Emily Duprie
A viral TikTok of two dogs on a plane sparked discussion on which dogs can be legitimately classified as “service dogs.” One is clearly a service animal and the other one is, well, a french bulldog. It has become increasingly easy for anyone to get their pet certified as an ESA (emotional support animal). This easy access has left a tainted light on service animals trained for necessary assistance.
Today, dogs aren’t the only animals that are qualified to be ESA certified. Any domesticated animal may be certified with a physicians note and a little pocket change. Nowadays, random animals can be seen in out-of-place locations such as planes, trains, and automobiles. This video of the owner and her golden retriever, Finnian, includes the two of them and the human-animal pair sitting directly next to them on a plane.
The video shows Finnian on his best behavior and sitting still at his owner’s feet while the other dog, a Frenchie wearing a “service dog” vest, sniffs him and is tugged back by its owner who says the dog is “very friendly.”
The TikTok posted by finnianthegoldie seemed to really hit the mark for a discussion people have been dying to have, as it racked up over 23 million views in a single day. Although the French Bulldog’s behavior wasn’t unacceptable or too terrible, it was clear that the animal wasn’t trained to be indifferent about other dogs, as most service dogs are. Finnian’s owner talked about her concerns with the way service animals are so easily certified these days. Here’s what she said in her video’s caption:
We’ve had these kind of interactions with “service animals” too often since the law changed in 2020 and it’s really alarming (the # of ESAs that suddenly became PSAs with 0 training). Now every time we’re at the airport, I am constantly on the lookout for “service dogs” that might put Finnian at risk (or service dogs in training who are clearly not ready to fly and had little public access training) Recently saw a video of a 5 month old puppy flying as a fully trained “service dog” after the owner got an online certification from a scam website.
To take a service animal on a plane, airline employees are asked for documentation of the animals ESA certification, as well as observing and making judgment on whether the animal will be suitable to fly with other people and service animals.
Service animals undergo special training to assist people who have disabilities. According to PetKeen, “There are about 500,000 service dogs in the US. 26% of adults in the United States have some type of disability. Only 10,000 guide dog teams are currently working in the United States. It takes an average of 1.5 years to train a service dog.”
The video of the potential fake service dog, is now responsible for 28 million views, ensued talk about what makes a legitimate service animal.
Finnian’s owner and the poster of the video, also mentioned that some dog owners are able to falsely certify service dogs using “scam website[s].” I’ve actually known people first-hand who were able to get their dog or cat certified off of websites like this, and their fake documentation is hard to catch unless you’re professionally trained in ESA certification.
Viewers of the video discussed in the comment section what differences they noticed between the service dog and the alleged “fake” one.
