What Every ESA Owner Should Know About How to Fly with a Dog
Witnessing emotional support animals on airplanes is no longer a rare phenomenon. We can now see all sorts of animals flying with their caretakers on board the plane. And dogs are one of the most preferable options among airline passengers.
Unfortunately, it’s not all that simple. Before taking your ESA dog aboard, make sure you learn more about airline restrictions and other rules. That’s just because flying with a dog is not all about your rights and freedoms.
To help you out a bit, we’ve gathered all you should know about how to travel with your companion dog correctly.
Requirements for Flying with a Service Dog and an ESA Dog by Plane
Airlines must accept service dogs under the ADA and ACAA, but they are not required to accept ESAs. Most now treat ESAs as pets and may charge fees. The only valid documentation for housing purposes is an ESA letter from a licensed mental health professional. ESA letters are no longer recognized by airlines.
Why is an ESA certificate important?
ESA letters do not grant flight rights. Airlines set their own pet travel policies, which typically require payment and compliance with pet rules.
But in return for you right to take your support animal on board the plane, you’ll have to follow certain rules. And this applies to both service animals and psychiatric ones.
Note: Requirements for flying with emotional support dog and demands for service dog transportation may be slightly different. Perhaps the main reason for this is that service animals are usually granted more rights while ESAs are not as vitally important for their owners.
What’s the difference between ESA and service dogs?
Service animals should be well-trained to complete certain duties for those who have a physical disability like mobility problems, eyesight problems, deafness, convulsions/seizures, etc.
On the other hand, emotional support dogs don’t need specific training to become your companion animal. Their major tasks are to offer companionship to their owners and to help their caretakers fight the symptoms of a mental disorder.
What are the requirements for dog transportation?
As a rule, service dogs may require airline forms confirming health, behavior, and training. ESAs are not recognized; airlines apply regular pet documentation rules:
- Medical form from a mental health expert
- Veterinary health document (containing vaccination details)
- Approval of your dog’s behavior.
Apart from having an ESA letter at hand, you should also provide a special notice to the airline company several days before the expected flight. This will let the airline know that you want to travel with your companion dog.
Note: In most cases, the notice for service dogs is not required but support dogs are a different case.
Pros and Cons of Emotional Support Animals on Plane
There are many positive things associated with taking your ESA pet with you on board the plane. On the other hand, negative things are also possible. In fact, too many passengers complain about the ESA’s behavior on plane and in some cases, it might even result in injury.
So, let’s examine the pros and cons of traveling with an ESA. This will let us know what is more important – to have a companion dog by your side during an air flight or to make sure it doesn’t cause any harm to other people.
Positives of traveling with an ESA dog
By traveling together with an emotional support dog on plane, you’ll have an opportunity to:
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- Service dogs can travel in-cabin without fees
- ESAs may be subject to airline pet fees and restrictions
- Get emotional support if you are scared of air flights
- Have a loyal travel companion
- Fight stress associated with air travels.
On the reverse side, by taking your dog on a trip with you, you may also face some risks. And the negative points of traveling with your ESA are just as numerous.
Negatives of traveling with an ESA dog
- Dog’s misbehavior is possible even if your dog has a gentle character
- Dogs can bite and injure other passengers
- Your rights of an ESA owner can be removed if your dog behaves in a wrong way
- It’s always risky to take an animal on board the plane as you never know how it will react to the new environment.
Due to these and other reasons, having an emotional support animal on plane is not always beneficial and risk-free for you and other passengers.
What you should understand is that all ESAs should be taught to behave normally in public places. Otherwise, they might not be permitted to enter the passengers’ cabin on the plane. A good advice to eliminate this problem is to participate in Canine Good Citizen Training program.
Why you might not be allowed to travel with your ESA
Reasons why it may happen are multiple. For the most part, they are related to how well your dog is trained and how good-natured it is. For instance, this may happen if your dog demonstrates wrongful behavior when other people are around and doesn’t know good manners.
The next risks and dangers are possible when you are traveling with your dog by plane:
- Biting or making attempts to bite other people
- Threatening the safety and wellbeing of other people
- Growling or showing aggression
- Jumping at someone or making attempts to do it.
Note: Just like service animals, emotional support dogs must always be under their owners’ control.
You as your dog’s owner should keep it from biting other people or causing any damage to others. Luckily, it’s not difficult to teach any dog how to behave properly. With just a little bit of training, your dog will learn the basic rules of behavior and you’ll be able to take it on a trip without any risks.
Want to go traveling with your dog? Consult with a licensed mental health professional to see if an ESA letter is appropriate for housing accommodations. ESA letters do not provide air travel rights.