Interesting Encounter with Service Dog Owner

[krisnme]

I do have a question however, that I'm been embarrassed to ask: on a long-distance flight, what does one do with one of these service dogs when they have to answer the call of nature? Use a potty pad? I'm just thinking I have a hard time not "going" on the five hour flight from LAX to Orlando!

On a cruising board that I frequent, the service dog owners have discussed that some limit the dogs food and water intake and depend on the dogs strong bladder and training to get them thru. Others have trained their dogs to use "piddle pads" in a confined area and place this in the restroom, let the dog do its business, flush or bag the pad and spray room freshner if necessary. I suppose this is one more way to tell the "real" dogs from the imposters. the true service dog will always have impeccable training and manners.

 

[akcire]

I can't answer what everyone does for the dogs tolieting needs but...

My dad's flight was delayed by a couple hours and one of the baggage handlers or ramp workers took his dog for a walk on the tarmac to get a little relief.

I have also flown to Europe when people had their pets with them. The flight was 8 hours, and I am guessing the pets just waited. These were not service animals, but they didn't have any problems. The people took the very small dog out of the carrier and held him.

 

[pampam]

We had pretty much the opposite happen years ago. We were on our way to disney and there was a woman sitting in the same row that had an absolute FIT about having to sit by us. "No the fur will get all over me!...and I'm allergic. You have to make them move" The way the seats were arrange was in a 2-3 pattern and the flight wasn't full so they put 2 of us in the 2 row then this lady, my father and the dog in the 3 row so there'd be an empty seat between them thus giving the dog as much room as possible. This woman screamed and demanded she be moved to first class because this was such a stressful situation and she should be compensated. The flight attendent said "I'll be right back, I just have to go check on something", then she came back and said to US "You and your family have been upgraded, grab your carryons and I'll move you up to first class" The woman tried to get up and say "No No No, it'd be easier if just I moved!" and the flight attendant turned to her and said "We'd rather have the dog".

Love it.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

[/B]


Love it.

EXCELLENT!

AKK

 

[LockShockBarrel]

We also had a layover where we didn't actually have to get off the plane and the pilot offered to take the dog out to the tarmac to "get busy''. He said "I wouldn't want to try to hold it" and he said it was easier for him to get down to the tarmac rather than trying to get us there or having even one of the tram things run us outside, go, then try to get back in time.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

As a service dog owner, I must say I LOVE THAT GATE AGENT!!!! She handled that horrid man very well!

He obviously does NOT know the laws because the laws do NOT give you any free upgrades. You also need to notify the airline at least 24 hrs. in advance if you want to be guaranteed the bulkhead seat, otherwise if you only ask for it at check-on/at the gate, they don't have to give it to you if they can't. If the dogs are psychiatric service dogs, the owners are required to notify the airline at least 48 hours in advance.

If you buy coach, you can get the coach bulkhead seat. If you buy first class, you can get the first class bulkhead seat. But, you don't get upgraded to first class because you have a disability. And that is disgusting that this man is taking advantage, even if he is disabled. It is also disgusting that he is teaching his daughter to do such things!

I have never and would never expect to be upgraded to the bulkhead of first class if I bought a coach ticket. The times I sit in bulkhead in first class are because I bought a first class ticket just like everyone else in first class. The times I sit in coach's bulkhead are because I bought a coach ticket.

The only time I would ever "fight" with a gate agent would be if I did have my bulkhead seat reserved but they illegally moved me out of it (this happened once) or their computer moved me out of it due to a plane change when everybody's seats get reassigned by the computer (the computer isn't smart enough to know it needs to keep me in bulkhead by law because I requested bulkhead) - usually for the latter I catch that and re-call the airline (this has happened too many times to count), but sometimes it happens at the last minute (this has happened a couple times).

Anyway, this story makes me wonder if the guy and his daughter are even disabled or just pass their pets off as SDs for special attention, for not paying for their pets, and because they think they'll be upgraded. Even if they are disabled and the dogs are real SDs, what they do is disgusting. GOOD ON THE AGENT!!!! Especially since she really just would've moved those in bulkhead to the seats the man and daughter had, had this man not had such attitude that she needed to level down!

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Your friend is wrong, as it is perfectly legal for businesses to ask her what tasks her dog is trained to do that directly correspond with her disability.

The no-vest/harness requirement is helpful for the times one doesn't have their dog's vest/harness with them on an unexpected stop (i.e. stopping at the drug store or grocery store on the way home from a vet app't when you weren't expecting to run said errand). It isn't meant for saying you should never mark your dog as an SD. It is just so that you can have equal access even if you don't have your dog's vest/harness with you (a rare event).

Service dogs in the diabetes community are becoming more and more common and I have a friend with a dog for her daughter. This friend believes in pushing the envelope at every step of the way - so arriving at a new store with the dog (no vest, because that is not required by law) and then she will not answer questions beyond "it's a service dog". Because that also "is the law". I feel she's doing a HUGE disservice to others by being so pedantic about "the law" regarding a dog that looks like a pet for a teenager who doesn't look "disabled".

