Fake Service Dogs
Aug 12, 2009, 2:28 pm
#61
Join Date: Sep 2004
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(but you are assuming that the screener will notice the fish 
)
Aug 12, 2009, 2:29 pm
#62
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Aug 12, 2009, 2:29 pm
#63
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Melbourne, Australia; NYC, LHR, GVA
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She had the right idea [Traveller hires entire business class for her dog]
Traveller hires entire business class for her dog
A BOXER dog was allowed to fly in business class with its owner after she paid more than $38,000 ($US32,000).
A 60-year-old Israeli woman, known only as Rivkah, paid for an entire compartment to carry her, her boxer Orchuk and a vet on the four-hour flight from Paris to Tel Aviv.
A BOXER dog was allowed to fly in business class with its owner after she paid more than $38,000 ($US32,000).
A 60-year-old Israeli woman, known only as Rivkah, paid for an entire compartment to carry her, her boxer Orchuk and a vet on the four-hour flight from Paris to Tel Aviv.
Aug 12, 2009, 3:06 pm
#64
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Orlando
Programs: Delta-Million miler
Posts: 1,312
Middle seat protector
These dogs do a great service for their masters. They are called middle seat protectors. They are also used as leg warmers, for keeping the foot elevated, for testing peanuts and other airline food for allergens, for sniffing out what is served in the first class, as prevention device for front seat recliners, etc. They are also known to help owners disembark the plane ahead of others. Generally cute furry animals are favored. Large ferocious animals do not qualify. However, they are protective of their territory and do not allow any daring and poor middle seat occupant.
Aug 12, 2009, 3:22 pm
#65
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 144
http://www.peanutdog.com/
Today's society scares me.
Aug 12, 2009, 5:59 pm
#66
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: OSL/IAH/ZRH (time, not preference)
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Posts: 38,265
I someone is so afraid of flying that they cannot do it safely, a plane just might not be the best place for them.
Aug 12, 2009, 6:04 pm
#67
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Posts: 11,377
Aug 13, 2009, 12:42 am
#68
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Berlin and Buggenhagen, Germany
Posts: 3,509
You may be kidding about this, but guess what, it's not a joke:
http://www.peanutdog.com/
Today's society scares me.
http://www.peanutdog.com/
Today's society scares me.
What a great solution. The cost of dog training can be easily recovered in saved transport cost.
Till
Aug 13, 2009, 4:59 am
#69
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Orlando
Programs: Delta-Million miler
Posts: 1,312
Socialization
There is also a suggestion that pets can't be kept in isolation and have to be "socialized." In other words, either you can take 2 or more dogs or declare yourself as the companion dog and both go free!
Aug 13, 2009, 4:13 pm
#70
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: NE
Posts: 195
Quote:
Originally Posted by soitgoes
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.
The reason for the dog may have nothing to do with flying in and of itself. The person could have agoraphobia, xenophobia (fear of strangers), or any number of other fears.
Originally Posted by soitgoes
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.
The reason for the dog may have nothing to do with flying in and of itself. The person could have agoraphobia, xenophobia (fear of strangers), or any number of other fears.
Aug 13, 2009, 9:31 pm
#71
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Aug 14, 2009, 9:09 am
#72
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Central Texas
Programs: Many, slipping beneath the horizon
Posts: 9,859
"A couple of questions, there, Mister.....
Are you the disabled person listed on the tag?
Are you willing to provide evidence of your disability, either now, or documented by fax or mail.?"
I know a couple of physicians who hand out the "prescriptions" required to obtain such tags with the same level of "need" which pediatricians used to provide lollipops for their young patients - back before sugar was evil and corn syrup was the Devil's brew. I suspect that if you complain loudly enough of the itch, a hang tag prescription is available for sufferers of chronic athlete's foot.
Of course, the practice probably does not harm the truly disabled, since local requirements call for "disabled" parking slots equal to about 25% of the store's customer capacity as certified by the local fire mar shall.
Then there are those electric shopping carts provided by the supermarket chains. A bit oversized my self, I'm sympathetic to the overflowingly obeses' need to be borne about aisles, but watching some of the driver-shoppers skipping nimbly in from the parking lot's non-disabled spaces raises natural suspicions. Of course, having recently been run plumb over by a suspiciously operated cart, I'm in a rant mode.....
