[NAGDU] Next Steps regarding Emotional Support Dog attack on delta.

Thu Jun 15 11:54:02 UTC 2017

I think the Delta incident is horrible in so many ways.  Others have 
expressed many things that went wrong and could have been done 
differently.  I agree very strongly with the person who said the owner 
of the dog should be accountable and not the airline.  At least the 
owner should be the main responsible party for this tragic situation.  
Perhaps the airline is somewhat accountable, but I do not believe it 
should be to the same level as the dog's owner.

So what to do?  Many states now have laws that make it a criminal 
offense to interfere with a service dog.  Many states also have laws 
that make it a criminal offense for a person's dog to interfere with a 
service dog.  This means that the person is legally responsible for the 
actions of his or her dog and can be punished through fines or jail time 
for the actions of their dog. So why not make that same concept 
applicable in the other direction?

Specifically, I mean any dog owner, including those with emotional 
support dogs, service dogs, PTSD, or any other flavor of dog could be 
criminally charged for the actions of their dog.  This would put the 
emphasis on personal responsibility.  It would make behavior the issue, 
not paperwork or where the dog came from.  It would be public and 
documented so trends could be tracked and monitored.  It would make 
people think twice before taking untrained dogs into places they can't 
handle.  It would not punish or cause undo hardship to legitimate users 
of trained service dogs.

As an owner trainer I do not want to see my freedom to continue 
obtaining and training dogs to meet my needs be diminished or 
restricted.  I also feel that some individuals can and do benefit from 
dogs that provide emotional support.  I do not wish to presume that my 
disability is more worthy than what they have going on in their lives.  
We are all people and should have the same opportunities.  However, when 
people do things that harm others or allow things to happen that have a 
significant potential to harm others, they need to be held accountable.

Julie

On 6/14/2017 9:38 AM, Stacie Hardy - NFBHOU via NAGDU wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I think this would be a great topic. I think educating others will be forever ongoing.
>
>
> --
> Stacie Hardy <shardy at nfbtx.org>
> President: NFB of Texas Houston Chapter
> Voice and Text: (346) 704-0190 or (832) 779-7477
>
> "A question never asked is an answer never known"
> "Live the life you want!"
>
>
>> On Jun 14, 2017, at 8:59 AM, Cindy Ray via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> This isn't really about Delta, as I think others have said. It is about a problem that might occur on any airline and did occur there. I once argued with them because they wanted to give me a special pass for my emotional support dog. I pointed out that he wasn't one, but they insisted that they needed to make me a special pass anyway. But this has only happened once. I think we need to continue to call airlines out as they do these things, but the stuff seems so strangely inconsistent. It also seems to be getting worse, note the situation on American, I think it was, and not only with dogs.
>>
>> Educating gets old, yet we seem called upon to do it and also to speak out regarding such events as happened on that Delta flight. We can't just complain because emotional support dogs are going to make it harder for us; we need to do something about it. Do we want a resolution? Should the members visit about it at the NAGDU Meeting? What does anyone think about next steps.
>>
>> Cindy Lou Ray
>> cindyray at gmail.com
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of David via NAGDU
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2017 7:11 AM
>> To: Heather Bird via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: David <david at bakerinet.com>
>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Emotional Support Dog attack on delta.
>>
>> I, too, share your involvement with several other listservs.  I have searched and found no guide dog access issue reports involving Delta.
>> Would you mind sending references to a couple? or sharing the report you filed on what happened to you on Delta?
>>
>> *David and Claire Rose in Clearwater, FL* *david at bakerinet.com
>>
>> *
>>> On 6/14/2017 7:49 AM, Heather Bird via NAGDU wrote:
>>>     I am speaking generally based on all of the articles I come across
>>> regarding access issues from the various airlines. There are some that
>>> seem to have more than Delta, American Airlines for instance, and some
>>> that are relatively good, that have very few, South West for instance.
>>> Delta is not the worst, but they do have quite a fair percentage. One
>>> thing we have to bear in mind in order to be fair is the size of the
>>> airline as well. Delta is pretty big and well-known. If a really big
>>> airline has 10 articles about access issues that I come across in the
>>> year, this might be the same thing as a very small airline having two
>>> incidents in that same year. I have had minor incidents on Delta and
>>> once on Jet Blue. I am on this NAGDU list, plus the Seeing Eye mailing
>>> list and the GDUI list, and in the past I have been on mailing lists
>>> for other schools from which I have dogs. Also, Jim and I have no
>>> lives and we often search google and or YouTube for access issues, so
>>> we see a large number of media stories regarding access issues,
>>> including those on airlines. I have not made out graphs and charts and
>>> plotted every single incident in a scientific method to see which
>>> airlines are the worst offenders. I just know that I have seen a
>>> goodly number over the years, from Delta, especially with non guide
>>> dog service dogs. Jim had a run-in with Delta that was moderately bad, although most of his run-ins have been with airport personally. I hope that helps to clarify.
>>>
>>> Heather Bird
>>> "They came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I
>>> wasn't a Communist.
>>> Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
>>> Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because
>>> I wasn't a trade unionist.
>>> Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was
>>> a Protestant.
>>> Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."
>>> - Martin Niemöller In our diverse society we must never fail to speak
>>> up in the face of Human Rights violations lest we be the next targets
>>> of such violations.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of David via
>>> NAGDU
>>> Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2017 10:12 PM
>>> To: Heather Bird via NAGDU
>>> Cc: David
>>> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Emotional Support Dog attack on delta.
>>>
>>> I have had wonderful treatment on my Delta flights and I am unaware of
>>> Delta offenses related to service dog use.
>>>
>>> Could you provide further explanation regarding this comment, or the
>>> reason you made it, Heather?
>>>
>>> *David and Claire Rose in Clearwater, FL* *david at bakerinet.com
>>>
>>>
>>> *
>>>> On 6/13/2017 9:34 PM, Heather Bird via NAGDU wrote:
>>>> Delta is already one of the worst offenders for access issues related
>>>> to
>>> service dog use.
>>>
>>>
>>>
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