Emotional Support Animals and Flying

Service dogs and DOT

So you want to fly with your documented emotional support animal. Well that is fine, but if you are trying to fly free with your pet you can forget about doing that anymore.

A dog is now the only animal that you can bring with you if the following conditions are met- it is an individually trained dog to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability. This includes emotional support dogs. But you must have documentation that is less than one year old from your doctor to prove that you need one.

While this applies to physical disabilities, it also includes psychiatric ones also. So this is the end of people making unverifiable claims about their animal coming with them for emotional support. Also from DOT (Department of Transportation), “Allows airlines to require forms developed by DOT attesting to a service animal’s health, behavior and training, and if taking a long flight attesting that the service animal can either not relieve itself, or can relieve itself in a sanitary manner.” And you must do this up to 48 hours in advance with proof from a veterinarian that the animal is not aggressive. “Allows airlines to require a person with a disability seeking to travel with a service animal to provide the DOT service animal form(s) at the passenger’s departure gate on the date of travel.

On top of this is the fact that the airline can limit the number of service animals on any flight.

So gone are the days when you could just verbally say that the animal you have with you is for your emotional support. And I for one am glad. Far too many have abused this privilege and not only have they inconvenienced fellow passengers, but also subjected them to the unwanted misbehavior of this animals.

Now you will either pay to have them fly in the cargo hold or leave them home if you can not meet the requirements that DOT has set forth for service animals.

That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike

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