A United Airlines passenger has expressed indignation over a suspicious and potentially fake “service dog” that was recently spotted in a first class cabin.
Fake Sevice Dog On United Airlines Flight?
In a video posted to Reddit entitled, “There’s no way that’s a real service dog,” a passenger with a “real” service dog admonishes the passenger with a “fake” service dog to “at least buy the dog a seat…”
There’s no way that’s a real service dog.
byu/Certain_Monitor8688 inunitedairlines
But it’s not that simple.
I agree the dog is likely not a real, i.e. trained, service animal. Service animals do not jump up on their humans as this one does…that is not the sort of conduct you would ever see with a genuine service animal. A service dog is strictly trained not to approach other travelers or stand on hind legs.
The problem, of course, is that this is a cute dog and I am sure her owner loves her. She’s also big…far too big to fit in a carrier. That means she cannot be an in-cabin pet, even if the owner paid United’s fee. And United doesn’t take dogs in the cargo hold any longer (except for U.S. military or foreign service personnel traveling on orders), so that effectively excludes you from flying United with your pet…
…unless you lie and say you have a service animal.
I think that happened on my flight from Cabo to Denver last December and was probably going on here.
And here, the dog looked so nervous you have to wonder whether the “emotional support human” was more necessary than the dog…
The service animal scam is alive and well. While I expect many to remind me to “live and let live” I also want to point out that those who fraudulently call their pets “service animals” are selfish and unethical.
I feel bad for the animals. I’ve seen twice where people have had animals walking on a leash in the terminal that probably were not service animals or should have been in a carrier… where the poor dog got its foot stuck in a moving walkway or escalator. One was injured very badly, the other thankfully someone hit the stop button before much was done other than tearing some skin. That is just irresponsible of the owner.
In most airports I have visited dogs are allowed to walk in the terminal. I walk my dog on the leash all the time before a flight to get her tired so she sleeps in her carrier the entire flight and I travel a lot with her. One thing I do not do is let her walk anywhere hazardous or allow her to approach people or other animals unless they ask to come pet her. I’ve seen people allow their dog to pee and poop at the airport and they don’t pick it up. They make believe they didn’t see anything and most have a service pet vest on. Are they really a service animal? I doubt it very much!
What I’d suggest to stop these scams is to require a certification by a licensed veterinarian that the animal is a fully trained service animal and if the certification is fraudulent then the vet loses their license. That wouldn’t stop this completely but it would make these scams much more rare.
Agreed!
PTSD dogs are trained to do “pressure therapy” where they are trained to stand on hind legs and apply pressure to a disabled persons thighs with their front paws. It’s a specific “interruption task” that differentiates between a PSA dog and a service dog. Golden retrievers are the most common service dog, especially for PTSD dog roles. You folks make yourselves look like asses when you speculate on the disenfranchised with a lack of knowledge, and a short 9 second video. My dead service dog had more class than you both….
Where can I get a dog that gives me a massage Mr. Classy?
Gotta love people who are classless. I’m speaking to you, Michael. Fraudulent service animals are a nuisance. As a disabled veteran, I find it appalling the nerve some exhibit placing that harness onto an untrained animal.
With how short the video is there’s no actual proof it’s NOT a service animal. Pressure therapy for ptsd, especially in a small space like that, can actually look like that. Now if the person filming says the dog then later ran up and down the cabin shitting every where maybe that would call some suspicions into question. I’m noticing this fake service dog issue is now even calling people with service animals to question one another.
Wow, you honestly dont have a clue about any of this, so stop spreading false information!
“WeLl AcKChUWaLlY” he proclaims, indignantly.
Exactly! Im sorry for your lose.