Maybe airline guy and my friend should hook up because I could totally see her doing this.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Remember, even if the animal IS a real SD, a business can legally kick it out if it is misbehaving! If you see such a thing, tell the business and get that dog kicked out! It only hurts those of us with real, well-trained SDs. Not enough businesses kick out misbehaving dogs.

They don't need a site to help them fake a service animal. I will never forget the woman we encountered with her poodle. The poodle was running around and jumping on people. The woman just kept laughing and saying "shh don't tell anyone, but you can see he is not really a service animal. I just say that so I can bring him in".

Sadly, businesses are not enforcing the rules/laws that ARE in place. And people know it. Businesses can ask "are you disabled?", they can ask "what is the animal trained to do for you?". But most take the position of "we trust our customers to do the right thing".

That being said I support people with a need for a trained service animal. I just get mad when I see people abusing the law. In the long run it just makes things harder for those that follow the rules.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

A vest doesn't make a dog a service dog, no matter what the breed.

The dogs definitely needed to be on leashes; this is a requirement of the ADA, which affects airports but not airplanes. And SDs are not normally carried.

That man's attitude is one I cannot stand!! When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade FOR YOURSELF, not for a lemonade stand to profit off of! Life isn't fair and the sooner everybody learns this, the better off they will be.

To tell you truth I really think the dogs were actually service animals. The man's was a chocolate lab and the daughter's was a beagle, so both common breeds of service animals. Both also wore vests and were very well behaved. Neither dog was on a leash however, which I thought was a little odd, even though the lab stayed right beside the man and the girl held the beagle the whole time. The problem was with the man's entitled attitude. He was just so obnoxious and rude about the whole thing. He kept a sneer on his face. His attitude was like 'Ha Ha I gotcha. We're both handicapped and you'd better bow down to us, because I know the rules.'

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Haha, I love the, "We'd rather have the dog!" line!!

The law is, the person who doesn't want to sit next to the dog is the one who gets moved from the seats the person with the disability needs (especially the bulkhead seats). So, this lady was wrong about asking the dog to be moved. Of course, it is fine that they upgraded all of you if you didn't mind moving.

However, I do find it strange that they didn't seat the person with the dog with a family member instead of a stranger in the first place!

We had pretty much the opposite happen years ago. We were on our way to disney and there was a woman sitting in the same row that had an absolute FIT about having to sit by us. "No the fur will get all over me!...and I'm allergic. You have to make them move" The way the seats were arrange was in a 2-3 pattern and the flight wasn't full so they put 2 of us in the 2 row then this lady, my father and the dog in the 3 row so there'd be an empty seat between them thus giving the dog as much room as possible. This woman screamed and demanded she be moved to first class because this was such a stressful situation and she should be compensated. The flight attendent said "I'll be right back, I just have to go check on something", then she came back and said to US "You and your family have been upgraded, grab your carryons and I'll move you up to first class" The woman tried to get up and say "No No No, it'd be easier if just I moved!" and the flight attendant turned to her and said "We'd rather have the dog".

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

We make sure we potty our dog before going to the airport and potty our dog after arriving at our destination. We don't feed the dog too close to the time we're flying (i.e. if I have a morning flight, my dog doesn't get breakfast 'til we're at our destination; if I have an afternoon/evening flight, I'll feed my dog very early in the morning, like 5 or 6a, so I am assured that she has had time to poop it out before we leave for the airport). We limit water intake, too.

I do take a potty pad in my carry-on in case we need it (I'll go into the companion bathroom in the airport and put it down on the floor for her), but we never have needed it even on long days of flying - she just knows to hold it. But, if we were to ever have a really, really long delay (i.e. due to bad weather), she might use it.

There is currently a proposed rule to require airports (in the U.S.) to have service dog relief areas within the sterile area (the area past security, where all the gates are), which would be excellent! The current rule is airports must have relief areas at them, but it doesn't specify where so almost all airports have them outside the sterile area, usually outside by the passenger drop-off or pick-up area. That is not really feasible to use because it takes too long to walk through an airport, potty the dog, go through security again, and walk back to the gate - you'd miss your connection by the time you were done!

what a horrible example that man is setting for his daughter!

I have a couple of friends who train service dogs and a couple of friends who have them for their autistic kids and know what a god-send these animals can be!

I do have a question however, that I'm been embarrassed to ask: on a long-distance flight, what does one do with one of these service dogs when they have to answer the call of nature? Use a potty pad? I'm just thinking I have a hard time not "going" on the five hour flight from LAX to Orlando!

