Dog Bites Girl On Flight, Raising Questions About Owner’s Claims

About a month ago, we wrote a post about dog bites in 2016 and how that data shows that pit bulls are a massive safety problem. They are disproportionately involved in fatal dog bites, and their powerful jaws can lead to devastating injuries — even if they don’t turn out to be fatal.

Today, we have a dog bite story that turns the conventional plot line on its head. A 6-year-old girl that was aboard a plane was bitten by an “emotional support” dog before the flight took off. The incident left the child with scrapes on her forehead, and the passenger that owned the dog — as well as the dog itself — was removed from the flight, which was delayed by 20 minutes because of the incident.

Since an emotional support dog isn’t the same as a properly trained service dog, this dog bite incident has raised questions about what should and shouldn’t be allowed when it comes to these emotional support dogs. Some owners may just fabricate a story that allows them to bring their dog onto a flight or into a building that they normally wouldn’t — and since the dog isn’t actually trained in any service capacity, it could pose a serious risk to others in the vicinity.

No matter the dog, when they attack, serious harm can occur. Dog owners that are negligent in their duties deserve to be held accountable for their reckless ways.

 

Source: Patch.com, “Southwest Flight Disrupted When ‘Emotional Support’ Dog Bites Kid,” Colin Miner, Feb. 22, 2018