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Girl “Injured” By “Support Dog” On Flight
- On Feb 21, an incident took place involving a young girl (6-7 yrs old) while boarding plane.
- Southwest says dog “scraped” girl’s forehead with teeth (AP).
- Dog reportedly “support” pet of another passenger.
Flip For Why It Matters
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Consider The Context
Drama-Filled Month
- In late January, a United Airlines passenger made national headlines when she tried to bring a peacock named Dexter on a flight as a “support” pet.
- United denied the peacock a seat and a debate about “appropriate” support animals ensued.
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Why This Is Important
“United had been reviewing its policy since late last yearA afterA a 75% increase in emotional-support animals on flightsA and a a significant increase in onboard incidents.a
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Why Is This Happening?
Possible Explanations
- Support pets, like service animals, fly free.
- Support pets do not receive the same rigorous training as a “service” pet, which can lead to more “incidents.”
- No hard firm rules about acceptable “comfort” animals on flights.
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Airlines: Reviewing Rules
- Stricter regulations on “comfort” animals resisted by some who say increased documentation unfair to the truly disabled.
- Current rules purposefully very broad; spiders are clearly NOT considered comfort pets, but did you know miniature horses are included in The Americans with Disabilities Act as “service pets”?
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Just For Kicks: Dexter, the peacock, may not have "frequent flyer" miles but he has his own instagram account.
Read
Sources
- Girl injured by dog during boarding for Southwest flightA https://apnews.com/f29933c0a6f242d8828fa7cd51498a4a
Unlike service animals such as guide dogs, support animals need no training. However, passengers can be asked to show a medical professionala s note explaining why they need the animal to travel.A Southwest started reviewing its policy even before Wednesdaya s event, Ford said. Starting next week, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines will require more paperwork and assurances from owners of support animals.A Both Delta and United said they have seen a sharp rise in the number of support animals in the last year or so. Last June, a 70-pound (32-kilogram) dog flying on Delta as a support animal bit a passenger in the face severely enough that the man required hospital care. - Dexter:A https://www.instagram.com/dexterthepeacock/
- A duck with a window seat? How a emotional supporta critters are getting on your flightA http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article201164864.html
- An emotional support peacock? Comfort animal or not, some airlines saying no as rules are tightenedA https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2018/01/31/airlines-tighten-rules-comfort-animals-rather-than-wait-dot/1083895001/
- Following peacock fiasco, United Airlines tightens policy for comfort animalsA https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2018/02/01/united-joins-delta-updating-policies-deal-flood-comfort-animals/1086683001/