 

[LockShockBarrel]

The lady in my story was already seated when we got on the plane in the window seat of the 3 seat row. I think she thought she'd have the whole row to herself plus the added legroom of the bulk head. She would have ended up by one of us anyway, but once the dog came into the picture is when she freaked out. They originally suggested that this lady move across the row to the other window seat, and that one of us would sit with her and the other 2of us would be in the 3 seater row. They were purposefully trying to keep the middle seat of the 3 seater row empty (like I think I said, it wasn't a full flight ) She just found what she thought was a convienent reason to try and upgrade. I sincerely doubt that she was truly allergic to dogs because she didn't bring it up until halfway into this "argument". It was like "....OH I suddenly remembered"

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Ah. You didn't pre-board? I always pre-board with my SD. It takes a bit of time for me to get settled (the dog is easy - she knows to just go and lay down in front of the window seat - but I need to get my carry-ons stowed, which sometimes includes removing the plastic luggage cart from one, so it takes me a few minutes, especially if others are already coming down the aisle so I have to wait for a gap in order to get to put my bags up in the overhead).

Yeah, a lot of ppl lie about being allergic to dogs, as they think that will get them away from the dog. Guess they don't know (in non-airplane situations) that allergies and fear of dogs aren't valid reasons to exclude an SD!

I normally have no issue with the ppl who get seated next to me on planes. Just one time there was a woman who I think asked to be moved due to religious or cultural reasons (I've experienced her same ethnicity/religion in a store being very obvious to move different aisles from me to not be near the dog). She got it right - just ask the stewardess and she will move the person who doesn't like dogs. Not asking for an upgrade, of course!

I'm glad the stewardesses seem to know how to deal with these give-me-an-upgrade bad attitude ppl!

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Honestly this whole thing happened like 14 years ago so I don't remember a lot of the specifics other that this encounter because I heard the story retold over and over.

 

[cjborne2]

That is a great story. My husband travels with his dog too. We try to have him sit in the bulkhead but it doesn't always work out that way. We also travel with two kids so generally we have our youngest sit with my husband and the dog so the dog has more room. This strategy worked great but these kids are growing and soon I'll be the one with the shortest legs!

My husband and I travelled recently and the people in bulkhead were asked to move but they were very disagreeable and pretty rude about it. (A simple no would have done but they carried on and on). We were upgraded to first class.

Nice to see some of you from other boards here. We are looking into going back to WDW soon.

 

[momto2js]

I traveled extensivly with my guide dog. I HATED to have the bulk head seats. The only place for the dog to go was on to the feet of the poor person next to me. Unless there was some AV box under the seats I would have the dog back them self under the seat and most times the people around us never knew they were there. When I traveled, the rule was that service dogs had to be seperated by at least 3 rows?? I don't konw if that rule has changed, it well could have but I assume it was for air quality reasons.

I will say that I am shocked and amazed by other service dog users. When I got my first dog it was like brushing boot camp. We were also taught to keep our dogs out the the way. I NEVER let my dog lay in the walkway of a restaurant. There were under the table or under my chair with their tail tucked in for thier safety. Somtimes the harness had to come off so they would fit. But the goal was that no one know the dog was there. It is clear to me that when people train with their dogs today these things are to emphased the way they used to be.

 

[photobob]

Just seems to me if you travel with a service dog it would be common sense to prearrange this fact with the airlines. Required or not it would seem the smart thing to do.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

If I understand correctly, not ALL dogs can be tucked away depending on what service they're providing. We would tuck our dog under tables or whatever as much as possible...but there arecases wherea 90lb labjust isnt going to fit under something. I do agree however that thedog should have as low a profile as possible and should behave in a way that does not attract attention. I have seen more and more instances, as service dog use increases, of some (not all) people wholikethe attention and the pseudocelebrity treatment it can bring. Its these peoplethat seem to make up the bulk of users that put their dogs outin aisles or whatever.

 

[Talking Hands]

If I understand correctly, not ALL dogs can be tucked away depending on what service they're providing. We would tuck our dog under tables or whatever as much as possible...but there arecases wherea 90lb labjust isnt going to fit under something. I do agree however that thedog should have as low a profile as possible and should behave in a way that does not attract attention. I have seen more and more instances, as service dog use increases, of some (not all) people wholikethe attention and the pseudocelebrity treatment it can bring. Its these peoplethat seem to make up the bulk of users that put their dogs outin aisles or whatever.

I can understand this. I used to interpret for a deaf/blind church member and frequently the dog would be lying on my feet as there was no place for her dog to go. I didn't mind at all be cause the dog was very sweet. I ended up as one of the few adults she allowed to pet her dog when on duty. I always asked until she told me I didn't need to. We have gone many places with her dog including pools and had very few problems overall. Once at Sawgrass Mall we were questioned but as soon as I explained to the security guard we had no problem. Actually she explained and I interpreted since I kept her in the conversation. I tend to notice service dogs in the park because I am very familiar with them having several members at church who use them.

 

[iuki]

I have no idea if this man and his daughter had a legitimate need for a service dog or not. But, what they did will likely cause people who saw this exchange look at people who do need them with suspicion. Kudos to the gate agent.

I can't help but wonder if those people were NOT disabled, but trainers (or friends of trainers) using the dogs for special accommodations.