Emotional Support Dog bites passenger on Delta Flight

[JoeMorgue]

A passenger on a Delta Air lines flight was bitten by another passenger’s emotional support dog.

The incident happened Sunday during boarding of Flight 1430 at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, on a Boeing 737-900ER bound for San Diego.

“During the boarding process, a passenger’s emotional support animal bit another passenger,” said Delta spokesman Anthony Black. The dog was sitting on its owner’s lap in the middle seat, while the victim was seated in the window seat next to him.

The incident was first reported by Fox 5, which quoted a passenger who said: “The gentleman’s face was completely bloody…. his shirt was covered in blood.”

http://airport.blog.ajc.com/2017/06/05/emotional-support-dog-bites-passenger-on-delta-flight/

 

[baron]

http://airport.blog.ajc.com/2017/06/05/emotional-support-dog-bites-passenger-on-delta-flight/

The dog is listed in the police report as a “chocolate lab pointer mix.”

One of those pit bulls, then.

“The dog was pulled away but broke free from Mr. Mundy’s grasp and attacked Mr. Jackson a second time … The attacks reportedly lasted 30 seconds and resulted in profuse bleeding from severe lacerations to Mr. Jackson’s face, including a puncture through the lip and gum.”

Sounds like he'll need an emotional support dog himself after that.

 

[bytewizard]

One of those pit bulls, then.

I would have guessed Airedale or Skye Terrier.

 

[Checkmite]

Updated June 8, 2017

Bit of an old story. I wonder if a thread about the incident was started here when it happened.

I do remember reading a thread on some other platform and was surprised at the number of people, before the witness reports and a gruesome photo of the victim's face emerged, who were 100% certain that dogs "just don't act that way unless provoked" and asserted that the victim must have done something to upset the dog. In reality the victim was already seated before the dog and his owner arrived, and leaning all the way against the bulkhead, and expressed alarm more than once at the fact the dog was staring at him and growing threateningly although the owner assured him nothing bad would happen. It was like a comedy sketch.

 

[sir drinks-a-lot]

I do remember reading a thread on some other platform and was surprised at the number of people, before the witness reports and a gruesome photo of the victim's face emerged, who were 100% certain that dogs "just don't act that way unless provoked" and asserted that the victim must have done something to upset the dog.

Well, I'm sure the dog thought it was justified.

I'd imagine the dog was likely to be a bit stressed being in a confined space like that with all of the activity and hubub going on when people board a flight.

 

[ddt]

Sounds like he'll need an emotional support dog himself after that.

I primarily hope for the victim that the owner of the "emotional support dog" has a big enough insurance to pay out compensation.

From the article:

The police report listed the dog’s owner, Ronald Kevin Mundy Jr. of Mills River, N.C., as a military service member with the U.S. Marine Corps who “advised that the dog was issued to him for support.” The dog is listed in the police report as a “chocolate lab pointer mix.”

I wonder how Mundy, as a marine, functions in combat when he apparently can't stomach a flight without his "emotional support dog".

The dog was secured inside a dog crate and released to Mundy, who was not charged, according to the police report. He was allowed to fly with his dog in the kennel, according to Delta.

Say what? Any other dog that bites a human gets impounded and put down right away. Why does this dog get away with this?

The animal “must be trained to behave properly in public settings as service animals do,” according to Delta’s website. “A kennel is not required for emotional support animals if they are fully trained and meet same requirements as a service animal.”

Obviously, this dog was not properly trained, otherwise he'd not have bitten the victim.

I had an "emotional support animal" when I was five. It's called a teddy bear.

 

[Darat]

First of all the dog needs to be destroyed.

Secondly what is an emotional support dog?

 

[gerdbonk]

What of the dog's owner was emotionally distressed that he didn't get the window seat? What's a support dog supposed to do, just sit there?

 

[pgwenthold]

I primarily hope for the victim that the owner of the "emotional support dog" has a big enough insurance to pay out compensation.

From the article:

I wonder how Mundy, as a marine, functions in combat when he apparently can't stomach a flight without his "emotional support dog".


Say what? Any other dog that bites a human gets impounded and killed right away. Why does this dog get away with this?


Obviously, this dog was not properly trained, otherwise he'd not have bitten the victim.

I had an "emotional support animal" when I was five. It's called a teddy bear.

The company that provided this dog needs to be put of of business.