I have a PTSD and Cardiac assistance dog among other conditions. Because she has to alert to so many things, and I need to know what she’s alerting to, her alert to my heart is jump on me. It is actually the most common way to alert for those with SD’s with my heart condition. And when I’m sitting, she also HAS to be on her hind legs like this dog in the video. If she didn’t, I would be stuck in my PTSD but she pulls me out of my flackbacks. She has literally saved my life so many times from jumping on me. The people that make the comments about them not being allowed to jump on the handler or be on their hind legs are soooo wrong and making up their own rules! All they have to do is join the group “POTS service dogs” or “service dogs” groups on Facebook and make a post with their opinion and see how many have this as their alert.
I’m concerned anyone who buys a fake service dog halter would happily buy a forged vet license.
True, but it still might stop some fraudsters.
Yeah but hopefully it would cost a lot more.
I have a trained service dog – the airline requires me to self certify her on an official DOT form. I could be arrested and fined for doing so fraudulently. However, policing of this is the problem – lack of policing…. As a qualified service dog user (I am mostly deaf), I, too, see many dogs wearing vests with the expando-leashes attached – dogs walking or trotting 5 feet away from their owners and lots of other non-service-dog behaviors. It’s frustrating to see – especially as my particular disability is “unseen” leading people to also assume that I may be faking the need.
As someone with a service dog, you should know that not all service animals are walked on a heel position. It depends on the task they are trained for. My service dog walks a pace in front of me for vision related issues. Every dog is task trained for that person’s needs.
I too am deaf (95%,anyway) and my hearing dog has the DOT certification as well. They do a thorough investigation,so much so that I almost complained to their superior because of the drilling they were putting me through. If my dog had not been real,I would have given up.
Perhaps the solution is to require such certification for all passengers. How many would forge that form? Can the form be forged?
As a vet for 20+ years, I can tell you that we have much more important things to do than to certify service animals. This is a common misconception: that vets prescribe or somehow certify service animals. Service animals serve humans for the health needs of the human. Vets play no part in recommending / prescribing service animals to humans. We can tell you if that animal is healthy and vaccinated but our input ends there. And once more for those who may not have understood: service animals, by legal definition, are specifically trained to perform a task or tasks: emotional support animal is NOT a service animal.
emotional support animals started when cell phones became popular and took off when digital wi-fi and digital cellular became standard. Digital radiation affects our emotional state. See – mental health problems for many, and especially of younger generations. Damages our emotional abilities / organs…among many other ills.
But we’ve brainwashed ourselves into having only a positive connotation of the word – DIGITAL.
Is ignorance bliss?
can see this with a simple understanding. Type in EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL – on Google Ngram. Combined with knowledge of when tech debuted. digital SQUARED OFF waveform is not a natural waveform. In our bodies or in the air. Should stay INSIDE a computer.
soon..we’ll pay the ultimate penalty for too much tech bravado (major war).
Check Invisible Rainbow by Firstenberg to begin to get a clue. EH Trust website as well. Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMF by Pinneault.
Vets aren’t the ones who certify service dogs..Specific organizations do this and it’s a very arduous process. It’s also against the law or the Americans with Disabilities Act to ask for certification and carries very heavy fines. For travel purposes there is required federal paperwork. Unfortunately the general public is very uneducated on the difference between service, therapy and emotional support animals.
A veterinarian would not be qualified to determine if a service dog is trained or not. They are medical professionals, not trainers. The only thing a vet could determine is if the dog is healthy enough to fly safely.
The only veterinarians who would have the training qualifications to accurately assess the training a dog has would be veterinary behaviorist.
But there are so few of them and they are so overloaded with their work with behaviorally complex dogs, you’re already looking at a several month long wait list as is if you’re trying to get help for your dog with severe behavior challenges (like human aggression).
It would be a waste of their time and expertise to have them evaluate a service dogs level of training.
Veterinarians do NOT have the ability nor the qualifications to certify any service dogs. You need to check the ADA guidelines. So funny how many bitter people are trying to post comments without any context or truth about the topic. Most of them just do not like animals in general. Those humans are the ines that should be banned or placed inside a carrier while traveling.
