A vicious “service dog” attacked an American Airlines passenger and bit the face of an AA worker in the latest example of our out-of-control approach to animals on airplanes.
Another “Service Animal” Dog Attack And Injures American Airlines Employee, Passenger
On April 26, 2024, a Belgian Malinois (also known as a Belgian Shepherd or Sheepdog) called Bella lost control at Denver International Airport. For reasons that remain unclear, it bit an American Airlines employee in the face and also bit another passenger on the forearm.
The attack was classified as a level 5 attack on Dr. Ian Dunbar’s Dog Bite Scale, just one level short of level 6, which signifies the death of the victim.
Per Denver Animal Protection, the dog has been held at a local shelter for bite quarantine for a 10-day period (it might be released today). The identity of the owner has not been revealed. American Airlines has offered no public statement on the matter.
CONCLUSION
Another day, another stark example of our out-of-control approach to service animals on planes. An American Airlines employee was bitten on the face and a passenger was attacked by a purportedly fraudulent service animal. The owner should be prosecuted and face punitive fines plus jail time.
Whatever your belief on service dogs, I hope we can all agree that service dogs must be well-trained and if they are not…if they attack…the owners must be held accountable becuase that represents a fraudulent attestation that the dog is well-trained.
And folks, the dog should be destroyed – it is a menace to society and has forfeited its right to live among us. Someone call Governor Noem…
Grabbing my popcorn. This will be an interesting one to follow on a Monday.
@Santastico … speaking of popcorn , in the Mel Brooks’ film “Silent Movie” , a blind man’s ( Charlie Callas ) seeing-eye dog was inadvertently switched with a romping , fast-running dog , which took off , pulling the blind man behind .
I have said this elsewhere but it is long past time for people with animal allergies to make a big stink about these out of control animals. Demand that pax with “””service animals””” be re-accommodated to later flights. Make the airlines more afraid of normal people sick and tired of fake “””service animals””” than the bogus fraudsters who buy a service dog vest off of Amazon for their untrained, horribly behaved COVID support dog.
I suspect that the airlines would love to be able to ban service animals, but the laws that govern how “disabled” people are treated in the US require the airlines to accommodate service animals.
Having folks with allergies pretend that service animals are a bigger problem than they actually are, in terms of allergies, seems like a way to make the situation worse though.
Allergies, particularly severe allergies, are just as much of a disability under the ADA as those that service dog owners purport to struggle with. I did not suggest people lie about having allergies; rather, those of us with severe dander allergies have simply stood by and taken it on the chin while airlines have prioritized purported disabled individuals with purported service dogs. I am merely suggesting that those with severe dander allergies speak up more so that airlines are more cognizant of the deleterious effects that their lax service dog policies have on other disabled individuals.
Sir
I fly over 500,000 miles per year , 95% of all these dogs are house pest , I was on a flight on United to RSW when a PIT BULL service dog growled at me in 2E when he went by . It is a disgrace how the airlines are handling this , because for those that do need a service animal , it will ruin it for all – the sense of entitlement by the traveling public is at an all time high
Exactly. Not only should airline passengers who are allergic to dogs make a big stink, so should Uber/Lyft/Taxi drivers who are allergic or even afraid of dogs yet are forced to accommodate service animals also make a big stink.
Perhaps passengers who are allergic to dogs and can prove a causal relationship between the presence of a dog on their flight to an allergic reaction sue both the airline and the dog owner(s). Likewise, Uber/Lyft/Taxi drivers who are forced to allow service dogs but have allergic reaction or are bitten (or even threatened) should sue the passenger(s) who own the dog.
Hi,
I agree with the comments about fake service animals. I have a true, task trained service animal for diabetes. He is registered with the airlines as a true service animal. He has flown many times, always at my feet and never allowed to roam. And always very well behaved. He was purchased from a specific company that breeds , trains , and certifies the dogs. I specifically asked to a hypoallergenic breed and to not impose on others with allergies.
Those individuals who try to pass off their pet as a service animal makes it much harder for those of us who really rely on our animals to keep us safe, especially when traveling. I can’t tell you how many dirty looks I get, or comments I hear from people who assume my dog is “fake”.
All service animals need to be register with the airline or they should not be allowed on board.
There’s no way a Belgian Malnois could possibly be a legit service dog. They are widely known as one of the hardest to train and control breeds out there. Red flags went up about this being a real service dog as soon you mentioned the breed.