Although that does beg the question of who was responsible for training the dog? There are problems with fly-by-night "service dog" companies these days. Actually, a lot of "service dogs" are not actually trained by legitimate companies (in fact, a lot of so-called "service dogs" are not trained at all - it's just individuals who throw a blazer on the dog and claim it is service; I am not suggesting this case is like that, but I am saying that whoever trained this dog failed, and cannot be allowed to do any more. Actually any other dogs provided by this outfit need to be recalled)

Probably trained service dogs are amazing. I've seen them handle outrageous situations very appropriately (I saw a dog get his tail stepped on - he didn't yelp, he just crawled up onto the owner's lab looking very sad; such a good dog!). Improperly trained dogs, otoh, are a danger and they cannot be allowed.

 

[Leftus]

I primarily hope for the victim that the owner of the "emotional support dog" has a big enough insurance to pay out compensation.

I wouldn't be surprised if it falls to the federal government to pay any damages. Clearly the dog was not suited for the task.

I wonder how Mundy, as a marine, functions in combat when he apparently can't stomach a flight without his "emotional support dog".

Not every MOS is a combat MOS. I repaired radars. Specifically, the HAWK. It's out of service now, but if I had a dog it wouldn't have hindered my tasks even during deployment. Feeding the pooch would have been tough, and MREs were cruel enough on people, but that would have been more of a logistical issue than a combat readiness issue.

Say what? Any other dog that bites a human gets impounded and killed right away. Why does this dog get away with this?

It's actually a long and involved process to destroy a dog nowdays. The dog does get a trial. And, again, the fact the dog was trained by the Feds and issued by the Marines, it might be harder for a city or state to destroy federal property without a judgement from a court.

 

[William Parcher]

The dog was sitting on its owner’s lap in the middle seat...

chocolate lab pointer mix

That seems like a large dog to have sitting in your lap in an airplane seat.

 

[Checkmite]

First of all the dog needs to be destroyed.

Secondly what is an emotional support dog?

It is a new American trend. Some people have taken to insisting on bringing a pet - often a dog but not necessarily - with them into public places where pets are generally not permitted, such as airplanes and grocery stores and so forth, under the assertion that they are "service animals", providing emotional support (as opposed to, say, a blind-assistance dog). Unlike professionally-trained blind-assistance dogs, emotional-support animals are in every sense just pets chosen at the whim of the owner, so they are not trained to deal with crowds, noise, or enclosed spaces; there are no standards for certifying such animals; and while many claim to have one, a physician's note required to employ an emotional support animal. Special jackets and Emotional Support Animal certificates and badges designed to imply a measure of (phony) "officiality" can be purchased on Amazon.

The situation is allowed to exist because the law in the United States prohibits stores and establishments from scrutinizing or requiring credentials of patrons who present as disabled or in need of service animals.

 

[ddt]

The company that provided this dog needs to be put of of business.

Although that does beg the question of who was responsible for training the dog? There are problems with fly-by-night "service dog" companies these days. Actually, a lot of "service dogs" are not actually trained by legitimate companies (in fact, a lot of so-called "service dogs" are not trained at all - it's just individuals who throw a blazer on the dog and claim it is service; I am not suggesting this case is like that, but I am saying that whoever trained this dog failed, and cannot be allowed to do any more. Actually any other dogs provided by this outfit need to be recalled)

Probably trained service dogs are amazing. I've seen them handle outrageous situations very appropriately (I saw a dog get his tail stepped on - he didn't yelp, he just crawled up onto the owner's lab looking very sad; such a good dog!). Improperly trained dogs, otoh, are a danger and they cannot be allowed.

I fully agree about actual service dogs. As an STTR, I've been around deaf and deaf-blind people with "hearing dogs" (that signal their owner, e.g., when the doorbell rings) and guide dogs. They're all well-behaved and properly trained. And in my country, at least, there's only one or a few recognized institutions that may train and/or certify them.

"Emotional support animals" are not service animals, at least not under the ADA. And outside the USA, no-one's ever heard of them. They don't do actual work, they only make you feel better. Get a doctor to write you a note, slap on a vest and presto, your not-even-housebroken dog is an "emotional support animal". They're nothing else than Linus' blanket or the teddy bear that you carried with you as a child, except that that teddy bear didn't maul anyone around. Many of them are a scam, so that people can carry them for free on a plane, because there's another federal law that says airlines have to accommodate them too.

It's actually a long and involved process to destroy a dog nowdays. The dog does get a trial.

Say what?