This scam will never stop. Time to turn it into a profit center. Puplaris flights with saks fifth avenue dog beds and a nice grooming amenity bag.
I couldn’t agree more! Add some pet friendly seats on flights! I would gladly pay for a second seat if my pup could fly or fly JSX ! Pet friendly cabins!
People want their dogs in cabins because Airlines have done a terrible job transporting them as cargo
I can’t tell if this is sarcasm.
Looks like a good boy to me.
Regulators don’t want to realize that dogs are equal family members for a great many people and leaving them behind or endangering them as cargo is not an acceptable option any more than it is for human family members. Force people to skirt the rules, and they will. Create a legal path for dogs on board, and people will respect it.
That’s why god invented the automobile.
That’s a very self-centered and provincial view considering that few people have the luxury of time and there are lots of places you can’t drive an automobile. If your boss told you that you were being transferred to the Singapore office next month, what route would you drive?
I would get on an airplane and if a pet were involved I would transport them according to the rules because I’m not a crazy person.
lol
CORRECT!
Perhaps I do not want to deal with you “family member” or are allergic to dogs and don’t want one at my feet. I have had that occur and was not accommodating whatsoever to the furry family member and forced the passenger to find other arrangements. Keep you pets at home, buy an extra seat or drive. Mandate documentation and have those supplying it register said animal in a central database with airline/TSA access. $50K fine to the vet should the animal not be fully a service animal.
Concur totally. Many times, as demonstrated in this article, the owner takes zero steps to prepare the animal for travel. No, animal can lounge anywhere. Owner doesn’t purchase a second seat. Have read time and again how an owner doesn’t properly plan, impacting adjacent passengers. Either plan accordingly or leave your animal at home.
Veterinarians ARE NOT the ones that certify service dogs. A medical Dr recommends the need and a true service dog is obtained for the service that is needed, or it trained for that. Then they are certified officially My Golden Retriever has already had the basics for mobility service work, and to see me, you might not think I need one, however, I can be fine for weeks and all of a sudden my legs collapse due to crippling arthritis in my knees and hips. She knows how to brace to get me up, she knows how to cover (stand between me and a check out counter to keep from being in other peoples way, she is still working on tuck (lay under my legs when I am sitting down). She is still young so it will take some time, but for now, if I fall, she can get me up even if she is not great at tucking under my legs. She knows to ignore people and other dogs when on her leash with her vest on, she knows she is allowed play time like any other dog, so she does not burn out. When she conquers tucking, then she will be trained further to also recognize my copd attacks. I do not fly, but if I did, I would get an extra seat for her so she could see and not be stuffed under my legs for a flight, be it 1 hour or 6 hours. She will eventually be totally certified, but with her training vest, she can still go anywhere a fully certified service dog is allowed, but she would be wearing her vest that states Dog in training, Do not touch.
There’s lots of people who skirt the rules here and other passengers and employees pay the price for it.
Animals defecating in the plane happens all the time.
Legal path for dogs onboard? Why don’t you launch Zoo Air? That where dogs should fly. Or take the road. Animals do not belong inside a metal tube at 30k ft for many hours.
It would be nice if we lived in a country where it was possible to launch competitive airlines, but we live in a highly regulated economy that is directed by bureaucrats in Washington DC who dictate strict rules for who may start airlines and how they may be run.
You are welcome to consider a pet to be an equal damily member. You are also not welcome to bring them on board against the very sanecairlinevrules. I don’t even want them allowed except for valid service animals (no emotional support BS).
How about boarding your “family” member at a pet kennel, or hire a sitter to check on your “family” member during the day, or even sit at the house during the period you are gone. Quit being so cheap and inconveniencing the rest of us who do not bring Muffy onboard a plane. Period! Too many people think they are privileged just because…
The thing is, a fake service dog or an emotional support dog can cause very real issues to those using a trained service dog. When they enter a business, airplane etc. there is an expectation that their service dog will not be bothered by another animal. So many people with their pets, have no control over them. They bark, growl, charge and even fight when they encounter another dog. (Or sometimes even people) that real service dog should not have to be distracted by that. The safety of its handler is at risk.
