[NAGDU] Delta bans kittens and puppies as support animals on all flights and all emotional support animals on longer hauls

Thu Dec 13 19:42:07 UTC 2018

Danielle,

	As the National Association of Guide Dog Users and the National
Federation of the Blind advocate for the rights of guide dog users, we
realize that, as such, we are advocating for the rights of all disabled
individuals who use service animals and keep this in mind when helping
entities craft their policies. At the same time, we do recognize that guide
dog users, generally, are at a somewhat different position than most other
service animal users in that our dogs are usually seen as they are
performing the tasks for which they are trained; therefore, we should
reasonably be subjected to fewer inquiries, as this is generally stated as a
credible assurance. In other words, the ADA and ACAA allow for certain
inquiries of the user and offer guidance that such inquiries should
generally not be made if the animal is observed performing tasks or doing
work, such as guiding a person who is blind or visually impaired. HTH!

Fraternally yours,
Marion

Marion Gwizdala, President
National Association of Guide Dog Users Inc. (NAGDU)
National Federation of the Blind
(813) 626-2789
President at NAGDU.ORG
Visit our website
Follow us on Twitter
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise
expectations because low expectations create barriers between blind  people
and our dreams. You can live the life you want! Blindness is not what holds
you back.

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Danielle Sykora
via NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2018 12:05 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Danielle Sykora
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Delta bans kittens and puppies as support animals on
all flights and all emotional support animals on longer hauls

I am very glad NAGDU is making an effort to communicate with airlines to
ensure their policies our legal and beneficial. That being said, I hope
NAGDU keep in mind all types of service dogs and disabilities, not just
focused on protecting blind people and guide dogs. I of coarse recognize
that NAGDU Would be primarily focused on the rights of individuals with
visual impairments, but I just thought this was a point to bring up.
I actually think Delta made A good decision with this policy. No dog under
four months old has enough training to be a service dog, or even reliable
enough obedience training to be an ESA in terms of air travel. Delta  went
for that extreme young age where people should be able to easily tell the
dog is a puppy. Then again, I remember having a four month old puppy in a
pet friendly public place and half the people I encountered thought she was
a service dog I assume because I was using my cane... I doubt this will be
too much of an issue for guide dog users since guide dogs are rarely under
about 50 pounds or so, but I wonder how this would affect people with
smaller or medium breeds. 

Danielle 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 13, 2018, at 11:28 AM, Lauren Bishop via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
wrote:
> 
> Hi All,
> With regards to international travel, you are required to present some
form of documentation, be it a rabies certificate, or certificate of health,
or some other type of documentation.  On the documentation, there should be
some reference as to how old the dog is.  In addition, they will be able to
tell the age of the dog by its vaccinations, since not all vaccinations are
given prior to six months of age.  Airlines are required to check your
documentation because they cannot be liable for transporting any animal,
service or not, without ensuring it meets the requirements for the
particular port of entry.  It is also grounds for the airline to prohibit
you from taking your service dog past the ticket counter if you do not have
this information.
> Thanks,
> Lauren 
> 
>> On Dec 12, 2018, at 1:02 PM, Jessica Dail via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
wrote:
>> 
>> Hi,
>> Is this illegal? 
>> 
>> Why would they do this? 
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> Jessica
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/delta-bans-kittens-and-puppies-as-support-
animals-on-all-flights-and-all-emotional-support-animals-on-longer-hauls-201
8-12-10
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> _______________________________________________
>> NAGDU mailing list
>> NAGDU at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
NAGDU:
>>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/laurenbishop96%40icloud.c
om
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> NAGDU mailing list
> NAGDU at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
NAGDU:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/dsykora29%40gmail.com

_______________________________________________
NAGDU mailing list
NAGDU at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NAGDU:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/blind411%40verizon.net