Southwest Airlines Community

Yes, there are abuses in the service dog and emotional support dog world. People use those terms interchangeably, but there really are 2 different types of assistance animals there. One has public access rights all over (service dog) and the other only has limited rights to public access, specifically with travel (emotional support). While those of us with REAL service dogs are very sympathetic to those with allergies, would you ask someone with a hearing aid to give that up? Or a prosthetic to get rid of it? A trained service dog provides just as much help, protection, and life-saving as your epi-pen does. A service dog is not a pet - it is a medical service in the eyes of the law. There are safeguards that the airlines take to see if a dog is a REAL service dog or not - you can look it up in the Americans with Disability Act & see what they are allowed to ask. Are there abuses - sure. Like with everything. The service dog community is trying to work & solve those issues. However, people with disabilities who chose to use a service dog have just as much right to travel, on any schedule they need, as you do. Segregation ended a long time ago. ... View more

Yeah, it's really rude & childish except that my animal is a medical device. She is a service dog & not a "pet" per the Americans with Disabilities law. She is better behaved than most of the children on flights, does not sit on seats, and is brushed/groomed daily with a dander reducing spray. Thanks for diminishing me, my service dog, and my disability. ... View more

"Service Dogs, true Service dogs are not allowed to bark, sniff people, whine, or wander around the plane. I feel some people just do not want to leave their dogs at home so they state that they are Service dog.  "   That's not entirely true about REAL service dog's either...some are trained to sniff other people as part of their service. Mine sniffs other people to tell if my smells are abnormal & can then tell me if I need to take medication. Think of it this way - when you wear perfume, after a few hours you can't smell it anymore. When a service dog who uses scent for medical alert is around the person who they smell all the time, sometimes they need to sample another scent to reset their nose. A trained service dog might smell someone else momentarily but the handler can also call them off quickly and discretely. Most of the time someone being smelled might not even notice it. They should never bark or whine (unless that is their alert), be aggressive, or urinate/defecate in public ... View more