@ chasgoose
Mals are very trainable. Great farm dogs, police dogs and competition animals. I can’t help but think this the fault of the owner. It makes me very sad.
They might be good at being police dogs, farm dogs, or competition dogs, but that doesn’t make them good at being service dogs, even if well trained.
I mostly agree with you that this is probably due to an owner who did not properly train their dog (and likely had no idea what they were getting when they got a Belgian Malinois).
Years ago I used to love seeing a Belgian Malinois at a park or on a walk. In days gone by it seemed like those who sought out the breed were very committed to the effort needed to train the dog. It used to be a treat to see a well-trained, versatile and capable dog, and meet a dedicated owner.
These days, seeing a Belgian Malinois almost always translates into encountering a poorly trained dog, with a clueless owner. Far too often these dogs are being “handled” by some idiot who thinks that the owner’s role is to repeatedly yell the dogs name while holding a leash that isn’t connected to the dog’s collar. I think somehow the internet convinced a large group of inexperienced and poorly resourced chumps that they should own a Belgian Malinois.
Wrong. They are easily trained. They are most often used for police or military. Some very well trained mals are good family pets. However mals are not for everyone. People think they are cool but have no clue as to how to train them.
What I cannot understand is why the ADA allows a ” service dog in training ” rights and protection. What about innocent people being harmed? I love dogs but they come with work and responsibility. Also I had an expensive add on to my homeowner insurance if there was ever an incident.
This madness must stop.
How else are they going to learn?
animals don’t belong on airplanes, unless they’re on a plate.
Good to hear from you, Joe!
Very unusual use of that breed , that you obviously know nothing about. Maybe they should put you down ,so we don’t have to put up with your idiocy, anybody ask what happened? Why the dog went off?
Let me make it crystal clear for you.
It. Doesn’t. Matter.
The dog should be destoryed for what it did.
You are disgusting.
People are in charge of animals, they are responsible for the training , are we going to put them down as well.
No.
Matthew,
For somebody who publishes their writing online, you don’t spell very well.
Just an observation.
Best,
Silky Johnson
Objectively, it does matter. I am on my 3rd service dog and started in 2002ish. I read about a lady who boasted about using a silent whistle on her phone to intentionally provoke service dogs in airports. This incident is sad for all involved and for the disabled community (like myself) too. Muzzle them up and heavily insure because there are mean people out there.
Matthew Clint bites every week with his idiotic reporting from his home couch, he should be destroyed.
Get off it, you little nerd. Hold the owner accountable, don’t let the dog back on a flight. The useless people who write these travel blogs…..do something with your life.
LOL. Thanks for the click, honey. You have no clue.
Sure. I’m happy to give you a click in order to make some easy fun of you. Maybe next time you’re taking vids or a selfie on a flight, someone’s cat or dog will attack you. Or in your case, a gerbil.
I read your blog. Not impressed
It is extremely easy to tell a service dog from an untrained emotional support dog. Service dogs don’t jump, they don’t bark unless it is alerting to an emergency, and they do not bite unless provoked.
It is interesting that American Airlines consistently identified the dog as (ESA) and not a service dog. But who cares? These bloggers are all rewriting the same misinformation.
It has further been reported that the investigation is underway, AND the dog is scheduled to be released to it owner today, Monday, May 6. That would indicate something else occurred that caused the dog to bit.
From personal experience, people around working dogs often take it upon themselves to try to pet a working dog, even when their (non-required vest boldly states DO NOT PET). They try to feed them food. They try to get the dog to break from its work by kissing to it, whistling to it. It really is rude and disgusting.
My question is, why did a stranger have his/her face close enough to be bitten? I’m guessing the”passenger” was someone who stepped in to stop the dog. That happens often when an emotional support, untrained dog goes off. The owner freezes and doesn’t have a clue what to do or how to control their EAS. I look forward to seeing the final report
That is a rude statement. You have no idea how important genuine service dogs are to people with certain disabilities.
Neither should huge-nosed asians. I don’t want you to ruin my flight.
If you are so mentally defective that you need a service animal to function in society, stay home. Simple as that.
As for the owner of this dog, not enough evidence exists, counselor, to declare that criminal penalties for the owner are warranted. They may be (and, as noted above, the dog breed may well be evidence of criminality), but we don’t know. Civil liability, for sure. Criminal, maybe.