Aug 14, 2009, 10:22 am
#73
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Traveling the World
Posts: 6,075
I am livid
I am so livid that this couple would do such a thing. What if another passenger had a service dog and really needed that seat and there was yet another passenger with another service dog that needed to be there both having disabilities? Its like crying wolf. This couple needs to be fined for this illegal act. The doctor is under oath and can be fined too for a false prescription. I want to train a service dog and take it to hospitals around the country so that the dog can fly with me. I would never fathom making a false statement just to save $500 dollars. Its not fair to passengers that pay the $500 dollars to find out that another passenger faked the system. How rude and inconsiderate and I hope they get into trouble not just from United but from the government and possibly be added to the TSA Watchlist.
Aug 14, 2009, 10:58 am
#74
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: MSY
Programs: NW Gold and now Delta Gold
Posts: 3,072
I don't take the story at face value. The couple has a service dog, and you decided to snoop into their life story and why they might be deserving of the service dog. Rather than describe their private medical and psychological problems, they told you the story you expected to hear. Sure, it's all a gag, and a medical doctor just made up a prescription for the service animal on demand.
More likely, their emotional/psychiatric needs for the service dog are none of your damn business, and you were told a little fable. Many people would rather be viewed as clever rather than be viewed as mentally ill. Especially if the illness was caused by something totally awful and out of their control, such as a stress disorder caused by rape or violent crime or being involved in a serious accident. They don't especially feel like reliving the experience by chatting about it to YOU, and I for one don't blame them.
You are not a medical professional, nor am I a medical professional, so I am going to assume that the doctor who issued the prescription is more qualified than I to decide if these people need the help of a service/therapy animal. And if you snoop into anyone's private medical business, then a tall tale is all you should expect, because a tall tale is all you deserve.
Share the spurious with the curious, as they say.
A snoopy person the next seat down does not deserve my life story. They deserve a fairy tale, and that's what they're getting.
Seriously, you accuse these folks of being dishonest...with everyone except YOU, the stranger. Think about what you are saying. You're not special. People are allowed to lie to you. They're on an airplane, not under oath.
Sure, they yanked your chain, and you know what? Good for them.
As for those who want to make instant judgments of who is, and who is not, disabled, I wish upon they and theirs all the joys of a post traumatic stress order or something like that, so they can understand first hand what it's like to be judged by others for not looking sick enough.
Don't snoop into people's private business, and you won't hear so many lies. If someone has a service animal, why not consider being polite and not commenting until such time as that person makes a decision to confide in you? Are we still in second grade? A person has a problem that you can't help with, in any way whatsoever, except by doing them the simple courtesy of ignoring it. Why is that so hard? If you think you could save $500 by faking a mental illness, then I think you have no idea of the true costs of having such a diagnosis. If the dog is not a service dog, when you travel, have a friend take care of him at your house and save the $500 that way. Or take your pets by car, that's what I do.
More likely, their emotional/psychiatric needs for the service dog are none of your damn business, and you were told a little fable. Many people would rather be viewed as clever rather than be viewed as mentally ill. Especially if the illness was caused by something totally awful and out of their control, such as a stress disorder caused by rape or violent crime or being involved in a serious accident. They don't especially feel like reliving the experience by chatting about it to YOU, and I for one don't blame them.
You are not a medical professional, nor am I a medical professional, so I am going to assume that the doctor who issued the prescription is more qualified than I to decide if these people need the help of a service/therapy animal. And if you snoop into anyone's private medical business, then a tall tale is all you should expect, because a tall tale is all you deserve.
Share the spurious with the curious, as they say.
A snoopy person the next seat down does not deserve my life story. They deserve a fairy tale, and that's what they're getting.
Seriously, you accuse these folks of being dishonest...with everyone except YOU, the stranger. Think about what you are saying. You're not special. People are allowed to lie to you. They're on an airplane, not under oath.
Sure, they yanked your chain, and you know what? Good for them.
As for those who want to make instant judgments of who is, and who is not, disabled, I wish upon they and theirs all the joys of a post traumatic stress order or something like that, so they can understand first hand what it's like to be judged by others for not looking sick enough.
Don't snoop into people's private business, and you won't hear so many lies. If someone has a service animal, why not consider being polite and not commenting until such time as that person makes a decision to confide in you? Are we still in second grade? A person has a problem that you can't help with, in any way whatsoever, except by doing them the simple courtesy of ignoring it. Why is that so hard? If you think you could save $500 by faking a mental illness, then I think you have no idea of the true costs of having such a diagnosis. If the dog is not a service dog, when you travel, have a friend take care of him at your house and save the $500 that way. Or take your pets by car, that's what I do.
