Recently some airlines have changed their paperwork procedure for emotional support animals. A little over a month ago another passenger was bitten by a dog scheduled to travel on a plane. This time the victim was a child. At least this time one of the journalists got it right and the dog was labeled as an emotional support animal, not as a service dog.
But are these changes going to be enough to keep the passengers and the animals safe when traveling? The changes include notifying the airlines 48 hours in advance that the emotional support animal will be on a flight and signing paperwork saying that the animal is not likely to bite anyone.
Oftentimes the mainstream media is confused about what the difference is between a service dog and an emotional support animal, and therefore confuses the general public even further. The difference is really pretty major in my eyes.
An emotional support animal does nothing other than provide comfort. They are there for one to give a hug or pet when needed. They may provide a hug, nudge, or a headbutt. They may lick back. They may make one feel better emotionally. But nothing they do actually requires any type of training, just love. I’m sorry to burst everyone’s bubble, but providing love is not a trained task.
A service animal is specifically trained to do one or more tasks that directly aids someone who has a disability. I see news stories all the time about something happening to someone’s “service animal.” A few weeks ago I shared a news story on my personal Facebook Page about a woman’s “service dog” getting it’s foot caught in an escalator at LAX airport. The video footage shows the dog facing the wrong way on the escalator and the handler not paying any attention to the dog.
I guess it could be a service dog—how is one supposed to know if it is actually trained to do a task to aid its handler or if the handler is even disabled? But in my observation, the behavior shown by the handler and the dog in the video was not that of a well-trained service dog team. A service dog should be completely aware of its surroundings, know how to handle it, and be focused on what their handler needs. A handler should be setting their dog up for success (especially if it is still learning) and be aware of what their dog is doing and keeping them safe to the best of their abilities. This team was not the best example of what a service dog team should look like.
The thing is that people and as well as the media often call a dog a service dog because it will get more coverage and notice than a normal pet would. If the news had the headline of “LAX officer saves pet dog caught in escalator” it isn’t as flashy as “LAX officer saves service dog caught in escalator.” Now I have no way of knowing if this dog was called a service dog by the owner or the news station, or both. But you have to admit sharing a story advertising that a

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