My sister is allergic to pet dander and she has, at times, negotiated with flight crews to be seated away from passengers with animals. I just sent her an email suggesting she get a “medical certificate” so as to avoid this type of situation in the future.
I have a mild version of the same problem if the animal gets in my face. I flew last week to and from Pensacola FL and saw several furry beasts escorted by passengers. I think the analogy to handicap parking stickers is quite apt.
Personally, I’m more concerned with the people who board a plane with the flu or a head cold and proceed to sneeze like crazy, filling the air with their germs.
One thing I’ve noticed in recent years is people with allergies who act like their allergy is some kind of grave disability akin to being blind or missing a leg or something. They literally act like if you don’t turn your own world upside down to accommodate them, then you’ve done the equivalent of parked a Ferrari in a handicapped spot.
FWIW...
I had a discussion with a man who trains service dogs for a living. I asked about the increasing popularity of “service dogs” for a variety of things. In a nutshell, it is a psychological thing that has been proven effective. A friend of ours had bone cancer that had taken one of his legs. His service dog didn’t really help him walk, but it was a psychological “crutch” that made him more comfortable in public.
As for the dog allergy...my doctor told me that things that they used to classify as “sensitivities” are now being treated more like “allergies”. Most allergies are a matter of degree. Some peanut allergies trigger when they are eaten, some can be triggered by the smell. For some the reaction is swelled up membranes, for others it is anaphylactic shock. That being said, he claimed that people who used to just cope with their allergies now seem to be demanding that the world accommodate their allergies. Thus, someone that has what used to be called a sensitivity now has an allergy that must be catered to.
They feel they shouldn’t be subjected to the sniffles just because someone else is having trouble coping with flying.
Conversely, the person with the dog doesn’t feel like they should be made to feel uncomfortable just because someone else will get the sniffles.
We should also keep in mind that with proper preparation and within certain limits set by the airline, people can take dogs on a plane without them being service dogs.
If you have a life threatening allergy then you inform the airline WHEN BOOKING A FLIGHT of this so proper arrangements can be made. This woman is full of baloney.
So, the whole tangent on service dogs, while a worthwhile discussion, is really not relevant in this instance.