jan_az

So I call UA to book the service animal ( not for me guys ); am told - sorry have to pay $85 one way and the other way there is no pet space. I explain there is a doctors note etc - agent says uhuh and I have notated the record. A search of the UA website does not clearly delinate what is and is not a "service" animal. Anyone have any experience with this?


Oh and if it matters - the dog is 8 pounds and will be in a carrier
TIA

aisleorwindow

Educate me: What is an "anxiety reducing dog"? What do they do? How are they different from a regular dog?

pinniped

What about an anxiety-inducing pinniped?

Hey, if a potbelly pig can fly in F on US Airways, I think they ought to let the 8 lb. dog in a carrier on United. Not all that different from a cat, and I see those all the time.

DENPremEx

Anxiety reducing dog??? Isn't that a little like arguing a blow up doll is a companion?

melampus83

Just a guess, but unless you have a legal documented disability and the dog is assisting for that, I doubt UA is going to let you by.

johnndor

I'm not sure I understand - is there a fee for service animals?

Also, there is sometimes a limit on # of animals, so if the flight is full (no space) it may already have one animal per cabin booked.

camachinist

I know someone (a fellow timesharer) who trains anxiety-reduction dogs and, according to her, for someone so disabled (anxiety/panic attacks apparently are considered a disability), the dog is considered a service animal with appropriate medical certificate for the patient. There are also dogs which can sense dangerous changes in blood sugar (I assume by sensing the breath or sweat excretions of the patient) for diabetics and alarm and are also considered service animals.

The critical thing IMO is having proper medical documentation of the disability and, of course, the proper health/immunization/vaccination certificates for the animal.

Pat

JohnnyJet

I know the airlines do take service animals being used for emotional reason. I was on a flight about a year ago ORD-TPA, with a dog sitting next to me. It was a mutt as opposed to a Labrador or German Shepard normally used as a seeing eye dog. I asked the owner about the dog and she told me that she has anxiety attacks and that the dog "calms her."

Anyone remember the saga or the pig that went crazy on the US flight a few years ago? I specifically recall reading that it was on board for emotional support.

NotThatTed

Another thread makes it seem as though the standards for service animal are pretty low.

But the .bomb says they're allowed at no extra cost. I think the agent misunderstood your original request. If you have proper documentation, I would hope UA would follow what the doctor says about it being a service animal.

cepheid

Just to add another data point, I personally know someone whose dog is certified as a service animal for "emotional health" (i.e. anxiety reduction). The dog flies for free.

Of course, now I'm trying to figure out how to get my own dog certified... my Pom definitely reduces my anxiety, what little of it I had!

emma dog

Oh, I certainly do. I was going through a period where I hated Corporate America, and especially US Air (I was the 1P equivalent at the time) so when they came out saying that the only allowable helper animals could be of the dog and cat variety, I wrote a "Dear US Air" letter asking if I could bring my "helper gerbil" on the plane describing in lurid detail how it wouldn't bother anyone because it would be in my seat for the whole flight.

My wife was very unhappy when someone from US corporate called her to inquire about my gerbil issues.

FWAAA

Any mention that the dog will be in a carrier undercuts the claim that it's an emotional support animal. Service animals aren't caged. They sit at the feet of the disabled individual.

The agent misunderstood. Sevice animals fly free. On all US airlines.

cepheid

I'm sure you do, but (a) this thread is not about whether pets should be allowed in the cabin or whether someone likes them there, it's about whether service animals fly for free and whether an anxiety-reducing dog counts as a service animals; and (b) there will be a continual chance of encountering animals in the cabin until such time as the UA changes its policy on in-cabin pets (which could happen) and the ADA's provision for allowance of service animals is repealed (which will never happen).

That is not true in the case of an animal that is there for mental/emotional health. The mere proximity of the animal, knowing that it is there, may be enough for many people, and therefore leaving it in the carrier might be the most prudent course of action to minimize the discomfort of other passengers. Additionally, pets certified as service animals for "anxiety reduction" purposes are rarely trained as "full" service animals (e.g. guide dogs and other helper animals), meaning they are not under the same control that those trained service animals are. Trained animals can be voice-controlled; untrained animals may not be. A carrier is therefore strongly recommended, if not required, in order to ensure that the animal is under control at all times (as the service animal provision doesn't give free reign for uncontrolled animals).

For these reasons, I don't think that mention or inclusion of a carrier undercuts its status as a certified service animal at all, as it is not meant to be a "helper" animal (e.g. guide dog) but only a companion (albeit a "medically-necessary" one).

jan_az

Thank you

Based on all your input, I think that I will take the doctors note and PNR with me to airport on Weds ( oh how they are going to love dealing with this on Weds) and see if I can get a live agent who understands and will properly notate that PNR. ( Wish I could take my 60 lb mutt on board with me )

Ari

The amount of misinformation in this thread is amazing.

A service animal is an animal that performs a specific "service" in response to a stimulus. That of course includes but is not limited to a "seeing-eye" dog, the animal most commonly associated with the term "service animal". Other examples of service animals include:

• Auditory alert animals (that alert hearing-impaired individuals to important sounds like a smoke alarm),
• Medical alert animals (that alert disabled individuals of an oncomming medical threat such as a migraine or seizure-- these are very rare)
• Medical response animals (that respond to a medical threat by attracting attention so others get help-- i.e. call 911-- or that protect a disabled individual from muggers and the like in the case of unconsciousness)
• Mobility assistance animals (that provide mobility assistance like pulling a wheelchair or acting as an "animate crutch" for balance-challenged individuals)
• A helper monkey (yes, that is considered a service animal!)

Now then, a subset of service animals aid individuals with psychiatric disabilities. Remember, a service animal is an animal that performs a specific "service" in response to a stimulus. A person who has chronic bad dreams may have a service animal that is trained to wake him up during such a dream. Delusional persons may have a service animal that orients that person to reality. Anxious individuals may have a service animal that responds to anxiety or panic attacks by nudging or licking the handler.

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An animal that provides relief from anxiety simply by virtue of being there is not a service animal because it does not provide a service in response to a stimulus.

These animals are called "emotional support animals." Worry not, though, because these emotional support animals are allowed to travel in the same way that a service animal is. (That is, not confined to a carrier, free of charge, no cabin limit on qty, etc).

The only difference is that a person with an emotional support animal is should carry documentation (like a doctor's note) whereas a person with a service animal need not. In fact, it is prohibited to ask from what disability someone with a service animal suffers. It is prohibited to ask for proof of a disability or proof that an animal is a service animal. (It is permissible, however, to ask what service the animal performs which may give away what a person's disability is.)

In answer to your question, an emotional support animal is not a service animal, but the only functional difference is that carriers can ask for “proof” that an animal is an emotional support animal whereas carriers are prohibited from asking for proof that an animal is a service animal.

Not relevant-- though the dog need not be confined to a carrier.

I hope this information is helpful.