As for the dog, yes, time to go Ole Yeller on it..
Maybe you should stay home.
I’m a grown up and don’t need a living teddy bear to function in society. So, I’m good.
You act like a little girl, not a grown up. Put your tampon back in.
“If you are so mentally defective that you need a service animal to function in society, stay home. Simple as that.” – Ryan
Ryan, If YOU are so mentally defective that you actually believe that any person with a disability who uses a service dog is mentally defective, then stay home and get educated. Simple as that!
You sound like you might even think anyone with a disability should be institutionalized. That kind of backwards thinking ended many decades ago, in the last century, even for those with psychiatric disabilities.
There are a variety of functions service animals perform, that are necessary to help people live as normal a life as possible.
A “SERVICE ANIMAL” provides a SERVICE, such as a GUIDE DOG helping a blind person. Or a SEIZURE DOG that alerts it’s owner of an impending seizure and gets help. Or a MOBILITY SERVICE DOG helping a person in a wheelchair to get things or do things for them, even helping them transfer from the wheelchair to a seat or bed, or shower etc. And a PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE DOG can, for instance, help a Veteran with PTSD to be able to navigate social situations.
There is a difference between a SERVICE DOG and a emotional support animal. And unfortunately a lot of pet owners ‘claim’ their dogs are SERVICE dogs. I believe that it should be a lot harder to get fake credentials falsely declaring a pet is a service dog. But a person with a true service dog has every right to function in Society with the help of that dog, not stay home.
A SERVICE DOG is NOT a teddy bear, or a toy. And from the way you talk, you may be grown up physically, but certainly not mentally or emotionally.
Truth
You left out Diabetic alert dog. I have one.
The solution isn’t to ban dogs, but make owners liable for their dog’s actions. This would greatly reduce ownership of aggressive dogs, Australia has done this and it’s has reduce dog attacks.
To the best of my knowledge, in the US, you can sue a dog owner for the actions of the dog– collecting money from a poor dog owner is a different matter.
Perhaps people could be required to carry a certain type and level of insurance on their “service” dog. I don’t think that is allowed presently, but maybe it’s a way to change the madness.
Yes, I carry a 4 million liability dollar policy on my service dog in case some idiot takes it upon themselves to try to touch or harass my dog or kiss its face without asking. Certain stupid humans need to mind their own business when a team is travelling from point A to point B. I also muzzle my dog when we are in public access. Germany requires this and its brilliant.
I understand that private ownership of dogs is illegal in Iran and North Korea. That is the ONE thing I think those countries are doing right.
Be my guest to move to Iran or North Korea.
Belgian Malinois are perfect service dogs for police and search and rescue, not for aiding those with disabilities.
Well at least this one didn’t leave a steaming pile on the floor.
Tell that to the two who were attacked!
1. Put the dog down. 2. Ban the passenger from the airline. Any questions? Why do we let this kind of stuff go on and on? Are we waiting for someone to lose a limb or get killed?
Jeez, and all I did to get a bullet in my brain was not want to kill some birds. I wish I could have switched owners with this dog
100% agree. Destroy the dog, punish the owner, and ban the damn dogs.
1. Put the human down. 2. Ban the dog from the airline. Any questions? Why do we let this kind of stuff go on and on? Are we waiting for someone to lose a limb or get killed?
I’m down with this.
I question the validity of the Handler. As a totally disabled person who has a tandem team I DON’T use a dangerous breed dog nor a dog with high prey drive. Also, I have my Dr verify need for an actual SD and Registered with my State I reside in (voluntary). This is done as Dr fills out forms verifying actual records of office visits, diagnostics etc. NOT “heresay” or belief that my disability “fits” the ADA Description. Too many people are using SD’s and seems to be the common practice now putting actual left teams in jeopardy. My te and I have been attacked by so called “SD’s “ too many times in Public.
Yes, this is happening. I am a pretty good trainer but would not consider a Belgian Malinois to be my partner. I do carry excess liability insurance on my service dog. I have my lawyer and doctor involved as well. This story is sad for all involved. I need to know more details to determine what really happened. Some idiots touch service dogs without asking or they put their face down my theirs to give them kisses, again without asking. They stare at the dog. I have experienced this and it sucks.
What the heck was the AA employee doing down by the dogs face!
