Service dog taking up whole row
Aug 27, 2018, 1:24 pm
#61
Join Date: Aug 2018
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My son has a service dog for epilepsy. A few notes about them.
And more importantly, what you experienced was dangerous for you AND the dog.
- They aren't machines or robots. They're animals. They do sometimes lick (or, if scared, bark, etc.)
- Yes, people can buy stuff to make them look official.
- Yes, people DO buy stuff to make their pets look like service dogs. That makes me sad.
- If a case of true NEED, I'm willing to make some sacrifices as a passenger - though I expect the airline and the person with the animal to make some as well.
And more importantly, what you experienced was dangerous for you AND the dog.
Aug 27, 2018, 2:59 pm
#62
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The other thing that bothers me is that any “complaint” made by an inconvenienced pax forces them to be the bad guy. It is basically, be inconvenienced or make a fuss about it.
I know there are many out there who don’t care about that or getting the evil eye, and to those people that is great. But just the same, there are many others that do, especially in situations like this where the other pax may not fully know the real story of why the animal is “needed”.
Point being, if you are paying for a ticket, you should get what minimal foot space comes with said ticket without having to make a fuss about getting it.
I know there are many out there who don’t care about that or getting the evil eye, and to those people that is great. But just the same, there are many others that do, especially in situations like this where the other pax may not fully know the real story of why the animal is “needed”.
Point being, if you are paying for a ticket, you should get what minimal foot space comes with said ticket without having to make a fuss about getting it.
Aug 27, 2018, 3:11 pm
#63
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My son has a service dog for epilepsy. A few notes about them.
And more importantly, what you experienced was dangerous for you AND the dog.
- They aren't machines or robots. They're animals. They do sometimes lick (or, if scared, bark, etc.)
- Yes, people can buy stuff to make them look official.
- Yes, people DO buy stuff to make their pets look like service dogs. That makes me sad.
- If a case of true NEED, I'm willing to make some sacrifices as a passenger - though I expect the airline and the person with the animal to make some as well.
And more importantly, what you experienced was dangerous for you AND the dog.
I think that last line is actually a very important point. Unless I'm mistaken, true service animals are not easy or cheap to obtain and keep. The few instances where I've encountered what I know to be a true service animal (most commonly LEO dogs and seeing eye dogs), their handlers are extremely protective of and strict with them when it comes to interacting with other people.
Aug 27, 2018, 3:26 pm
#64
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Thanks for this perspective.
I think that last line is actually a very important point. Unless I'm mistaken, true service animals are not easy or cheap to obtain and keep. The few instances where I've encountered what I know to be a true service animal (most commonly LEO dogs and seeing eye dogs), their handlers are extremely protective of and strict with them when it comes to interacting with other people.
I think that last line is actually a very important point. Unless I'm mistaken, true service animals are not easy or cheap to obtain and keep. The few instances where I've encountered what I know to be a true service animal (most commonly LEO dogs and seeing eye dogs), their handlers are extremely protective of and strict with them when it comes to interacting with other people.
Aug 27, 2018, 3:52 pm
#65
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With all the arguments aside (and no apparent resolution here - LOL) - I would ask for a ticket refund. You contracted with Delta for a seat and the legroom that comes with it. Delta did not deliver said product. The reason why is not your fault, but Delta's. Ask for a refund.
Aug 27, 2018, 4:11 pm
#66
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Aug 27, 2018, 4:47 pm
#67
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Don't expect any useful commentary.
Aug 27, 2018, 5:32 pm
#68
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There are a lot of working service dogs other than seeing eye dogs. Seeing eye dogs by the nature of their work have to be "on duty" pretty much all the time, and do require incredibly high levels of specialized training. There are many other types of service dogs that perform extremely useful functions for their owners but aren't as regimented as seeing eye dogs.
Aug 27, 2018, 5:32 pm
#69
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Aug 27, 2018, 8:07 pm
#70
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There are a lot of working service dogs other than seeing eye dogs. Seeing eye dogs by the nature of their work have to be "on duty" pretty much all the time, and do require incredibly high levels of specialized training. There are many other types of service dogs that perform extremely useful functions for their owners but aren't as regimented as seeing eye dogs.
Such as? Please know I am genuinely curious. I know there are dogs trained to identify distress in their owners and get help (like a seizure or something), but I'd imagine those are just as specialized and "on duty" as seeing eye dogs. I also know there are dogs trained to perform certain physical tasks (retrieving things, opening doors, etc.) for owners with limited mobility. But again, I would expect those dogs to be relatively well trained and thus strictly cared for.
Aug 27, 2018, 8:41 pm
#71
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Such as? Please know I am genuinely curious. I know there are dogs trained to identify distress in their owners and get help (like a seizure or something), but I'd imagine those are just as specialized and "on duty" as seeing eye dogs. I also know there are dogs trained to perform certain physical tasks (retrieving things, opening doors, etc.) for owners with limited mobility. But again, I would expect those dogs to be relatively well trained and thus strictly cared for.
Aug 28, 2018, 6:33 am
#72
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I don't think this should matter at all once the dog, its owner, and the person in the next seat are on the plane. Whether the owner is a fraud or totally dependent on the dog, this third party should not have to share his paid for space with her dog. Now, some people might not have a problem sitting next to the dog, but that is completely at their discretion. The airline needs to be able to accommodate allowed animals, including peacocks if they are allowed, on the plane without inconveniencing other paying customers. This is not that difficult, except that airlines want to scrounge for every revenue dollar they possibly can and figure that the dog's neighbor, despite paying for the unencumbered space where his feet are supposed to be, should just suck it up.
Aug 28, 2018, 6:50 am
#73
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Most of us here would be glad to see that - and there are few fees the major airlines wouldn’t want to collect.
Which implies their lawyers have found the guidance offered by DOT on compliance with the law isn’t clear enough to allow for a fee policy.
Or is there a systems issue for issuing a second ticket like for a person of size?
Aug 28, 2018, 7:03 am
#74
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I, for one, would prefer that people with bona fide service dogs not be charged extra for the dog. These are people who cannot move around without the dog. People aren't charged for wheelchairs on planes, there are no tolls for using handicap ramps. I am willing to pay a ticket price of an additional two cents or whatever it costs to help defray the minimal cost of making space for honest to goodness service dogs. If you want talk emotional support animals, don't get me started. I might add that I do not require a service dog and know of no one who does. I just think it's the least our society can do.
The reality is many people just use an existing pet as an ESA but there's no reason airline policy needs to accomodate that.
The problem with this is that the airline would have to 1) get their staff trained on differentiating between the two and 2) set some sort of standards on how big is "too big".
Aug 28, 2018, 9:56 am
#75
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I know people are pushing back with stuff like "just be glad you don't need a service animal" or "I'd rather have a dog taking up my space than a delay" and all that. But I think your complaint is perfectly valid and was presented perfectly fine for this forum. Air travel forces a million small annoyances and indignities on to a person. And a lot of them there's nothing you can do anything about. You just have to live with it. So why should you happily just accept someone forcing yet another inconvenience for you explicitly for their own convenience? I'm all about minding my own business and if somebody is doing something that doesn't impact me then I don't care. But anything taking up what little space an airline seat allows, be it because of a too large bag, a passenger who doesn't fit in their seat, or a "service animal" of questionable pedigree - these are all things that are forced upon other passengers by individual passengers that care more about themselves and an airline crew that hopes you'll just accept it rather than making them have a difficult conversation with the perpetrator.