Qantas Refuse "Assistance" dog

[kelvedon]

An "acclaimed author's" assistance dog was been barred from flying in the cabin with her on a domestic flight the SMH has reported.

I don't know why the description "Accalimed Author" should have any bearing on QF's decision, or how the claim its "not an emotional support dog" sits with the statement from the dogs training agency that "MindDog is a Sydney-based not-for-profit organisation that helps to "procure, train and accredit psychiatric assistance dogs" for people in need". Thoughts anyone ?

'Deeply upsetting': Qantas says no to acclaimed author's assistance dog

"This affects a lot more people than just me," Fiona Wright said.

www.smh.com.au

 

[cambriamarsh]

An "acclaimed author's" assistance dog was been barred from flying in the cabin with her on a domestic flight the SMH has reported.

I don't know why the description "Accalimed Author" should have any bearing on QF's decision, or how the claim its "not an emotional support dog" sits with the statement from the dogs training agency that "MindDog is a Sydney-based not-for-profit organisation that helps to "procure, train and accredit psychiatric assistance dogs" for people in need". Thoughts anyone ?

'Deeply upsetting': Qantas says no to acclaimed author's assistance dog

"This affects a lot more people than just me," Fiona Wright said.

www.smh.com.au

I'm sure QF didn't turn her down for no good reason. Can anyone confirm VA accepts these dogs as acceptable on domestic aircraft?

 

[Denali]

Seems to be the issue is the Accreditation facility isnt listed with QF so hopefully the organisation will get onto that asap.

I do not want to see a repeat of the US where every purse pet with a online certificate is deemed a service animal but for those that have a real need for assistance/service animal, I support them in the cabin. Mental health is a very real, often unseen, issue for many people. I would hate to think what my life would be like if I suffered from anxiety, PTSD ect.

Ms Wright claims other airlines – such as Virgin Australia, which has been contacted for comment – allow passengers to travel with mindDog-trained canines.

Instead of spending weeks working with QF, why didnt she just book with VA? Even with a transit, she would have been happier/there.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I'm sure QF didn't turn her down for no good reason.

The issue seems to be not that Qantas will not take service dogs, but that the dog has to have been trained to a certain standard.

"We've been working with her for several weeks to explain Qantas's requirements," he said. "We need to ensure that the dog is trained appropriately to travel inside the cabin.

"Qantas is bound by federal legislation, including [Civil Aviation Safety Authority] regulations, to ensure all service dogs travelling in the cabin meet the required standards.

"Unfortunately in this case, on the information provided, Qantas could not be satisfied that the mindDog training provided met the ... [required] standards. Qantas has successfully worked with dozens of other training providers to ensure their standards met Qantas' obligations.

 

[Lynda2475]

If she had a real requirement to bring her "assistance dog" (and i think the claim is questionable as reads very much like emotional support animal, she is physically capable and could take anxiety meds as an alternative), then you'd think she'd check who the accredited organisations are before opting to source her animal from mind dogs.

I've been on many a qantas flight where guide dogs and assistance dogs (also trained by guide dogs Australia) have been on board, so if you have a genuine assistance animal from a proper accredited organisation you can fly.

I applaud Qantas for enforcing proper accreditation, we don't want domestic travel in Aus to become like it is in the US with all manner of unnecessary pets in the cabin.

 

[JohnM]

I always feel that there's another side to these types of stories. I wonder about the accreditation of MindDog's training. Their website provides some hints: https://www.minddog.org.au/

 

[milehighclub]

The MindDog website says this

"At the moment QANTAS does not accept mindDogs. We hope this will change in the future."

 

[suze2000]

I always feel that there's another side to these types of stories. I wonder about the accreditation of MindDog's training. Their website provides some hints: https://www.minddog.org.au/

ie, that there is no formal training at all... the owner is supposed to train their dog. This is not what I would consider a service dog.

 

[moa999]

ie, that there is no formal training at all... the owner is supposed to train their dog. This is not what I would consider a service dog.

Yep. Seems to just charge a fee to
Certify a self-trained dog

And include pit bulls in their list of dogs they have certified.

I wonder if their is some history as to the specific Qantas comment.

 

[Deleted member]

Just as well she isn't traveling to NZ or Canada, or UK or ..........

 

[The man with no name]

Just take an emotional support Valium before you boarding. Anxiety gone.

 

[offshore171]

Those that have flown US domestic in recent years will be aware of the current circus that has developed over there, with people bringing in peacocks, squirrels etc, under increasingly tenuous claims of emotional support. In some cases it has been used as a ruse to transport their pet.

It seems once the genie gets out of the bottle in this area, it really gets out of control.

In this case, the organisation that accredited the dog (MindDog) is not recognised by QF. Apparently these dogs are essentially home trained.

Another consideration is the recent plane evacuation failure in Russia, I imagine this will play a future role in what animals can be taken in the cabin and under what circumstances. Poorly trained assistance animals in the cabin are not conducive to an orderly evac.

 

[Ausbt]

squirrels

Squirrels of the Central Park variety have a very interesting history. They were introduced - and in the 1800's were a real attraction people would go and see. My wife loves them. Anyhoo, I love the idea of taking my ragdoll cat aboard in his cage. He's a pretty relaxed kinda guy, but if the occasional car trip is a guide I imagine his mewing might really drive people mad. Then there are those with allergies, although from what I can tell allergenic friends aren't affected by his very, very hairy and continually malting coat.

But onto dogs. Yeah, not generally a fan due to their neediness. Whenever I've seen them (on US flights) I've always been a bit taken aback, but they've been well behaved. To each their own, I guess.

 

[Vic]

Instead of spending weeks working with QF, why didnt she just book with VA? Even with a transit, she would have been happier/there.

This is covered in the story. 8 hours to Alice using other options.

 

[Vic]

Just take an emotional support Valium before you boarding. Anxiety gone.

Just take your highly addictive valium, and maybe be slightly less anxious.

 

[stm1sydney]

What @Zac_AU presciently said in the controversial J toilet thread:

"It's like therapy animals - for every genuine case of need there's 30 other people taking the piss and BSing the system."

I think that the inevitable outcome of our lefty overlords encouraging everyone to think of him/herself as a victim and therefore is entitled to special treatment is an explosion in mental or psychological issues.

 

[samh004]

This is not what I would consider a service dog.

Exactly, when I first saw the story the other day the phrase "emotional support animal" came to my head instead of "service animal".

 

[therudies86]

The accreditation process for ADs is applied (I believe) under state legislation. To my understanding that legislation (at least in Queensland) is pretty clear on what is required for accreditation, and the onus should not be on Qantas to prove or disprove any accreditation agency at their whim. Any person with an AD should have a certificate to demonstrate they have an accredited AD, and I suspect why in this instance they were declined by Qantas.

Assistance Dogs can be used to support those with either/both mental and physical disabilities and illnesses. ADs are not just for physical disabilities.

Awareness and knowledge of Assistance Dogs in the broader community is poor and inconsistent, and so we see many dis-allowing access when it is required under legislation. An example is in cafes and restaurants - and I have seen people with ADs wrongly turned away. This has caused great angst to the individual, and those with them, through no fault of their own.

I ask all to please be mindful if you do come across someone with an AD - it costs a lot of time and money to train an AD, and each person I have met with an AD has a genuine need.

 

[RooFlyer]

@therudies86 thanks for that explanation. Can you say if accredited ADs wear anything to identify them as such?

 

[DC3]

Those that have flown US domestic in recent years will be aware of the current circus that has developed over there, with people bringing in peacocks, squirrels etc, under increasingly tenuous claims of emotional support …

… including the turkey on DL in 2016: