On two recent flights (on CO from MSY to EWR and on UA from SFO to JFK) the person sitting next to me did not know my dog was even on the plane until after we had landed and I removed the pet carrier from under the seat. (I did sneak a quick look inside to see if my dog was alive and his furry little head confirmed that he was.) On one of his first flights he did scratch at his carrier for a few minutes, but he calmed down and was fine. He also does not like to fly Business Class because the increased leg room puts him further from my feet and he is not as sure that I am still nearby.

I think this was an isolated incident on this flight. I saw a picture of a dog representative of the breed of dog involved and it could have been subdued by a cat...... I also believe the woman traveling with the dog was quite elderly and she may not have been aware of the rules. Not an excuse, but maybe an explanation. I have found that nearly every person who travels with an in-cabin pet is super particular about following the rules. They could probably weed out some of the riff raff by more strictly enforcing the health certificate requirement. Going to the vet ahead of time costs a few dollars.