Last edited by peachfront; Aug 14, 2009 at 11:13 am
Aug 14, 2009, 3:37 pm
#75
Used to be 'g_leyser'
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Brandon Johnson International Airport (expect delays)
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Posts: 10,039
I don't take the story at face value. The couple has a service dog, and you decided to snoop into their life story and why they might be deserving of the service dog. Rather than describe their private medical and psychological problems, they told you the story you expected to hear. Sure, it's all a gag, and a medical doctor just made up a prescription for the service animal on demand.
More likely, their emotional/psychiatric needs for the service dog are none of your damn business, and you were told a little fable. Many people would rather be viewed as clever rather than be viewed as mentally ill. Especially if the illness was caused by something totally awful and out of their control, such as a stress disorder caused by rape or violent crime or being involved in a serious accident. They don't especially feel like reliving the experience by chatting about it to YOU, and I for one don't blame them.
You are not a medical professional, nor am I a medical professional, so I am going to assume that the doctor who issued the prescription is more qualified than I to decide if these people need the help of a service/therapy animal. And if you snoop into anyone's private medical business, then a tall tale is all you should expect, because a tall tale is all you deserve.
Share the spurious with the curious, as they say.
A snoopy person the next seat down does not deserve my life story. They deserve a fairy tale, and that's what they're getting.
Seriously, you accuse these folks of being dishonest...with everyone except YOU, the stranger. Think about what you are saying. You're not special. People are allowed to lie to you. They're on an airplane, not under oath.
Sure, they yanked your chain, and you know what? Good for them.
As for those who want to make instant judgments of who is, and who is not, disabled, I wish upon they and theirs all the joys of a post traumatic stress order or something like that, so they can understand first hand what it's like to be judged by others for not looking sick enough.
Don't snoop into people's private business, and you won't hear so many lies. If someone has a service animal, why not consider being polite and not commenting until such time as that person makes a decision to confide in you? Are we still in second grade? A person has a problem that you can't help with, in any way whatsoever, except by doing them the simple courtesy of ignoring it. Why is that so hard? If you think you could save $500 by faking a mental illness, then I think you have no idea of the true costs of having such a diagnosis. If the dog is not a service dog, when you travel, have a friend take care of him at your house and save the $500 that way. Or take your pets by car, that's what I do.
More likely, their emotional/psychiatric needs for the service dog are none of your damn business, and you were told a little fable. Many people would rather be viewed as clever rather than be viewed as mentally ill. Especially if the illness was caused by something totally awful and out of their control, such as a stress disorder caused by rape or violent crime or being involved in a serious accident. They don't especially feel like reliving the experience by chatting about it to YOU, and I for one don't blame them.
You are not a medical professional, nor am I a medical professional, so I am going to assume that the doctor who issued the prescription is more qualified than I to decide if these people need the help of a service/therapy animal. And if you snoop into anyone's private medical business, then a tall tale is all you should expect, because a tall tale is all you deserve.
Share the spurious with the curious, as they say.
A snoopy person the next seat down does not deserve my life story. They deserve a fairy tale, and that's what they're getting.
Seriously, you accuse these folks of being dishonest...with everyone except YOU, the stranger. Think about what you are saying. You're not special. People are allowed to lie to you. They're on an airplane, not under oath.
Sure, they yanked your chain, and you know what? Good for them.
As for those who want to make instant judgments of who is, and who is not, disabled, I wish upon they and theirs all the joys of a post traumatic stress order or something like that, so they can understand first hand what it's like to be judged by others for not looking sick enough.
Don't snoop into people's private business, and you won't hear so many lies. If someone has a service animal, why not consider being polite and not commenting until such time as that person makes a decision to confide in you? Are we still in second grade? A person has a problem that you can't help with, in any way whatsoever, except by doing them the simple courtesy of ignoring it. Why is that so hard? If you think you could save $500 by faking a mental illness, then I think you have no idea of the true costs of having such a diagnosis. If the dog is not a service dog, when you travel, have a friend take care of him at your house and save the $500 that way. Or take your pets by car, that's what I do.
Oh puh-leeeeeeeeeze. You cannot possibly be serious.
Your post is so completely off base, I don't even know where to start.
You are actually saying that the OP is rude for exposing these people as frauds, and then you continue by claiming the frauds were "just joking"? And you base that on what, exactly? Why on EARTH would they make that joke?