Great Dane Draws Ire From Fellow Plane Passengers

Once upon a time, support dogs were simply docile, black Labrador retrievers quietly leading the visually impaired. Over time, they evolved into animals that could assist those suffering from seizures, diabetes, the hearing impaired, those in wheelchairs, autistic children, and individuals suffering from PTSD. They now act as grief counsellors in funeral homes and trauma support in disaster zones.

But also, over the years, the size and shape of these much-loved and super-helpful creatures has changed. From that quiet black Lab, we now see highly responsive Doodles, gentle Goldens, and even feisty Chihuahuas stepping up to help.

So, the question raised by some rather skeptical airline passengers is: have we allowed the concept of an emotional support dog to become blurred? Are pet-loving parents simply claiming this status to get preferential treatment for their four-legged buddies?

Case in point: a recent passenger who boarded their flight with a Great Dane he claimed was an emotional support dog. Now, for me, no biggie. I can and have cleared a little legroom for a dog accompanying his owner on a flight. Albeit, not quite this large.

The issue is that not all passengers are comfortable around dogs. Particularly very large dogs. And with Great Danes landing in the 150-pound range, he is most certainly, a big pooch. There is the fear factor, there’s allergy sufferers, and then there are also some religions that consider a dog – no matter how well-behaved and fresh-scented they are – to be unclean.

Well, like all life events, this one was filmed and posted to Instagram with the query as to whether we’ve allowed the emotional support pet claim to go too far. His post has brought in just under six million views and a range of comments that speak out in both support and opposition to the practice.

While many spoke in support of the dog riding shotgun with his owners - “I’d rather this than a bunch of rude screaming kids. That dog can sit next to me anytime.” – others criticized the poor reaction of the flight attendant who made it clear on the video, that she wasn’t a happy camper. Others still, felt the presence of such a large dog seemed to be unfairly supporting one individual’s emotional needs with little consideration for the other passengers.

Now, there’s no word on what type of documentation was presented by the owner for this big boy, but for flights operated by Alaska Airlines, the issue was nipped in the bud several years ago. Because of what they perceived to be an abuse of support dog status the airline introduced a requirement that passengers must provide documentation that includes references from a medical doctor or mental health professional at least 48 hours before departure. They also amped up their “does not include” list as to what they would not accept as an emotional support animal and, if you planned to fly with your ferret, rat, snake, goat, or any animal with a tusk, horns, or hooves, you will be out of luck.

So, plan accordingly!