Therapy pets - I am getting on my soap box

Abrowneyegirl · ‎03-15-2010

I have noticed a trend lately of reports of people taking their 'therapy' pets on planes. If you declare the animal is a therapy pet the animal can travel with the owner thus avoiding the normal animal transport fees.

There has been a HUGE rise in reports/ complaints of fellow passengers being bit or injured by the animals. (I am sure the animals are stressed and upset)

I propose that if you are taking a therapy animal on a plane the airline should demand- in addition to current vet records of vaccines that the owners must have proof of LIABILITY INSURANCE to cover any incidents involving the animal.

This rant EXCLUDES Service dogs of course!!! There is a HUGE difference between therapy pets and service dogs.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

The only time I've ever flown on a plane with pets aboard they were required to be in a crate and able to fit under the seat in front of you. Now - yes, people really stretched the rule as some of the pets I saw were so jammed into those carriers I don't know how they could breathe.So, anyway, I have no idea how a pet inside a crate could bite anyone. That said I did once see an Irish wolfhound on a plane in a seat. He was a show dog. Perfectly behaved. He had a muzzle on and a seat belt with shoulder strap holding him in his seat - he was by the window and his owner was in the seat next to him. He had a sign on him asking that no one stop & speak to or touch him. He was loaded on the plane before anyone else got on and was in the last row in the rear of the plane.

sidsmom · ‎11-25-2011

This issue is a well-worn topic in the news.

Yes, we’ve heard about a dog biting a kid recently,

the Emotional Peacock, the girl flushing her Emotional Hamster

down the airport toilet, the Emotional Duck...and various animals.

United/Delta recently put their foot down declaring the need

for extensive documentation before boarding w/ an

Emotional Support Animal.

There’s a paradigm shift taking place w/ ESAs...it’s slowly

becoming a thing of the past & a non-issue.

Guarantee 5yrs from now, we won’t see any animals other

than the guide animals.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

@Abrowneyegirl Yes I agree. The huge difference is those therapy dogs are rarely trained at all. An undisclipined dog is a nuisance to everyone.

Bri36 · ‎02-20-2017

I'm waiting for the posts about pets or kids on flights.

LOL

chrystaltree · ‎05-10-2010

There was story this week about a child who was bitten by an "emotional support" dog. I assume the airlines just pay the vicitms and make them sign a non disclosure agreement. This isn't something the airlines want to in the news and they can't go back on a very bad policy that they, themselves made. It's just the crazy world we live in because aren't ALL pets for emotional support??? I wonder how people with serious allergies handle the animal situation when they fly. What happens if you have a cat allergy and through no fault of your own, you find yourself sitting next to one?

dex · ‎03-09-2010

We were on a flight where a couple had a puppy in a crate but the puppy was not happy about it.That poor dog howled the whole trip but the air personnel would not let the couple take it out of the cage.They said yhey had medicated the dog but it had the reverse affect.Some passengers were getting really irate and I was worried that we would have an incident.Thankfully the flight was only four hours and people behaved themselves as best they could.

dex · ‎03-09-2010

@chrystaltree

@chrystaltreewrote:
There was story this week about a child who was bitten by an "emotional support" dog. I assume the airlines just pay the vicitms and make them sign a non disclosure agreement. This isn't something the airlines want to in the news and they can't go back on a very bad policy that they, themselves made. It's just the crazy world we live in because aren't ALL pets for emotional support??? I wonder how people with serious allergies handle the animal situation when they fly. What happens if you have a cat allergy and through no fault of your own, you find yourself sitting next to one?

There was an incident where a woman said she was allergic to the dog next to her and guess what she was asked to leave the plane.

SXMGirl · ‎07-07-2010

I read an article about the young child that was recently bitten by a therapy dog on the plane. I have no idea if the dog was wearing anything that identified it as a therapy dog, but according to the article, both the parents and the child were told not to approach the dog. Children do not always understand that a therapy dog is not there to play, and it is the responsibility of the parents to teach their children. Unfortunately, not everyone follows the basic rules. More than likely, the parents will file a lawsuit and the airline will settle.

The next time that I hear salt and ice together, it better be in a margarita!

Its Me LuLuBelle2 · ‎10-12-2016

I'm not a fan of flying, but I find a stiff glass of scotch prior to boarding gives me all of the emotional support I need - yes, even at 6:00 a.m. - don't judge me - lol! On a serious note, if I get on a plane and am seated next to the fool with their "emotional support" boa constrictor I'll lose my mind. I'm terrified of snakes and am waiting to read that someone tries passing one off as an ESA.