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Can She Get A Headset At Least? 1 Attachment(s) I researched airline requirements for Piper and learned that she needs an advance reservation as airlines only allow a very limited number of pets in cabin; and she must be in airline approved carrier that will fit under seat. She is required to remain in carrier, under seat for duration of flight. And for these deluxe travel arrangements, Southwest charges $95 EACH WAY and American $150 EACH WAY!! Good lord, 9 1/2 lbs---Piper has a value similar to high-quality caviar with these airlines! I teased an American Airline pilot whom I see regularly at work and he kinda grimaced and laughed and said I should get one of those "pet tags" and fly her for free. When I said I couldn't do that as she's not certified, his reply was, "Well, are you stressed to pay that much? Would you be upset to leave her at home? Would having her fly free with you alleviate that stress?" Well, yes, of course...So he looked at his co-pilot, laughed and told me, "There you go, your dog is a service/therapy animal!" Right??!!! He made a fun argument, but unless Piper gets certified or I win the lottery, we're both temporarily, voluntarily "grounded." Lotta money to put her cute lil' self under a seat for hours (yeah, like that'd happen!) |
Gezzzz, $300. round trip to fly a pup that HAS to be stuffed under a seat. What's that all about, crate uses unused space. Glad I am not a flyer. |
No kidding, it's kinda ca-razy! And isn't that price gouging or something!?!! Well, whatever the market will bear, I suppose. However, it doesn't look like I'll be much of a flyer anytime soon either!!! Let me know if you wanna plan a road trip! |
Hey I'm always up for a road trip lol. |
A couple of weeks ago I was dropping my daughter (14)off at the airport to fly to see her dad. Emma is with us, so I put her in the bag and I proceed to check my daughter in. I always walk her to the gate, so I get a security pass to walk her. The gate agent sees that I have a dog in a carrier and told me that I have to put her in the car or pay $95 just to go through security even though neither of us were flying. I thought that was ridiculous. Airlines surely try to get over on people at times and I'm one to believe that the costs to fly a pet don't necessarily align. If you pay $200 to fly roundtrip and don't have to pay for an infant, the costs for a dog in a carry on shouldn't be more than $50. I would say align the costs to how much an additional carry on or bag fee would be $25-50. |
And remember, after you pay this ridiculous fee, that count's as your carryon bag as well. I haven't looked into too much, but I've heard you can get a "certification" on-line for a service/therapy pet for your pooch. Saw a story recently about the airlines wanting to crack down on this, as there are people "abusing" this (i.e, they are losing out on their fees), but nothing really happening yet. |
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Rachael1983--No kidding...$95 to walk with tiny pooch tucked away in a carrier?! I hate that dishonest people with ill-behaved dogs ruin things for responsible and respectful dog people. But with your comment (about babies) and one from Matese reminding that the area un.der seat is already an unused space; nothing is being lost or denied to anyone else by stowing pup there...One has to wonder how can they justify the exorbitant fee?! No, I know they needn't justify anything, cuz they brought the ball to the game.. |
There is no real certification it's just a letter from your doctor. It's called an emotional support dog. |
I believe that emotional support dogs should undergo training and pass at least the basic canine good citizen test. All service dogs usually have rigorous training to undergo to get certified. Think guide dogs for the blind, seizure alert dogs, personal assist dogs. Etc. |
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I know the price seems high especially since they are treated like carry on luggage, but they do that to keep the demand for dog and cat traffic down. The airlines just don't want to encourage pet travel so they make it costly. |
Service and emotional support dogs normally don't count towards the quota in the cabin, it's the paid reservation pets that they can only have two of. |
1 Attachment(s) I agree, Gemy. Though I would thoroughly enjoy doing some kind of therapy work with Piper, I don't believe she has the demeanor or personality to participate in such programs, let alone go through the required training! Piper does, however, seem to have an instinctive understanding of knowing when she must remain calm and quiet in "serious" situations. My doctor permits Piper to stay on my lap throughout simple exams and getting flu shots because Piper is co-operative and calm throughout visit; this side of Piper was a wonderful surprise. I was also surprised at how soothing Piper's very slow licks (on back of hand) were when I got flu shot. From the time doctor moved to my left side with syringe until she put band-aid on, Piper did that slow, rhythmic lick--something she'd not done until that moment and she hasn't done it since. Our little ones possess deep, sensitive and mysterious abilities...Below is 'normal' Pipe, always at the ready and always ready to bounce! |
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Link. To the akc website on this subject. Therapy Dog Organizations - American Kennel Club There certainly appears to be certification process for service animals. Although there is no federally mandated registry(yet) that I could tell. I am dang sure guide dogs are certified with the appropriate organization, and spend two years or so in training. Personal assist dogs spend at least that amount of time too. |
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