Re: flying with your dog posing as a service dog
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ryan,
I bet you could probably get away with this, but if I were you I'd look into the penalties for getting caught. You would likely get caught only if something actually happened, but some airline-related penalties are pretty insane.
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in the research i've done so far, i've only found some mention that the airline can refuse to allow the dog to board the airplane. the fact is that if i say i have a disability, and that my dog helps me with that disability, it pretty much is so. for example, one of the categories of service dogs that airlines are supposed to allow to fly under the ADA is: "emotional support" dog.
i think the worst case scenario here is that they won't let me board the plane with my dog. luckily, i'm going to be flying out of a very small airport. i'll bring the crate in the car, and when my dad drops me off, i'll have him wait in the parking lot. if the airline calls BS, i'll just go out and get her crate and check her in. but i just don't see that happening because even in the official guidelines i've read it's clear that airline personnel are strongly discouraged from asking questions about a passenger's disability.
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