag. He claims to not be able to read the reservation due to PTSD and brain injuries. Can someone explain how he is able to drive (as I understand) but cannot read a reservation? BTW, the flight schedule is below for his flight. As you can see, it operated everyday except for the 15th. I feel bad for the guy but his story seems very embellished or the details are not correct.
His story may, or may not, be embellished (I have no idea since there are no closed captions), but driving and reading are two very different skills. I know several good drivers that can't read. I don't see how this can be used as a reason to say he embellished the story.
Can you elaborate on what the flight schedule proves?
In regards to the treatment of his service dog, it is absolutely unacceptable to treat any animal, let alone a disabled veteran's service dog in such a manner. However, I have one issue with this story. In his video he mentions he DROVE to the airport to pick up his lost bag. He claims to not be able to read the reservation due to PTSD and brain injuries. Can someone explain how he is able to drive (as I understand) but cannot read a reservation? BTW, the flight schedule is below for his flight. As you can see, it operated everyday except for the 15th. I feel bad for the guy but his story seems very embellished or the details are not correct.
1. You are assuming that he operated the car when he said he drove. I often use the verb "drove" to indicate the method of travel when what I mean is "traveled in a car not necessarily operated by me"
2. With a traumatic brain injury, the ability to do certain things can depend on the person's stress level - part of the job of the service dog is help them manage the stress to remain able to function. I know several brain injury persons who lose the ability to "see" small things in front of them when their stress skyrockets.
3. I thought everybody on FT knew by now what the airlines post isn't always correct. More than once I've seen on airline websites that a flight has landed when it hasn't even taken off. Generally I know it hasn't taken off because the person I'm supposed to pick up is on the phone telling me they are still at the gate waiting for a runway so they can take off, or there's a mechanical delay, or whatever the airline excuse du jour is for being late.
And no matter what anyone feels about those with brain injuries, there is never any excuse for asking someone if they are "retarded" when they ask for help.
I'm a longtime flyertalk member and contributor. I look at the Disability Travel forum once in a while because my husband sometimes needs to travel with a wheelchair. I am stunned at the responses in this thread. I did view the entire youtube video about the repeated problems Mr. Stanek had during his trip. Previous posters, did you? He had a travel ordeal if ever there was one.
This wounded veteran (three tours in Iraq, wake up people) has a service dog to help him cope with daily life. He is severely disabled, he just doesn't look like it. Service dogs take a long long time to train, they are custom trained to the recipient of the dog and his or her needs. "Sarge" is now being evaluated to be sure that she can even continue to function as a service dog. She was deliberately and maliciously KICKED not once, but twice, by uniformed United Airlines ground agents. "Sarge" was in her service dog uniform, this can clearly be seen in the video Stanek made of her during his flight. I cannot fathom kicking a dog, let alone under the circumstances described. Both of the employees who kicked the dog should be immediately fired.
I think Mr. Stanek should retain legal counsel and pursue this matter to the fullest extent possible. His video is sincere and I find no reason to think his story is at all embellished. He got mixed up about the dates, that's completely understandable. It's clear is that he shouldn't try to travel without a companion, that's how bad air travel is these days. The only mistake I can see that he made is he didn't pack his own medications and dog's food in his carry-on. Other than that, the entire onus for what happened to him is on United Airlines.
Thank you, Dianne. Sometimes people need to take a step back. You are right on all counts: first, the gentleman served three tours of duty in Iraq. My gratitude to him on that score alone is immense. Second, the dog was clearly identified as a service dog while at the airport. Even had she not, I cannot imagine a circumstance (other than being attacked) when kicking a customer's dog is ever appropriate. This working dog may never be able to work again, which means all of the time, energy and money invested in her training (not to mention the bond between her and her owner) would have been destroyed, and for what?
Not all disabilities are visible and readily apparent. Calling a customer "retarded" is not something I can even begin to understand. The vet may have some neurological issues, but those United representatives? Something is missing from their hearts and souls, and that's a lot harder to fix . . .
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skylady
I cannot imagine anybody kicking a dog, whether it was a service dog or not!
Sadly it's something that does happen. The owner of a service dog can get abuse too, given my unpleasant experience a few years ago in SW London with a service dog user.
Not all disabilities are visible and readily apparent. Calling a customer "retarded" is not something I can even begin to understand. The vet may have some neurological issues, but those United representatives? Something is missing from their hearts and souls, and that's a lot harder to fix . . .
When I first read this thread and watched the video, I was so upset I entirely forgot to mention the pejorative name-calling. Deplorable and absolutely unforgivable. "Something missing from their hearts and souls, indeed."
Here's the thing, I worked for 5 years as a ticket counter and gate agent - at a major hub. I used to go down to ops (below the gates area) to be sure dogs checked as baggage were being brought out of the heat between flights, then I would go down again to be sure they got on their right aircraft at the last minute. Sometimes the rampers would get so busy they could forget and leave a dog crate outside. This is how ground agents are supposed to carry out their work day, and I had plenty that were frustrating and difficult, lots of people screamed at me. But we always took special care with disabled travelers of any type. This was 30 years ago, I guess the caliber of airline employees has really changed.
I cannot fathom the treatment Mr. Stanek received at IAD. He should have been handled by a supervisor or higher from moment one, and that supervisor should have put him on an alternative flight immediately. For him to have been stuck at Dulles for two nights is simply inconceivable. Also, there is a very nice USO facility in the baggage claim area at Dulles. Someone there could have helped him and accompanied him as he dealt with the hopeless UA ground personnel. Unfortunately, travelers today have to be super-prepared for any eventuality. Airline personnel won't help people as they should.
I'm going to be following this story, after all ABQ is my home airport. Mr. Stanek runs an organization that rescues dogs from the pound (AKA death sentence) and matches them with veterans, they train together. It's a truly noble cause and mission. Check out his organization's Facebook page and website - pawsandstripes.org - for updates and more information.
The owner of a service dog can get abuse too, given my unpleasant experience a few years ago in SW London with a service dog user.