And yes, the great outdoors is full of people and dogs and animals. If people follow leash laws, it’s safer for service dogs. And ultimately for their handlers.
That said, a service dog that has never been on a plane before may experience anxiety. They are fairly bomb proof but they are living creatures not robots. Introducing a new skill – like the plane – can have hiccups. It’s not something that most training is able to cover until it’s needed.
Like dogs and frankly wouldn’t mind but yeah, I can see how this might upset some people – clearly not a service dog.
Time to watch The Dog House UK. More to the point, do you envision this breed as your next family member? Are you inclining more for a Labradoodle?
My wife wants a horse but we may compromise on a cat!
Horses are very expensive to maintain. Rent someone elses’!
require full fare J for any dog that flies up front, full fare O, or full fare Y
UA then makes $$ and people can fly with their dog. Of course, the dog would likely have higher status than you…
It’s really not so outlandish a suggestion. Get people to pay up if they cannot be separated from their pet.
Great idea. People who want their dog with them just buy a seat. And on UA pool their miles with yours.
Many people would happily pay, if there was an avenue to do so. It can cost almost $10K to ship your dog overseas (one-way) as cargo – with all of it’s dangers – and people do this and many companies absorb the costs for relocating employees. Many people would very gladly pay for a first class seat for their dog if they were able to do so, instead of having to resort to subterfuge.
As a frequent flyer, i see many dogs that I serious doubt are service dogs. A few examples: Woman carrying a Pekingese dog (with a “service dog” vest) in her arms while boarding. Six month old newfoundland puppy sporting a service dog vest. Couple traveling with 2 service dogs. These are just the ones i remember from the past year. It seems like all those “emotional support dogs” magically transformed into fully trained service dogs.
#fake
So to your 2 service dogs comment, a service dog handler can tandem team… it’s actually not uncommon! Most of us do so when one dog is about to retire or the dog can’t do certain things such as scent alerts.
I had a friend who simply bought the “service animal” vest for her dog and freely admitted she did it to avoid the airline’s pet fee, as she traveled weekly between home and job. And this is someone who could well afford the fee. Airlines should insist on documentation of the animal’s training and certification. I love my dog, but she stays home, where she is safe and comfortable.
Unfortunately, government rules do not allow airlines to ask for documentation.
This behavior endangers service animals and people with disabilities.
“Screening out fake service animals also can help protect the safety of genuine ones, said Donald Overton Jr., executive director of the Blinded Veterans Association.
His guide dog, a German Shepherd named Pierce, was trained for years at a cost of thousands of dollars. After Pierce was attacked multiple times by untrained pets on planes and in airports, the dog eventually became too reactive and anxious to continue working as a service animal.
“In the blink of an eye, somebody who has just casually and carelessly decided that their pet should be out there can take all of that and destroy it,” he said.”
I feel bad for the guy, but… this narrative doesn’t make a lot of sense. Aren’t “pets” also out and about outside of the airport where they can encounter service dogs?
I looked up the article and lots of interesting stuff in there including:
“JetBlue says that on average it experiences an incident involving service dogs, such as a dog biting customers or crew members, every three weeks.” That translates to 17 incidents per year. Granted, this could include less serious incidents such as dogs making a mess on the seat working out to about 1 flight out of 21000.
Matt may be familiar with the tragedy about “Jack the Cat” back in 2011 who escaped from his carrier in JFK and the owner couldn’t find him because the cat was in a secure area and died of starvation. This brought attention to the issues with transporting pets in the cargo hold and airlines perhaps deciding to abandon this as a service since the liability was too much. Although children aren’t pets, this may also be a factor with the unaccompanied minor program as well.
