Fake Service Dogs
Aug 12, 2009, 7:09 am
#46
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 317
Huh. I came in here looking for a link to the "double miles" promo I think I signed up for and came across this thread.
As someone who has assisted in testing for therapy dogs (who are not service dogs) I have asked people why they want to have their dogs certified and have been shocked by the amount that have told me it is so they can bring the dog with them into stores, on planes, etc. Which really irritates me because not only are they misinformed but they are also taking advantage of organizations that test and rely on donations to do so knowing full well the dog will never do an hours worth of volunteer work. Therapy dogs are not service dogs unless the dog also is certified to become a service dog under certain conditions (one of mine is, one is not). So... anyway the OP's post is not striking me as too unusual.
Love the fish shoes. "Looks like somebodys been shoppin' at the Goodwill!"
As someone who has assisted in testing for therapy dogs (who are not service dogs) I have asked people why they want to have their dogs certified and have been shocked by the amount that have told me it is so they can bring the dog with them into stores, on planes, etc. Which really irritates me because not only are they misinformed but they are also taking advantage of organizations that test and rely on donations to do so knowing full well the dog will never do an hours worth of volunteer work. Therapy dogs are not service dogs unless the dog also is certified to become a service dog under certain conditions (one of mine is, one is not). So... anyway the OP's post is not striking me as too unusual.
Love the fish shoes. "Looks like somebodys been shoppin' at the Goodwill!"
Aug 12, 2009, 7:29 am
#47
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Yes my cynical FA - the story IS true
After going to so much trouble to "fake" a service dog, why would the "faker" immediately admit to a nosy, intrusive stranger that the dog provided no service. Sounds like they were having fun winding up an already irritated busybody!
If I were in the position of needing to travel with a service animal, my response to such an inquiry would be, "Excuse me?", followed by, "Why would you ask a complete stranger such a rude question?", if you persisted.
Sounds to this FA that you were just ****** off that got some extra elbow room while you did not!
As to writing to UA about this... What a complete waste of time. They would no more take action on this than they would insure that all FAs are polite, courteous and friendly.
Aug 12, 2009, 7:54 am
#48
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Another thing I wonder: is it really $500 R/T to send a dog on DEN-LAX? That's about 3x what I've paid in the past for a human (myself).
I'm less concerned about the fee evasion technique. Airlines set up arbitrary and bogus fees all the time; we (yes, us, the FT community) set about finding loopholes and ways to avoid the bogus fees. Some think the fees are exorbitant or unethical; others think the loophole exploitation is unsavory or unethical.
My only concern here is that if the technique became widespread, it would bring legitimate service dogs for the blind and physically disabled under a higher degree of scrutiny. It doesn't sound like there's a simple, standardized ID card that people can carry for a certified guide dog, but rather a bunch of informal paperwork that is sometimes required, sometimes not. (I know even less about other animals...I've seen occasional clips of monkeys performing services, but we're usually talking about a dog here.)
The worst case would be if some major publication did a "Travel Tips" write-up saying "Save pet cargo fees...slap a Service Animal vest on your pooch!" As we here know (and routinely laugh about), most mainstream publications' "Travel Tips" are useless at best, outright incorrect at worst.
I'm less concerned about the fee evasion technique. Airlines set up arbitrary and bogus fees all the time; we (yes, us, the FT community) set about finding loopholes and ways to avoid the bogus fees. Some think the fees are exorbitant or unethical; others think the loophole exploitation is unsavory or unethical.
My only concern here is that if the technique became widespread, it would bring legitimate service dogs for the blind and physically disabled under a higher degree of scrutiny. It doesn't sound like there's a simple, standardized ID card that people can carry for a certified guide dog, but rather a bunch of informal paperwork that is sometimes required, sometimes not. (I know even less about other animals...I've seen occasional clips of monkeys performing services, but we're usually talking about a dog here.)
