Confusion around service animals in training has sparked debate on Hawaii flights. It raises important questions about safety, oversight, and passenger rights. Here’s what travelers to and from Hawaii need to know.
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84 thoughts on “Baby And Pit Bull Service Animal Spark Debate On Hawaii Flight”
This situation (and the ongoing controversy) is completely avoidable!
The Americans with Disabilities Act provides a simple resolution for such situations: the airline (or theater, or restaurant, or….) has the right to remove an animal that us out of control.
Furthermore, FAA regulations Require the canine to remain on the floor at the handler’s feet.
So many silly people
ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010-requirements/
The policy needs to be modified to make it a rule that the service dog can be placed in the luggage area before the flight or confined in one of the restrooms if acting aggressively during the flight.
The airline made a very poor decision. A service animal in training clearly isn’t fully trained to assist its handler so shouldn’t be allowed on flights. It’s usually the same story from dog owners after their dog shows aggression or bites someone. “Oh, he’s never done that before.” UA owes the family an apology and significant compensation for their inconvenience and additional expenses.
This is a fail on the part of the airlines. The rules are clear. Train your staff and be consistent. Even service animals have rules about their behavior. If they cannot behave the do not belong. This gives those of us who actually raise service animals a bad name and makes our efforts much more difficult.
I can’t understand why the hyper dog, “in training “, and it’s handler weren’t asked to exit the plane and calm down before catching another flight.
The whole pitbull stigma is so out of control. However I don’t care if it’s a service animal or not any dog of any breed should be muzzled on a flight & as a 2 dog mom it breaks my heart to say & do that but it is for everyone’s safety i do not care how many times a dog has flown there’s too much emotion & too many people in an inclosed area.
I personally would love to go to Hawaii However with 2 dogs an Amstaff/Rottweiler mix & a Husky/Pit mix i know it’s just not possible..
It’s responsible pet ownership even the tiniest dog or most friendly dog can get spooked & bite at the drop of a hat..sometimes literally.
On the East coast, dogs are not allowed to fly if the temperature is above 75 or 80 degrees. I had to fly my dog from Dulles to Miami and was relieved it was low enough in Miami. I just wouldnt fly my dog if it was warm. Although she breathes better than a pug she has a thick coat of hair. Part of the responsibility is the owners for flying a dog like a pug when it was hot
Know your breed and its limitations.
If the dog is in training, I think it a wise and helpful thing to ask the handler if there is anything we could do to help him feel calmer. It would also be really helpful if passengers were given a heads up before they got to the airport. The long Hawaiian flights really requires all passengers to find their friendly bone and having a dog on board is no different.
It’s really dumb to just worry about the breed, I’ve had many dogs, and given the right circumstances any dog could lash out. I currently have a cat who knows when I have a migraine before I do. He comes and lays across my neck. He is not allowed to become a service animal. Only dogs can get that title (i think). We should help to train any who needs it. If they are not a good match then at least it’s been fully examined.
Actually cats, ducks, lizards, birds, can be a support animal Pretty much anything these days If your cat helps you you might wanna look into it.
If the dog was demonstrating aggressive behavior and hyperactivity, it should have been removed from the flight for the safety of all passengers.
Given none of us where there we do not know or seen the actual behavior of the dog, so in all fairness to the dog we can not pass judgement.
These days if you sneeze wrong you are kicked off a flight so I am apt to believe it was not that bad.
The airlines just are not playing games with people or pets these days.
Again, as I said dogs really do not belong on planes anymore then they belong in the grocery store.
Not unless they are muzzled. It’s for the saftey of everyone involved. It is responsible pet ownership.
They can be crated & put in cargo. The area in a plane is just too small, too many smells, too many emotions, kids crying, too many people.
Pitbulls get a very bad rap they are some highly intelligent loving well behaved dogs. I have an American Staffordshire Terrier/ Rottweiler mix who is an incredible dog but he is way too big, bulky, and automatically feared due to his size and breed.
While I will add my Husky /Pit mix she would just eat the plane.
According to the story, this “service dog in training” did Not meet basic regulations. The ACAA states that the dog must remain calm, well-behaved, and under control in public spaces, including confined areas like the airplane cabin. This dog clearly was not well behaved or calm. “According to other passengers, the dog’s behavior—including snapping and hyperactivity—raised immediate red flags about whether it met the service animal designation criteria and had passed a Public Access Test.”
I feel that the airline made a huge mistake, allowing an out of control aggressive dog, who clearly was not in compliance with the regulations, to remain on board, and seriously inconvenienced a family with a baby instead. There is no excuse for such a poor decision. They owe compensation to the family for the cost of the flight and other expenses incurred. And they need to re examine their decision, to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
My wife has severe allergies to cats and dogs. So much so that 15 minutes of exposure could be deadly. We were on a flight where the FA announced that they would not be serving peanuts due to a passenger have an allergy. Ok, I understand that. But no consideration for someone with pet allergies. Last time that happened a person in the aisle across from us had a cat in a carrier. When I explained our situation to the FA, I was told “it is only a 90 minute flight.” They made no effort to remove the cat. We got off and took a later flight. I was not going to risk my wife for a stupid airline. So: a)I will never fly that airline again; b) I tell as many people as I can not to fly them also. There needs to be a process to license these animals, Huge fines for violating said laws for the airline and passenger, and put all animals in the rear of the plane with some sort of barrier. Or put animals of all kinds in the cargo hold.
Sorry to sound harsh. But someone with allergies should understand the being in. Public thing. Someone could have cat or husky hair on them even at church so that argument is just being selfish because again a person with pet hair on their shirt could aggravate allergies which is why they have created meds for that