There’s clearly many people who want to travel with their pets and would need pet friendly environments such as airlines, hotels, and even ubers but sometimes the market can’t respond to this need responsively and then people “cheat” which is sad.
There’s several factors I would see in helping to roll out such a program including setting in the reservation system if someone is allergic to dogs or cats (or heck peanuts) and allowing that to be in the system so that the information can be acted upon accordingly: If someone with a cat reserves a seat, then cat allergy people could be notified to pice a different seat. Pets should be tagged with a tracking mechanism (a simple airtag will suffice) and even a fitbit to monitor their health. It would be wonderful if pet owners could actually track their pet’s health throughout the flight.
I wonder how many of the Jet Blue incidences were caused by real Service Dogs vs fakes ones. I have a friend who raises guide dogs and have not seen any of her dogs act aggressively. When we’re out on a walk and another dog approaches you redirect if needed. I have no interest in flying in a pet zoo and having unruly animals disrupt the flight with the owner saying my dog has never done this before. We have enough unruly passengers to contend with. I love dogs but don’t have one because I’m frequent traveler. Perhaps pet owners should assess their priorities and if they get a dog either board them or take Fifi on a road trip. Not my problem that you have a big dog and want to fly with them.
I believe the point was that the majority of those incidents were not real service dogs. Service dogs rarely have incidents as such.
“I have no interest in flying in a pet zoo and having unruly animals disrupt the flight”
I’m sure many people feel the same way about kids. As I said, Jetblue’s statistics indicate that pets rarely are a disruption. Flying is interesting in that it’s one of the few modes of public transportation many Americans continue to participate in. Many rarely set foot on a bus or train so this is one of the few places that they need to sit amongst hundreds of random people aside from going to the DMV every few years.
When I first went to Europe, it was a pleasure to take public transportation. It wasn’t like the bus to Cartagena in Romancing the Stone. Even the working class dressed and acted politely and putting ones shoes on a chair was a huge no-no. On the other hand, on a DC metro I saw a woman clipping her toenails. The primary problem is one of manners in general.
Regarding being a pet person and traveling often. I had wonderful cat with a friendly disposition who genuinely missed me when I was gone even though he entertained himself when I was out at work. He had some kind of internal clock that he knew when I came home to the minute and would climb a tree, jump on the roof, and go through a window to greet me. He usually was ok, even with a pet-sitter, but I returned home after 2 weeks and he had run off to try to find me the day before. I called around the neighborhood and heard a “meow” and he ran out from under a porch about 4 houses down the road. I made sure he had lots more attention after that when I was out. One of the sitters loved him so much, he buried him when he passed away (at 18 years old) in his backyard and when the sitter passed away, his widow said “Your cat is here so you get the house” and sold it to us at a good price. Two other families adopted cats because of him.
Lots of cats need a home. They can handle separation anxiety better than dogs. Also, they guard the home from evil spirits.
You lost me at comparing animals to humans. Maybe educate yourself on the difference between humans and any other animals. Dogs are not and never will be people.
The owner should be imprisoned for fraud.
There is a slight chance this is a real service dog who has never flown before. He may be perfectly trained in any other circumstance but we cannot always predict what a living creature will do when confronted by something new and scary. There’s really no way to prepare them for all the noises or the pressure changes.
You’re likely right but as long as the dog isn’t causing an issue, I wouldn’t worry about it.
Service animals are given a check ride on airplanes to pass their final approval as a service animal. Had a “so called” service dog on a flight – at the gate before takeoff the dog was sitting on it’s owners lap the flight attendant walked by she did not do anything but walked down the aisle with her hands to her side the dog bit her hand as she walked by. The passenger and the dog was removed and not allowed to fly unless the dog was in a pet carrier.– another problem with pets on board–regulations require that the pet remain Completely (meaning all body parts) inside the carrier closed and the carrier must remain Under the seat. Sick of people causing problems for REAL service animals and their owners!
