"If he's had the dog for a while, he should know how the dog is going to react when it's near other people," said Sondral Rouse about the military veteran whose emotional support dog recently bit another passenger on a Delta plane.
A spokesperson for the airline tells 7 Action News that they are continuing to investigate the incident and that their procedures under review.
On their websites, major airlines including United, Spirit and Delta indicate that passengers wishing to fly with their emotional support animal must have recent documentation from a mental health professional that states the need for the animal.
Delta's website also states that "Failure to provide documentation may result in denial of boarding for the emotional support animal. Emotional support animals are expected to respond to the direction of the owner."
When 7 Action News asked if, in light of the recent bite case, an emotional support dog would not be allowed to board without documentation, the Delta spokesperson told us that the entire event and their process is under review.
"I have friends that need service dogs and there is an actual medical need for that," said Erin Barrett who was traveling with her young son Wednesday. "But emotional support, I mean, sometimes it's just not necessary. Sometimes you just have to get your emotions in check and work your way through it."
Paul Berry, Corporate Communications Director for Spirit Airlines says rules regarding emotional support animals are mandated by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Berry released a statement that includes the following:
Any animal (Service animal, emotional support, or a pet that a customer pays to travel with them) shows aggression they are immediately removed from the flight. While we would allow the customer to travel on the next available flight, we would not allow the animal to fly because of their shown aggression.
