An emotional support dog attacked another passenger at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International airport on a Delta flight bound for San Diego. This happened onboard a 737-900 aircraft prior to pushback as the dog bit a fellow coach passenger causing a bloody scene onboard ultimately resulting in the passenger to be taken to the hospital.
Emotional Support Dog Attacks Delta Passenger Onboard
Per Fox 5 Atlanta,
Frightening moments out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after a Delta spokesperson said a passenger was bitten by an emotional support dog aboard a Delta flight.
Delta said the passenger had to be taken off the flight to receive medical attention
Prior to pushback of flight 1430, ATL-SAN, a passenger sustained a bite from another passenger’s emotional support dog. The customer who was bitten was removed from the flight to receive medical attention. Local law enforcement cleared the dog, and the dog and its owner were re-accomodated on a later flight; the dog will fly in a kennel.
This incident makes you wonder how legitimate this emotional support animal was? There are websites such as Certapet where you can get an emotional support letter to avoid being charged airline pet fees, so it’s unclear if that was the case here or not.
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Uhhh, I’m pretty sure very few of the ’emotional support’ supporters are would really pass the eye test. Just saying.
I had an ’emotional support dog’ beg at my elbow from the lap of her owner anytime I tried to eat all through one transcon. Until we can admit it’s complete BS, this ’emotional support’ thing is just another lie perpetuated via PC.
You don’t even want to know what I think about emotional support dogs. ‘Nuff said.
Amazing! Someone was injured because an animal. Instead of investigating why the animal would attack another person or is the said animal is really safe, they immediatelly put the animal and the owner on the next flight. This happens while a human being was beaten and drag to deboard a plane.
I guess animal support each other, huh?
This animal support idea is BS period. For years there was no such thng and everyone was fine. Anyone who must have A dog to go anywhete needs to be in deep counciling until well, plus I Just dont believe It.
A snowflake dog bit another passenger because the dog wasn’t well adjusted?
Hey, gang…..service dog trainer here.
1. Emotional support dogs are not service dogs and have absolutely no public access rights and are not requored to be trained. The designation only allows them to fly and in housing.
2. Again most ESAs are not trained.
It is sad. I have been saying for years now, that people like this are going to ruin it for everyone else.
I have MS, diabeties and hearing loss. I have been training service dogs since the 90s (training dogs since the 70s).
Sigh….I could write a book….but…wont continue to bore you!
@Raye Brewster:
Well Said….. Well Said….
What about the passenger who is equally afraid of animals as the one who “needs” the animal? Who wins s seat on that flight? How about someone with allergies sitting nearby?
THIS HAS GOTTEN OUT OF CONTROL. NO MORE UNCONTAINED ANIMALS.
if i was bitten, i would insist on the dog being deplaned with me and the dog tested for rabies … oh testing fir rabies requires an autopsy? to bad
I was on this flight and witnessed the incident. This was about a 50lb dog who looked more like a pit mix than a lab mix. The owner was a Marine veteran with ptsd but I am not sure if this was a true service dog or emotional support animal. The dog was not provoked but his owner and the man he attacked were both nervous and I think the dog reacted to that nervousness. It was a terrifying experience (and I am not scared of dogs at all) for all of us who witnessed it. The dog was out of control for a good 30 seconds or so and attacked the man twice, not once. He bit him on the face under his eye and again on the face. The man was pouring blood and extremely scared. Again, it was a horrible horrible experience. The veteran was also traumatized as was his animal. Delta should never have let that situation occur. If he was sitting next to a child the outcome would’ve been much worse. He should not have been seated on the mans lap nor between two other passengers in such a confined spot. With no restraints or a muzzle this was just a disaster waiting to happen.
So, Delta…. what’s your requirement for ESA’s in the cabin now? Let’s hope it changes!
This could of happened on any carrier, not just Delta!
This is the perfect example on why government needs to make laws on what makes a service dog a service dog and how much training they need to pass before being allowed in public places where dogs normally are not allowed. There’s too many places that ‘train’ service dogs and sell them for crazy amounts of money. There needs to be some kind of public access test and training schools need to be certified in some way when it come to claims of training dogs for service type jobs. Emotional support dogs need to have the same kind of public access training. As studies show all pets help their people with mental health but to get the label as support dog they need to prove they are safe to be in public.
Government also needs to put a stop to stores that sell ‘service dog’ harnesses and other similar type gear.
I am terrified of dogs, and the details of this story — as described above by Bronwen Jackson (as a witness to the attack) — are horrifying. I would have had a panic attack just from being on the same plane as this animal, let alone in an adjacent seat.
Why do other passengers have to tolerate attacks by violent and/or untrained animals? Cabin seating is for human passengers, period. Anyone who cannot fly without “emotional support” animals should not be on the plane.
Of course it was a pit. As soon as I read the description of events I knew it was. Another fake “emotional support dog.” Hope the vet gets a normal breed next time, and doesn’t fall for the pit bull advocate propaganda crap that keeps pushing these maulers onto unsuspecting people.
Here is the deal. Per the ADA rules animals that provide ONLY emotional support do not qualify as service dogs and you are under no obligation to allow them on your flight (or anyplace else). Until airlines wake up and start using the ADA rules to protect themselves they are going to be exposed to legal issues as a result of allowing these animals in the cabin. Read the text of the ADA service dogs rules and educate yourselves Delta.
This was bound to happen sooner or later. Recently, I witnessed a so called service dog lift his leg and urinate on cans of vegetables in the grocery store. Besides being disgusting, the service dog was high strung and nervous and was no more trained to do the complex job of a true service animal than my cat. The solution is so simple it makes me scratch my head and wonder…have a standardized government issued permit attached to the animal’s harness.
Bravo Raye Brewster! You are 110% right. This is a disgraceful abuse. Having a service animal is a NEED of those who REQUIRE animal assistance, not for those who 1) don’t like to put their dog in cargo and 2) don’t want to pay for it. It’s infuriating.
Airlines have to allow emotional support animals on planes. This is not under the ADA but ACAA — Air Carrier Access Act. Until those rules are changed people will continue to take advantage of it — there was the ESA pig, the ESA turkey, all allowed on airplanes — thanks to the ACAA.
People that are mentally ill requiring an emotional support animal should be banned from flying.
A large part of the problem is the licensed doctors, psychologists, social workers who are willingly and indecriminately writing these notes for these “emotionally unstable ” people. If the airlines or who ever went after these doctors and took away their license to practice or gave them a huge fine, then maybe fewer doctors would be willing to write those letters. It is really quite unethical!
Another thought is restricting all emotional assistance dogs to carriers placed under the owners feet. After all, the dog is still with them in the cabin for free.