That’s not true. My service dog was never tested for plane rides and has never been on a plane. There is no official certification and if anyone tells you their dog is certified they are lying and probably not a real service dog. My dog is a medical alert dog that you all would probably assume is a fake because she doesn’t look like a typical service dog. She wears a vest but legally doesn’t have to because there is no requirement. I have one on her to help with the uninformed people who don’t understand the law. It used to bother me when people didn’t believe me but I really don’t care anymore. I don’t want to end up in the emergency room just because they’re ignorant.
I’d be ok if airlines have a designated pet-friendly flight once a day on certain routes.
I think if pets can’t fly in the cabin, then neither can babies
I’d be fine with this!
Are you fine with eating babies as well?
Keep those smelly, drooling, misbehaving creatures out of the cabin. And then remove their dogs as well.
I am very allergic to animal dander and consider it grossly unfair that I am forced to share a row with a dog or cat and then be sick for the next few days. Even service/military animals should be confined to a specific, identified area, so unsuspecting passengers don’t have to deal with this issue upon boarding. Once I was asked to share my foot space with a full-size German shepherd. When I objected, the crew threatened to remove me from the flight!
I despise people lying about their pet being a service animal, the problem is for $20 you can buy a service animal harness on Chewy and who is to question you, right?! I’m totally with you that these fraudsters are selfish and unethical, it takes away from the people who really have and need one.
Exactly. Thank You Mikey.
You have to have a note from the doctor to get a handicapped placard for your car. Why not the same thing for a service dog? You can’t just show up at the DMV and say you need one.
The whole pet thing is out of hand in this country. It seems more and more hotels are catering to these pets. It is ridiculous. People didn’t take pets on vacation nearly as much in the 70s and 80s. They stayed home at the kennel.
I love dogs but enough with this nonsense already. And putting a “service dog” vest on your dog makes that no more real than my putting a Dan Marino jersey on makes me the quarterback of the Miami Dolphins. If you are that weak that you can’t fly without your pet, just stay home. Or lets make “Obnoxious Selfish Airlines” where people can bring their animals, clip their nails, listen without earphones etc…
Sorry, but that is a large dog and possibly a safety risk in an emergency. From the USDOT “Tips for Traveling with a Service Animal.”
– Your service animal cannot block a space that must remain unobstructed for safety reasons (ex. an aisle or access to an emergency exit).
– Your service animal must be permitted to accompany you in the space under the seat in front of you.
Last year, I had a gentleman attempt to fly with his full-size, male German Shorthair Pointer on his lap.
Dog owners – stop. Your love of your dog or inability to plan for dog-sitting does not make the dog a service animal.
No need to fly with your pet. Just buy a new dog when you get wherever you’re going.
I ONLY see service animals in the US… and the frequency is always higher to certain destinations with “quirkier” people, including PDX, LAX, and SFO in my experience.
It’s time to end this nonsense and require a formal certification for those with true disabilities requiring a service animal.
Again, this isn’t common outside of the US. Humanity therefore can live without this service animal scam.
“those who fraudulently call their pets “service animals” are selfish and unethical.”
I think the term is “asshole”.
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…
Very well said. The ADA, in its effort to protect people with service dogs, actually helped create the problem. States are not permitted to require certification, or special licensing. It is financially unwise for a business to second guess an actual service dog. To protect both real service dogs, and the people that need them, the ADA needs to amend the law to find a way to identify actual service dogs.