Telling the dog that its owner was a mindless sphincter. Apparently the dog did not agree.
The AA employee may well have been standing. Malinois are very athletic long tall dogs who can easily reach the average person’s face on their hind legs. Think an all black hyperactive german Shephard.
I am glad you put “service dog” in quotes. This sounds like someone’s out of control pet NOT a trained service dog. While highly intelligent Malinois are generally not used as service animals because of their highly developed guarding instincts and aggressive nature, They require a lot more training and usually can not be adapted to a service dog role.
I love dogs (4 rescues later) but sounds like this dog has serious hard wiring problem and constitutes a threat to everyone. Sadly in situations like this there really is only one option. I’m sure this dog’s bite history will come up during the investigation and I wouldnt be in the least surprise to learn that it has bitten before.
Regulate/register true service animals. Anyone caught trying to sneak a pretend version on a plane is subject to $40,000 fine and no-fly status. Have a fake one attack, be subject to jail time. A few prosecutions and maybe things change. Maybe a Texas senator can give up his quest for airport handlers for government officials and pursue this. Do we need a death before we close the loophole?
I agree you Dave W! Ultimately, only stiff consequences will change things!
my god the commentary.
A) this feels like an obvious “I don’t want to pay for my dog” issue on a plane.
B) Service Dogs (legit ones) CANNOT BE BANNED. there are plenty of legitimate reasons for services dogs to be on planes. I think the happy medium would be some sort of proof that its a legit trained service dog (i.e. kinda like a driver’s license/passport) that is signed off by (insert agency here).
C) this dog should *not* be put down. We have no point of reference why this dog attacked anyone. if anyone was raising their voice or being aggressive towards its owner it would react accordingly to defend said owner.
With that being said (C) if this dog did cause further damage to those it attacked (i.e. rabies etc) that’s a different story and should be put down.
I’ve seen a Malinois literally scalp a terrorist in combat. This isn’t a “service” animal and it needs to be put down.
Along similar lines, the fact that a passenger brought this dog on the airplane, especially if it had shown aggressive tendencies before, means they should be charged the same as if they snuck a firearm onto the plane. Both are dangerous weapons.
Legit service dogs should be required to wear a muzzle. Had a muzzle been in place even on what sounds like not a legit dog, there would not have been injuries.
Yes, I read that this is required in Germany and I do this with mine while travelling. Full uniform and muzzle. He knows he is in a formal working setting and has to behave accordingly.
Is “destroying” a dog biblically defensible?
Not my concern in this context, but happy to address that if you’d like.
I googled it. I couldn’t get a straight a answer. I asked ChatGPT and it didn’t seem to think it was biblically defensible. So yes, I would be interested to hear your take.
Exodus 21:28-32 seems at least somewhat parallel here (it’s about an ox goring someone to death–ox must be destroyed, and if the ox was known to gore, the owner is also liable and subject to the death penalty).
The ox has to be killed if the ox kills another person. It doesn’t say anything about injuring them. It also doesn’t apply the same punishment if the person killed is a slave. So…
Going to need some more time to respond to this one, Jerry
Most dog owners today are much more Stoopid than their dogs
Putting a vest on a pet and calling it a service dog is not a victimless CRIME. It is not fair to your untrained pet to be in environments they are not prepared for. It endangers real service teams directly as your pet lashes out or attacks a service dog (service dogs cannot be aggressive so when attacked will simply roll over). Also people will remember your animals poor behavior causing real teams to have to deal with additional discrimination and bias.
First to have a service dog you have to have a disability that the dog is TRAINED to mitigate. That dog takes years to train at a significant cost. That dog is not only my best friend but affords me some independence. Without him I can’t do many of the things people take for granted: shopping, working, going to school or even just going down the block to visit a friend.
Please stop further degrading me by choosing to pretend your pet is a service dog.. my service dog is a requirement not a choice…
Too many concessions are made to the less-than-able and mentally ill persons with imaginary ailments. Euthanize the dog. Then sue its owner into oblivion.
There’s a reason
Don’t blame the dog, please don’t destroy
Don’t ban service dogs, put the human in jail for 25 years at hard slave labor, eating nothing but nutraloaf and getting 1 shower a months, 1 change of clothes a year
If anyone is using silent whistles to provoke service dogs, life in prison for that idiot.
Strong argument for euthanizing both mutts on both ends of that leash. Neither one brings anything to the betterment of life.
