Rosie O'Donnell "service dog" controversy



Starting around 8:44, Rosie mentions that her friend, Bobby, tells the airlines that his pet dog is his "service dog" so he can have it fly with him in the cabin.

I wrote and asked her to PLEASE inform people not to follow his lead. I love Rosie, but this is such a bad example of someone misusing the system to get their pet dog on a plane.

Imagine if her friend's dog, not being trained as an actual Service Dog, were to interfere with an actual Service Dog on it's flight.

A bad experience with a pet dog passed off as a Service Dog could ruin it for those of us who REALLY NEED THEM and who struggled for so long for access rights.


For non-disabled folks with dogs, instead of lying, please follow these guidelines (from Airfare WatchDog):

In order to bring your dog into the main cabin, the kennel must be able to fit in the area under the seat in front of you. The maximum dimensions for the kennel is 17 inches x 12 inches x 8 inches, but keep in mind that it varies, depending on the plane you’ll be on, as some aircraft have smaller areas under the seat in front of you. The maximum weight allowed for the dog is 20 pounds on most airlines. Some airlines, such as Frontier and Southwest, do not allow pets in the main cabin, unless it’s a fully trained service animal.
You can check-in your dog in the cargo area, but the kennel has to meet the following requirements: kennels with wheels, wire kennels, collapsible kennels are not allowed; kennels must have a leak proof bottom with absorbent material; there must be a one-inch spacer bar around the kennel; the door must be lockable and secure; your dog must have enough room in the kennel to stand, lie down and turn around; at least three sides of ventilation; correct labeling (live animal and directional up arrows); and must include water/feed dishes (two dishes or divided dish).

The rates vary to bring your pet along vary, depending on the airline. Delta Air Lines and Jet Blue charge $50 one-way to bring a pet into the main cabin, whereas, United Airlines charges $80 one-way. To check-in your pet into the cargo hold, it’s $75 one-way for Delta, $100 or $200 one-way (depending on kennel size) for United, and $100 one-way for Frontier. Southwest doesn’t allow pets in their cargo hold.

Also keep in mind, depending on when you’re traveling, that most airlines have an embargo on pets in the cargo area during the summer, with varying dates depending on airline. For example, Delta’s embargo is between May 15 and September 15, and United is between June 1 and September 30. Personally, I’d never check an animal that I love in the cargo hold. If there’s a depressurization in the hold or the heating malfunctions the animal would be a goner.

Your dog has to be at least eight weeks old and have the required health documentation from your veterinarian. Some states may require a health certificate for your pet, and you can find out more information about that from your veterinarian or the US Department of Agriculture at (800) 545-8732 or www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/pettravel.html.

And be sure to notify the airline at time of making a reservation (or as early as possible), that you plan on bringing your dog with your, whether you plan on bringing your dog into the main cabin or check it into the cargo hold, because there are space limitations.

Comments

Angel Logan said…
This is so wrong (as well as illegal) in so many ways. A "fake" service dog barking or whining on the plane cannot be thrown out and gives real service dogs a bad name, hampering our access rights and the public goodwill towards our dogs.

I read about a pilot giving a woman with a service dog a hard time saying that he didn't want dogs barking or running up and down the aisles. A real service dog would NEVER do such a thing (or sit in a seat, something else I've read about). He must have run into someone with a badly behaved pet dog trying to pass it off as a service dog. It is also not fair to the pet dog to put it in a stressful situation for which it wasn't trained.
1:09 PM
H.E. Fairbanks said…
Wow! VERY nice site!!! Willa, please be aware that Mr. P. has threatened others for posting this video and using his name. Of course what he's threatening is "an ADA lawsuit" (get real!) followed by libel lawsuits (ditto ... it's not libel if it's true, and what he's complaining about, Rosie O'Donnell herself testified on national television). But he has apparently been very nasty to one of my members, and she has had to change her phone number to an unlisted number.

Also, for those of you with service dogs, early next year the Department of Transportation will require psychiatric service dogs (PSDs) to give 48 hours' notice (DOT does not have to follow the ADA, and they still group PSDs with emotional support animals.) They also require "the" letter on letterhead from a treating psychiatrist or psychologist dated within one year of travel). Advance notice may also be required of any handler and service dog scheduled for a flight longer than eight hours.

IAADP provides a full explanation of DOT's "Final Rule" here: http://www.iaadp.org/dot-final-rule-specifics-SA-08.html

best, Helen
small-breeds service dogs
6:02 PM
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