The worst case would be if some major publication did a "Travel Tips" write-up saying "Save pet cargo fees...slap a Service Animal vest on your pooch!" As we here know (and routinely laugh about), most mainstream publications' "Travel Tips" are useless at best, outright incorrect at worst.
Aug 12, 2009, 8:08 am
#49
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A couple of comments...
Yes, it really is $500 RT for a large kennel. While this does seem at bit high, I can tell you that there is considerable extra handling involved. Just checking in at the counter can take lots of time. You have to show a health certificate, pay the extra fee, have the kennel checked for compliance, etc. And with the shift to automated checkin machines, there are precious few real agents left. The fee is the same for any domestic flight - distance or number of connections doesn't matter.
Regarding how much the airlines check the legitimacy of service animals...
I asked my nephew, who has a service dog. He tells me the level of scrutiny vary greatly flight to flight but generally it's pretty light. Given the confusion and complexity expressed in previous posts, this doesn't surprise me.
Yes, it really is $500 RT for a large kennel. While this does seem at bit high, I can tell you that there is considerable extra handling involved. Just checking in at the counter can take lots of time. You have to show a health certificate, pay the extra fee, have the kennel checked for compliance, etc. And with the shift to automated checkin machines, there are precious few real agents left. The fee is the same for any domestic flight - distance or number of connections doesn't matter.
Regarding how much the airlines check the legitimacy of service animals...
I asked my nephew, who has a service dog. He tells me the level of scrutiny vary greatly flight to flight but generally it's pretty light. Given the confusion and complexity expressed in previous posts, this doesn't surprise me.
Aug 12, 2009, 10:20 am
#51
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 228
Better question: why would I take the time to fake such a
post.
post.
I'm in sales and I'm paid to be charming.
You're displaying precisely the kind of "attitude" passengers get from so many FAs.
They would no more take action on this than they would insure that all FAs are polite, courteous and friendly.
In my personal experience, I've never seen a passenger with an assistance animal that hasn't clearly and quite obviously had a disability.
Fact is I have a nephew with cerebral palsy that has a service dog and he doesn't get bent out of shape when people express curiosity about his dog, or for that matter his physical disability.
Last edited by hat attack; Apr 21, 2018 at 7:37 pm
Aug 12, 2009, 10:28 am
#52
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Only for foreign carriers (the only service animals they have to accept are dogs).
Here's an excerpt from the narrative introduction to the revised rule:
http://airconsumer.dot.gov/rules/Part%20382-2008.pdf
?.Here's an excerpt from the narrative introduction to the revised rule:
Because they make for colorful stories, accounts of unusual service animals have received publicity wholly disproportionate to their frequency or importance. Some (e.g., tales of service snakes, which grow larger with each retelling) have become the stuff of urban legends. A number of commenters nevertheless expressed concern about having to accommodate unusual service animals. To allay these concerns, the Department has added language to the final rule specifying that carriers need never permit certain creatures (e.g., rodents or reptiles) to travel as service animals. For others (e.g., miniature horses, pot-bellied pigs, monkeys), a U.S. carrier could make a judgment call about whether any factors (e.g., size and weight of the animal, any direct threat to the health and safety of others, significant disruption of cabin service) would preclude carrying the animal. Absent such factors, the carrier would have to allow the animal to accompany its owner on the flight. Any denial of transportation to a service animal would have to be explained, in writing, to the passenger within 10 days.
...
There are new, more detailed procedures for the carriage of emotional support and psychiatric service animals. The carrier may require the passenger to provide current documentation from a licensed mental health professional (e.g., a medical doctor that is treating the passenger’s mental or emotional disability or a licensed clinical social worker) caring for the passenger that the passenger has a specific, recognized mental or emotional disability and that the passenger needs to be accompanied by the specific emotional support or psychiatric service animal in question, either on the flight or at the passenger’s destination.
