Golden Retriever Sitting Next to a 'Service Dog' on Flight Sparks Fury

A seemingly harmless encounter between two dogs on a plane has sparked quite a stir online. The issue? They're both service dogs... Or are they?

Service dogs are trained to perform tasks for people with a disability. The U.S. Department of Transportation ruled in 2020 that "animals species other than dogs, emotional support animals, comfort animals, companion animals, and service animals in training are not service animals."

A video on TikTok of a woman traveling with her golden retriever service dog, Finnian, has gone viral on TikTok with over 35.7 million views.

In the video, Finnian can be seen sitting on the floor in the airplane cabin, while another dog wearing a "service dog" harness approaches him. Finnian doesn't react while the dog, a bulldog-looking breed, attempts to make friends. Finnian's owner attempts to keep the dogs apart while the other owner can be heard saying: "Sorry, she's very friendly".

"Emotional support animals, comfort animals, and service dogs in training are not service animals" (US DoT) and are not covered by the ACAA (Air Carrier Access Act)⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ We’ve had these kind of interactions with "service animals" too often since the law changed in 2020 and it's really alarming (the of ESAs that suddenly became PSAs with 0 training). Now every time we’re at the airport, I am constantly on the lookout for "service dogs" that might put Finnian at risk (or service dogs in training who are clearly not ready to fly and had little public access training) ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ Recently saw a video of a 5 month old puppy flying as a fully trained "service dog" after the owner got an online certification from a scam website :( Faking a service dog definitely contributes to business’ and the public's reluctant attitude towards real service dog teams (not to mention they’re breaking federal law) & puts real SD teams at risk⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣🐕‍🦺✈️⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ Most recent ruling: U.S. Department of Transportation Announces Final Rule on Traveling by Air with Service Animals (2020)⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ • Emotional support animals are not considered service animals (meaning they are pets and you will need to follow the airline's pet regulations and pay the pet fees to properly transport them) ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ • Allows airlines to limit the number of service animals traveling with a single passenger with a disability to 2 service animals⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ • Allows airlines to require a service animal to fit within its handler's foot space on the aircraft⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ • Allow airlines to refuse transportation to service animals that exhibit aggressive behavior and that pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #fakeservicedog #emotionalsupportanimal #emotionalsupportdog #servicedoglife #servicedog

The video text reads, "When your service dog gets seated next to a 'service dog,'" insinuating that the other dog is not an official service animal, possibly an emotional support animal.

One TikTok user commented: "This is why actual service dogs have such a hard time being accepted in public spaces."

The Americans With Disabilities Act defines a service animal as a dog of any breed or any size that is "trained to perform a task directly related to a person's disability." This can be a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. A service animal is not "required to be certified or go through a professional training program." Nor is it required to "wear a vest [like one of the dogs in the video] or other ID" indicating it is one.

Emotional support or comfort dogs are not considered service animals because "providing emotional support or comfort is not a task related to a person's disability."

Service animals are generally allowed to go wherever their owner goes, even in places that do not allow pets, such as in certain restaurants or modes of transportation.

What Does the Law Say About Service Animals on Planes?

The original poster explained their issue with the encounter in the caption: "We've had these kind of interactions with 'service animals' too often since the law changed in 2020 and it's really alarming (the number of emotional support animals that suddenly became psychiatric service animals with zero training). Now every time we're at the airport, I am constantly on the lookout for 'service dogs' that might put Finnian at risk (or service dogs in training who are clearly not ready to fly and had little public access training)." The original poster asserted that since the ruling people with dogs acquire online certifications for their dogs to be seen as fully qualified service dogs from "scam websites".

"Faking a service dog definitely contributes to business' and the public's reluctant attitude towards real service dog teams (not to mention they're breaking federal law) & puts real [service dog] teams at risk,⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣" they wrote.

In 2020, the Department of Transportation decided that as far as airline travel was concerned, emotional support animals did not count as service animals, the latter of which could only be dogs.

The Department of Transportation does allow airlines to require filling out a form "attesting to a service animal's health, behavior and training, and if taking a long flight attesting that the service animal can either not relieve itself, or can relieve itself in a sanitary manner." The form does ask for the name of an animal trainer or organization as well as a phone number.

U.S. Service Animals, which offers an "official US Service Animal & Support Animal (ESA) Registry," says that owners don't actually need to prove that their animals is a service animal at all—"they just need to sign a document agreeing to certain conditions, such as their [service dog] being vaccinated. This had led to some concerns the system could be abused."

Reactions online were mostly supportive. Kristen Renee commented, "Yup and that's how you know which one is a service dog and the other one is a pet" with 558,300 likes.

Erika wrote: "My dog is an emotional support dog she has been to classes but she is NOT a service dog and I wouldn't pass her as one. I don't get how ppl do this!"

Aiyana said: "I'm proud of the actual service dog fir staying calm."

Newsweek has reached out to the original poster for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

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