Ditto. Give me dogs over babies and toddlers.

Who's being abused? The dogs? Or you?

Is it less abusive to crate the dogs in a dark, cold compartment?

Are you allergic?

Why is this "out of hand?" I can understand someone who is allergic who cannot sit near the dogs, but most planes are large enough to accommodate that. So what's the issue?

Except that sometimes dogs need to be transported. The OP didn't specify how long the flight was, so why are you assuming the flight was "that long." Would you prefer that the dogs be crated and transported along with the cargo, where they can shit all over themselves?

Almost as bad, but not quite, as babies.

There's no such thing as a "comfort pet." It's a term made up by dicks who aren't willing to understand people's needs.

Op specified four hour flight. And yes, I'd expect them to be crated and can shit in the cargo bay, not in the cabin where other passengers have to put up with it.

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Long Chile was a silly place.

Because they're sometimes necessary as service dogs or emotional support animals. These are people who may otherwise not be able to leave their homes and interact with the public. Sure, there's room for abuse, but that doesn't mean there isn't a legitimate need.

You're mostly correct with regard to the difference between a service dog and an emotional support animal.

But you're being a complete dick with your statement that if someone can't go somewhere without an emotional support animal, they shouldn't be going out. You're not old school. Your a dick.

Except that people don't have the same legal rights with regard to support animals as they do with service animals.

While support animals don't need to specifically trained to perform some "supporting" task, support animals do not. But that doesn't mean that someone gets to decide on his or her own that the support animal is necessary. There need to be some recommendation from a mental or physical health professional. And while there are restriction about asking for proof, which leads to abuses, the fact still is that a person who lies about the need can be held legally accountable.

An easy solution to this would be to allow entities to ask for the proof. Someone with a support animal must be able to provide a recommendation from a health professional. Not much different than a handicap parking placard.

And entities can still deny access to a support animal under certain circumstances.

Notwithstanding that, air travel survived for how long before all this nonsense. If you're truly disabled then ok. If it's for comfort, sorry. Allergies, noise, stench (accidental messing) should take priority. As others have said, charge a decent fee like 1/4-1/2 of passenger and this should clamp it down to absolute essential.

While air travel may have survived for long, there have been many people who have been unable to travel via air because of mental and emotional issues. So the question isn't so much whether airlines can survive, but rather whether we can expand the number of people who can travel via air.

That said, I don't have a problem with requiring some kind of doctor's recommendation. I don't even have a problem with an additional surcharge. I don't think there's any question that there's abuse. But the fact that people abuse the privilege and take advantage of the rules doesn't mean that others seriously benefit, nor does it justify the cavalier and dismissive ridicule some have here for people who truly need an emotional support animal to function in everyday life.

Funny how my dog can sleep all night without shitting or pissing.

The dog doesn't get into the cabin unless it's a service or emotional support dog. Get over it.

Could your dog do that as a puppy, as was the case in the OP?

And your second line is meaningless because as was pointed out you can get a service dog certificate for a dollar, and apparently it's against the rules to ask for one anyways.

I've got nothing to get over. I just think it's ridiculous to have pets in the cabin, which it appears was the case with the OP. I have a dog, by the way. No way in hell I'd potentially inconvenience a plane full of people because I wanted her next to me as opposed to in her crate in cargo.

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Long Chile was a silly place.

 
Could your dog do that as a puppy, as was the case in the OP?

Yes. As could most puppies.

And your second line is meaningless because as was pointed out you can get a service dog certificate for a dollar, and apparently it's against the rules to ask for one anyways.

How is it meaningless? I've previously explained in this thread my opinions on those issues.

I've got nothing to get over. I just think it's ridiculous to have pets in the cabin, which it appears was the case with the OP. I have a dog, by the way. No way in hell I'd potentially inconvenience a plane full of people because I wanted her next to me as opposed to in her crate in cargo.

Yes, but you don't need to have an animal present for service needs or emotional support. How big of you to compare you needs to those of others. In this regard, OP has no fucking idea whether the dog was merely a pet or something else. I recognize that there were two dogs, which may indicate that at least one was not necessary in the cabin. But that's on the airline and not the passenger, as the airline could have told the passenger that, while one support animal was allowed, two aren't.

By the way, how does a dog inconvenience a plane full of people? I fly a couple times a month for work. There are often dogs on planes, yet I've never been inconvenienced by one. Ever. In fact, unless I'm in the row where the dog is, I often have no idea unless I see the dog when boarding or exiting. What I have been inconvenienced by are babies, fat people, people with bad hygiene, drunks, and religious fanatics who think I want to talk to them about religion.