Judging by your username selection, neither do you. Line up, I’ll do you.
That’s a bit harsh, Matthew. Ok, a lot harsh. The owner should be subjected to lawsuits, no doubt, for pretending this was a service dog. But it reminds me of the Scorpion and The Frog story. The reality being that a dog is gonna dog if it’s not trained properly and placed in a frantic environment like an airport. And the owner is responsible for that. Solely.
The dog should NOT be euthanized. There are options. Never being on a plane again is the first. Having owners who respect the breed and particular temperament of this dog should take him/her.
The end all being that unless you are sight impaired there is no reason any airline should allow service dogs. Period. There is no other reason at all for this otherwise. Those people that are sight impaired have legitimately trained dogs that handle crowded areas well. And the owners are well versed in adapting them to these places.
Malinois are the modern day German shepherds, dobermans, and rotties. Lovely dogs if bred and trained well, but sadly most are bought by bad owners now
Matthew Klint: You have neither knowledge of the circumstances nor the dog’s history. To go off on a rant that the dog should now be killed is plain irresponsible, even if it is on a tacky and juvenile website.
It’s hard to properly train a Belgian Malinois. They are a vision to behold beautiful when properly trained. Unfortunately, many will end up in shelters like pit bulls because they pair up with a bad owner or they are poorly bred. One of the most important designations when choosing a service dog partner is having a CD or CDX in their lineage. If people are going to self train, they need to do their homework,
Belgian service dogs are good for pulling wheel chairs. My hunch is that there is more to this story than what we are being told. I want to know all the details before I give my final opinion.
My Border Terrier is trained to a standard probably higher than even service dogs, so I have no problem representing her as one even though she’s not. And it’s not because of the fee. It’s because they force me to jam her in a bag, and then jam her under the seat which is cruel in my opinion. Most people don’t even know she’s on the plane. She sleeps quietly at my feet on the floor and doesn’t make a sound. I have probably 500 hours of training in her and make no apologies.
This fake writer of this article, Matthew Klint, should be “destroyed”, “put-down”, whatever you wanna call the obliteration of his writing “career”!!
Why does Google News pickup and propagate this fecal matter of a story? Surely 5o other people wrote the same story many times better!!
We serve to serve again.
Hope the owner had good homeowner’s insurance. However, some carriers will not cover certain breeds.
I had a rental property, and the insurer wanted to know the breed of the tenant’s dog.
Upon further questioning, may tenants have no coverage at all ( I rent) and the property owner (deep pockets) ends up footing the bill. I upped the coverage with an umbrella policy.
For the record, the Governor of South Dakota, equipped with the appropriate tool, is welcome on any and every flight as far as I am concerned.
First of all, I have zero patience for anyone that falsely claims their pet is a service animal, if it is not. These people should be fined heavily.
Second, I cannot comprehend why it’s illegal to require that the owner provide proof that their animal is in fact a service animal. This is the only way to sift out the fakes. Surely, anyone with a legitimate service animal would readily provide documentation to prove their animal is legitimate, rather than have out-of -control dogs, biting people on planes – planes that you can’t leave until landed.
Third, whether this dog, in particular, is a service dog or not, has yet to be determined. Instantaneously deciding a dog should be put to death without concrete facts and/or all the information is not the right answer.
Where the hell is Kristi Noem when you need her?
Matthew, my first time reading your blog. Also my last. Blog and comments are incredibly toxic
Bye Felicia.
How about we get the whole story and then go from there?
Find out why the dog attack so this can be avoided in the future. Animals can have PTSD, too.
All of you have jumped the gun with this story. A lot more research is needed before casting judgement.
One of our previous dogs had PTSD. He was retired from the PD here for refusing to ever get in another squad car after watching his handler die in the line. Great dog, well behaved, but would snap if you tried to get him in to any vehicle. Vet finally just came to the house when needed. We had this dog for almost 19 years.
As far as suing anyone over it, get all the facts first. Always dot the i’s and cross the t’s first for a solid case. Find out if the dog has a history of biting people. (I think that is a fair question to ask of any animal coming on a flight.)
Have the entire story would have been much better than just “setting the cat amongst the pigeons”, Matt.
Why not have a specific seat area or assigned seat for dogs or ask for volunteers who don’t mind sitting with dogs? I am not against muzzles if it can’t be confirmed that it is a true service dog.