And, again, the fact the dog was trained by the Feds and issued by the Marines, it might be harder for a city or state to destroy federal property without a judgement from a court.

There's no evidence in the story that the dog was trained by the feds, much less that it was owned by the feds. The article said the marine owned the dog himself.

 

[welshdean]

Bit of an old story. I wonder if a thread about the incident was started here when it happened.

I do remember reading a thread on some other platform and was surprised at the number of people, before the witness reports and a gruesome photo of the victim's face emerged, who were 100% certain that dogs "just don't act that way unless provoked" and asserted that the victim must have done something to upset the dog. In reality the victim was already seated before the dog and his owner arrived, and leaning all the way against the bulkhead, and expressed alarm more than once at the fact the dog was staring at him and growing threateningly although the owner assured him nothing bad would happen. It was like a comedy sketch.

Does your dog bite?
No...

 

[gerdbonk]

From one of the many organizations providing "registration" of ESAs (Emotional Support Animal):

All domesticated animals may qualify as an ESA (cats, dog, mice, rabbits, birds, snakes, hedgehogs, rats, mini pigs, ferrets, etc.) and they can be any age (young puppies and kittens, too!). These animals do not need any specific task-training because their very presence mitigates the symptoms associated with a person's psychological/emotional disability, unlike a working service dog. The only requirement is that the animal is manageable in public and does not create a nuisance in or around the home setting.

The Air Carrier Access Act 49 U.S.C. 41705, Dept. of Transportation 14 C.F.R. Part 382, Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 are the laws that protect an emotionally disabled person and his/her ESA.

The legal protections an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) has are to:

Fly with its emotionally or psychologically disabled handler in the cabin of an aircraft without being charged a pet fee. Click here for detailed information on Flying with Your Emotional Support Animal.

Qualify for no-pet housing (that also includes limited size, breed, or species housing) without being charged a pet fee. Click here for detailed information on Housing Rights For You And Your ESA.

No other public or private entity (motels, restaurants, stores, trains, taxis, busses, theatres, parks, beaches, libraries, zoos, etc.) is required to allow your ESA to accompany you and in all other instances, your ESA has no more rights than a pet. That means they aren't protected by law to accompany you into any public place that does not allow pets. That doesn't mean these places won't let you, it just means that they are not required to, by law.

They've even got a house doctor if your legit one balks:

If you have no therapist or your therapist is unwilling to write such a letter, we recommend using Chilhowee Psychological Services; a licensed mental health services agency that specializes in online/telephone disability assessments and offers letters of prescription to clients who qualify. This agency is approved by the U.S. Justice Department, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Department of Transportation

Of course, appearance is everything:

Registration is voluntary; not compulsory. But, registering your pet as an ESA not only legitimizes your ESA (making him/her look official), but eliminates nearly all the hassles and confrontation you'll encounter without it. That's the reason National Service Animal Registry exists: To make life easier for the disabled!

 

[Leftus]

Say what?

There's no evidence in the story that the dog was trained by the feds, much less that it was owned by the feds. The article said the marine owned the dog himself.

Maybe I'm misreading the statement "the U.S. Marine Corps who “advised that the dog was issued to him for support.”"

Whenever the Marines issued something to me, I was not the owner of the item, only the user. So I would say it's a bit unclear as to how he came into possession of face biter.

As to the dog trial, yes, they get them :

http://www.statesman.com/news/local...th-dog-that-bit-child/pLg3RkHRa58MMERE0QvLLJ/

 

[William Parcher]

Maybe the Marines told him, "go get yourself a support dog".

 

[baron]

Probably trained service dogs are amazing. I've seen them handle outrageous situations very appropriately (I saw a dog get his tail stepped on - he didn't yelp, he just crawled up onto the owner's lab looking very sad; such a good dog!). Improperly trained dogs, otoh, are a danger and they cannot be allowed.

Dogs tend to do that anyway if they are comfortable in their environment, and are well cared for. If they snap or run away it's usually a sign of underlying stress beyond the immediate stimulus. My own dog will come to me if he experiences any discomfort or nervousness, from someone stepping on his tail to a thorn in his paw to - and I kid you not - when he gets a biscuit stuck between his gum and his teeth.

 

[Checkmite]

we recommend using Chilhowee Psychological Services; a licensed mental health services agency that specializes in online/telephone disability assessments

lol

 

[Polaris]

lol

"Thank you for calling Chilhowee Psychological Services, this is Dr. Drew, how may I help you today?"