Oh for God's sake, relax.

I've got nothing against legitimate service dogs. Thinking I'd put up a fight about someone with a seeing eye dog on a plane?

Read the OP, again. Carefully.

My issue is with people taking advantage of loopholes to get their pets in the cabin. Period.

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Long Chile was a silly place.

Yeah like its really hard to get a recommendation from a mental or physical health professional. I'm one of those guys and I'm not going to be the emotional support dog police. I'm not getting on the bad side of someone who wants to take their dog. You want your letter here it is....

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

In other words, you're not willing to do your job. Do you also prescribe opiates because you don't want to get on someone's bad side.

I get it. It's not much different than the employee who wants an "off work" notice or someone who needs a handicap placard. It's not perfect, but requiring people to go through the hoops is as reasonable as I believe we can expect.

On a recent flight home from SLC, there was a blind veteran and his service dog on the plane. Small black lab. As I'm boarding, he's sitting in an aisle seat with his dog curled quietly at his feet. The lady with the window seat next to him tripped over the dog as she was trying to take her seat, and said, "Oh! He's hard to see!"

Guys deadpans it. "Tell me about it!"

I fell out.

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"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

That was good. Thanks for the laugh.

I'm willing to do my job just not willing to be the emotional dog police. It is quite a bit different. I don't work for the airlines. Gov't rules about who can have a handicap permit. Too many handicap permits and people who need them cannot park. Pretty clear criteria for who merits a handicap permit. Opiates no questions asked creates addiction problems. Support dog what's the criteria? Patient says they get anxious without their dog. I'm fairly liberal with sick notes. Probably less than some of my colleagues though. Practice in an underserviced area. Don't have time to see everyone who needs a note. You say you were sick you get the note. Now if you are asking for note every Monday different story.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

As BCtriguy said, RELAX. Everyone is aware of service dogs and most people are fine with it, as am I. As for room for abuse, I think a lot of people do take advantage. What I am complaining about is the people who think they are Paris Hilton and can tote a little ankle biter around everywhere they go. The people who bring their dog to a grocery store because its scared to be home alone.

Here is a prime example: My in-laws went to a local pizza joint to pick up a pizza. Another customer brought his dog in, a worker brought a bowl of water to the dog. Same bowls that hold the pizza dough. My father in law pointed out that is wrong and the worker shrugged him off. Do you think the food inspector would be fine with that?

As I said before, I tend to like dogs, but when people think everyone else should be accepting of their dog, that is wrong.

The support animal airline scammers are second only to the pre-boarding scam that takes place on every flight. There's legitimate need for both, but the liars and cheats screw it all up for the rest of us.

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Lifeguard: "Do you need help?" Me: "No, that's just my butterfly."

Very true!

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TEAM HD
Each day is what you make of it so make it the best day possible.

I assumed that I wouldn't have to discern between front line military and someone who swept the armory floor in Wichita once a month to fulfill their NG duty. Yes there are other exceptions (first responders, etc), but as you stated, once you start charging people for it, we would all be surprised by the amazing number of people who are suddenly cured and no longer need to travel with their comfort poodle.

I may very well be a dick, but its certainly not because I object to pumping my kid full of Benadryl and keeping an epipen on standby because somebody cant board an airplane or go into a restaurant without their untrained dog. They may exist, but I have never seen a legitimate service animal cause any type of issue, whether it be barking, messing or anything else. Not the case with support animals.

You mentioned abuse of the system. Maybe I tend to look down on my fellow man, but I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers of people abusing the "emotional support" thing weren't upwards of 50-75%. That's part of what pisses me off about the whole thing. There are people who have a legitimate need for it. Mr. Dipshit who needs to have his fashionable trendy designer dog in a satchel at all times or Mrs. Empty Nester who cant cope with her kids not calling as often as she likes ruins it for everyone.

There needs to be a system put in place. People with service animals have a medically cleared reason to have one. I can show up tomorrow at the airport with a turtle and say its my emotional support animal and probably get special boarding because of my 'needs'. That needs to stop. There needs to be a psychiatrically approved reason in order for them to have the same privelages as service animals.

..and also the inconsiderate twats who insist on bringing all their worldly possessions on as hand luggage and stuffing up the overhead storage cabins for everyone else