No one knows if this is a fake service dog. Dogs are still dogs. Even highly trained guide dogs for the blind are still dogs. They have a work mode and a relax mode. If this dog was put in relax mode for the flight it is entirely possible it would jump on its persons lap. Service is also not strictly defined so a dog used for balance is performing a service. A dog is far less disruptive than a baby usually. But no one likes my idea of putting babies in the cargo hold. Because sometimes you just are stuck dealing with other people and their annoying things when you’re on a flights. In this case you’re saying all kinds of things about this dog and you don’t know. The passenger could be deaf or have a seizure or blood sugar disorder and the dog could be trained to jump on them to alert of the problem or even smell their breath regularly. I remember a story about a woman with a dachshund service dog that was trained to hear heart arrhythmias and it alerted to the person sitting next to her. She told them to get checked and sure enough they were in a fib. I’m sure everyone was claiming it was a fake service dog barking at the seat neighbor when really it was doing its job perfectly and possibly saved that persons life. Accusing everyone of having a fake service dog is more harmful to disabled people than fake service dogs are. Now they can’t even travel without accusations and being blasted all over the internet.
Pam, yours is the best and truest response to this event. I am many dogs old, a trainer, Vietnam Era veteran, owner handler of several working service dogs mitigating my life and freedom. I never participate in any of these comments and replies. But you need to be commended for your truth in review and evaluation. Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity.
It’s likely a therapy dog for PTSD. This whole article and the author flip responses in the comments are simply unethical.
I need a dog that massages me.
Woof Woof Matthew!
That service dog is fake as hell. I have a service dog, he goes everywhere I go. Horse Racing in Lexington, NASCAR Racing in Vegas, every place I go. He will lay at my feet and will only move when prompted. He doesn’t jump on or otherwise interface with anyone but me (and my wife of course). He has his papers. We drive, we don’t fly. Only one were we questioned about his certification, that lasted about 30 seconds, after I cited the federal law covering said certification. There was one Campground I wanted to stay at but would take him because he is 100 pounds. They didn’t give a shit about the Service Dog certification. They got smoked. That’s all.
Why do I have to constantly re-enter my information below to post so I am supposedly “remembered” the next time I post.
I’ll take a fake service dog, even a Pit Bull or Rottweiller over 80% of the passengers I see these days.
Hi! This is actually my service dog and video originally posted to her instagram @lailatheworkingcollie to those wondering. i wrote the fully story and opinions in the caption of the original reel!
What specifically made you think the service dog was fake?
Yikes, this…. does not look good. Not all organizations train tasks the same way, as not every handler will prefer the task completed one specific way. Jumping to alert is completely valid. A jumping alert (or any kind where the dog gets in the handler’s face) may be reserved for more intense alerts, where the handler may use a ‘standard’ alert for a different condition entirely. Most of the service animals that graduate my program have 2 different alert types along with their everyday communication methods. While I can certainly appreciate emotionally supporting the poster/TikTok user, they were wrong in their instant judgement towards another disabled person. I won’t even begin to address the commentary about registries/certifications, how the scam is so rampant most believe them to be valid, and just how legally irrelevant they are within the US. This just feels poorly researched.
Selfish?? What about the parents who bring their screaming brats into flights and make long flights absolutely miserable for every single passenger? Don’t you dare talk to me about “selfish”‘for wanting to care for a pet.
Dogs are not humans. Leave your dog at home you selfish ninny.
I have a service dog who is specially trained to attack people who put their feet up on the furniture in the airport lounges as when I observe this behavior I suffer from extreme PTSD. If many people of these people had received appropriate training as children in proper decorum in public places then my dog would not have to have been so trained.
If we really want to get rid of fake service animals we need to eliminate the NEED to fake your animal is a service animal in order to travel safely with it. Not just for them to fly in cargo where many pets have died. Why haven’t airlines added specific pet friendly flights to some of their more popular routes? Allow a limited number of seats to be purchased specifically for pets to fly, have reasonable and attainable requirements for safety and training, and make sure they are labeled as such so passengers can choose if that’s a flight they want to be on. Heck, even if I wasn’t flying with my own dogs I’d love to be on a pets flights! But then anyone without allergies or who doesn’t want to be on a flight with animals can choose a flight with confidence. I would HAPPILY pay for an extra seat so my dog could fly with me safely and without having to lie he’s a service dog (which for the record I have never done). There’s so much that could be done here to prevent these problems by being proactive and filling an obviously underserved need.