Certain unusual service animals need never be accommodated (e.g., rodents, snakes). Other uncommonly used animals (e.g., miniature horses, monkeys) can travel as service animals on U.S. carriers, but the carrier can decide to exclude a particular animal on a case-by-case basis if it is too large or heavy to be accommodated on a given flight. Foreign carriers are not required to carry service animals other than dogs. We will seek further comment in the SNPRM on whether there are safety-related reasons for excluding animals that may be specific to foreign carriers.
...
There are new, more detailed procedures for the carriage of emotional support and psychiatric service animals. The carrier may require the passenger to provide current documentation from a licensed mental health professional (e.g., a medical doctor that is treating the passenger’s mental or emotional disability or a licensed clinical social worker) caring for the passenger that the passenger has a specific, recognized mental or emotional disability and that the passenger needs to be accompanied by the specific emotional support or psychiatric service animal in question, either on the flight or at the passenger’s destination.
Certain unusual service animals need never be accommodated (e.g., rodents, snakes). Other uncommonly used animals (e.g., miniature horses, monkeys) can travel as service animals on U.S. carriers, but the carrier can decide to exclude a particular animal on a case-by-case basis if it is too large or heavy to be accommodated on a given flight. Foreign carriers are not required to carry service animals other than dogs. We will seek further comment in the SNPRM on whether there are safety-related reasons for excluding animals that may be specific to foreign carriers.
Aug 12, 2009, 10:45 am
#54
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You actually answer your own question in a way. Some people do have a fear of flying and a dog may help them overcome that fear.
Aug 12, 2009, 10:57 am
#55
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 57
I think that service animals are a great tool for those that rely on them. You have seen these animals, the perfectly behaved and trained ones.
I think emotional support dogs are a crock in MOST cases (exclude the posters relative with Cerebral Palsy, and others with genuine disabilities). People love their pets and can now bring them wherever they like just by getting a doc’s prescription.
Aug 12, 2009, 11:30 am
#56
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: NE
Posts: 195
As a flight attendant, I don't doubt that there are passengers willing to shamelessly take advantage of the ill-defined rules concerning service animals, but this story doesn't sound legit to me.
After going to so much trouble to "fake" a service dog, why would the "faker" immediately admit to a nosy, intrusive stranger that the dog provided no service. Sounds like they were having fun winding up an already irritated busybody!
If I were in the position of needing to travel with a service animal, my response to such an inquiry would be, "Excuse me?", followed by, "Why would you ask a complete stranger such a rude question?", if you persisted.
Sounds to this FA that you were just ****** off that got some extra elbow room while you did not!
After going to so much trouble to "fake" a service dog, why would the "faker" immediately admit to a nosy, intrusive stranger that the dog provided no service. Sounds like they were having fun winding up an already irritated busybody!
If I were in the position of needing to travel with a service animal, my response to such an inquiry would be, "Excuse me?", followed by, "Why would you ask a complete stranger such a rude question?", if you persisted.
Sounds to this FA that you were just ****** off that got some extra elbow room while you did not!
I don't think the OP was being "nosy and intrusive". I think he was probably having a friendly chat with the couple. And I doubt his inquiry was "rude" either.
I believe his story. And I am a flight attendant. Are you kidding me, hat attack? You've been flying so long and you don't know some of the crap people will pull?
I also travel with my little 5 1/2 lb. papa-poo, and you wouldn't believe how other dog-lovers confide in you. I've heard some...uh....questionable things people have tried when they travel with their pets. The story is totally believable.
And I would be ticked too if I knew that I would have had an empty seat next to me, and know I didn't because of the couple's scam!
Aug 12, 2009, 11:35 am
#57
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Aug 12, 2009, 2:18 pm
#60
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 144
The worst case would be if some major publication did a "Travel Tips" write-up saying "Save pet cargo fees...slap a Service Animal vest on your pooch!" As we here know (and routinely laugh about), most mainstream publications' "Travel Tips" are useless at best, outright incorrect at worst.
http://www.servicedogblog.com/2008/0...-service-dogs/