Dogs are family. Or at least for decent humans. If airlines’ rules have to be broken to not leave family behind, so be it.
The problem is not the owner breaking the rules. The problem is the airline that does not have a legal way to bring them with you. That is the only unethical behaviour here.
You need to be careful with absolute statements like “Service animals do not jump up on their humans” as it just plain wrong.
I have a service animal that was trained by K9’s for Warriors an ADI accredited provider and recognized by the VA. Our dogs are specifically trained to provide pressure by climbing in our laps to ground us. It is a legitimate task a service
Too often I see the outrage about fake service animals, which is a real problem, get it wrong and end up putting us real service dog teams in peoples cross hairs because “they know” what real and not.
In this case, it came from one service animal owner to anohter.
After reading the “authors” replies, it’s obvious this is just a shit poster posing as a writer. #fakejournalist
Would love to see the airlines give HUGE fines for dogs that definitely are not service animals. Maybe security can meet them at the door on arrival. As per someone’s comment sure a ESA can do pressure. But I doubt the entire flight that dog was lying on the ground beneath her feet. And then noticed the owner needed that support. Or stood right next to her chair not moving until she needed her. All animals are ESA’s or no one would own one. Are they trained for the year it takes to do the task at hand is the question? I work in a Dr’s office and receive calls all the time asking for notes for flights, and apartments so people can get out of the PET fees. Our standard answer is we didn’t prescribe you an animal as an ESA therefore we cannot write you a note to get out of the Fees. Owning a pet comes with fees. And trying to get around these by slapping on a vest is truly heinous towards the innumerable amount of actual trained serviced animals and there owners.
Up on hind legs paws on owner, not a service animal? A simple Google search shows this is one of the psychiatric or PTSD service dog skills. Judgemental much?
As a professional service dog trainer, I see 2 trained service dog’s behaving perfectly appropriately based on their handlers needs in this video.
Neither dog is being disruptive and both are showing an appropriate level of neutrality or casual interest in the other dog close by.
It looks like the “fake” dog in question is doing deep pressure therapy… which is a valid trained task.
A task that many would benefit from if they have flight anxiety (in addition to their other disabilities that they got the service dog for in the first place).
Fake spotting is incredibly harmful and easily spreads misinformation. Seeing that it is a service dog handler that is so misinformed and actively causing harm is incredibly disheartening.
I think it’s a bit hars to claim this is a fake one. This could actually be a very good service dog.
I have an official trained one (as all ones are in Belgium, we need to go by official schools).
She’s a medical alert one and needs to go on my lap or jump up to alert me until I take my medicine for my Addison disease. But she will keep at it for a while until they start to work. People might think it’s an annoying behaviour but for me it’s much noticible, which is most important. Plus my good Queenie makes sure I’m all well. So…This might be actually an alert dog for example doing it’s job. Don’t judge before you know the whole story.
There’s nothing wrong with this. First off, the sd doesn’t have any room to place or tuck in front of the handler. Second, you have no idea what task that dog does. The action the dog is doing jumping up is a trained interrupting task, a brief pressure on the handler for a certain reason or DPT, and a trained alert.
The sd laying down doesn’t have anything to do at the moment no need to alert. It’s acting appropriate to the handlers needs. The other dog is doing its job too. A dog is more active if distracting a handler with ptsd or another similar issue. That dog will keep the handler engaged to distract them from a trigger and do dpt. This dog is fully focused on one person it’s not engaging with anyone else on the plane. It’s happy doing its job.
What is being seen here is a trained task. There’s nothing fake here. My boy does this same thing as a trained task.
Fake spotting is harmful and spreads misinformation. This article should be taken down As well as the video