I'd rather have a German Shepherd seated next to me than most humans.
Posted on 09/08/2012 1:44:24 PM PDT by DFG
A bomb-sniffing military dog that has served two tours in Afghanistan was refused passage on a U.S. commercial flight to the Democratic National Convention last week by a pilot who was concerned the K-9 could be aggressive.
The 6-year-old German shepherd named Kevin was prevented from boarding a US Airways flight from Phoenix, Ariz., to Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 1. The dog has flown on other commercial flights previously, usually sitting on the floor at the row of seats next to the bulkhead of the passenger cabin with his Navy handler.
On the evening of Sept. 1, the dog and handler were preparing to board the US Airways flight at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix when the captain of the plane asked if the dog was trained to attack, according to a source with direct knowledge of the incident.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Those dogs are trained and won’t attack except on command.
“but it makes you wonder.” Wonder what the woman was carrying, besides a poodle?
I'd rather have a German Shepherd seated next to me than most humans.
But humans demand much less play time.
They are animals. You can’t be 100% certain of that. Is the dog trained to handle turbulent flight? Besides, I’m talking about people on the plane who are uncomfortable or just plain scared of dogs. It is a reasonable fear, especially for a person who has been attacked by a dog. To most people, dogs are cuddly pets. To some, they are ravenous wolves—especially breeds that retain a lot of their wolflike appearance.
I could be wrong, but since the dog served two tours in Afghanistan I would doubt that he would be spooked by turbulent weather. These dogs are highly trained, even more than service dogs which travel in the cabin on a regular basis. Traveling in the cargo area is not always safe.
You have a good point about other passengers possibly being apprehensive. Perhaps the dog and handler could have boarded last and deplaned first. From what the article said they were going to the DNC for security purposes, not on a pleasure trip.
I guess because I watched a special about 9/11 prior to reading this article, it crossed my mind that if there had been a couple of military dogs on those flights, things might have turned out very differently.
I know what you are saying.
>>I could be wrong, but since the dog served two tours in Afghanistan I would doubt that he would be spooked by turbulent weather.
But you can’t be certain.
>>You have a good point about other passengers possibly being apprehensive. Perhaps the dog and handler could have boarded last and deplaned first. From what the article said they were going to the DNC for security purposes, not on a pleasure trip.
Oh great. Let’s say you have a fear of large dogs and you get on a plane. Just before they shut the door, they put a large attack dog in the passenger compartment just a few seats away from you. If you make a ruckus to get off, you get arrested. What do you do?
>>I guess because I watched a special about 9/11 prior to reading this article, it crossed my mind that if there had been a couple of military dogs on those flights, things might have turned out very differently.
Really?? You’re invoking the “anything goes, if you can make the claim that it could have prevented 9/11” clause? How many freedoms and inconveniences has that one cost us over the past decade?
OK, so you’re certifying that the dog in the article was jump-qualified?
Or perhaps the dog was simply ignoring its training/obeying its hormones and desired to mount and/or mate with the other dog.
I think it’s better to say that a trained attack dog won’t attack unless commanded, one of their “triggers” is activated, or the dog feels provoked/threatened.
I thought this was a drug sniffing dog?
There is no such thing as certainty in life.
Let's say they put an air marshall carrying a gun next to you. A lot of people are terrified of guns. They can be in a drawer, unloaded and they still freak out. So anyone sitting next to you MIGHT have a gun. And he might be a kook, who knows. What do you do? I guess because the gun is hidden it is o.k.
The article stated the dog had flown before...and flew the next day. He sat at the front of the plane, as he had in the past, away from other passengers. Would you take the same offense at a service dog flying in the compartment? They generally sit away from other passengers as well.
I am not invoking the anything goes clause at all. I think we agree that we have been deprived of many liberties due to 9/11. I merely stated that a military dog, unleashed, might have been useful and would have been fearless against the people that perpetrated these crimes. Not that the typical citizen wouldn't have been had they armed.
I understand if you don't like big dogs. My own father feels like he has entered purgatory when he comes to my house. Even though he is protected. But just say that.
On a lighter note..I would prefer to sit next to an attack dog than a screaming baby on an airline flight.
I’m quite surprised that this wasn’t cleared ahead of time.
I used to have the police bring in their drug sniffing dogs to show the kids in our class (I taught health) and do a demonstration. They were GOOD but they weren’t perfect. They are dogs after all. Much better trained than the average dog.
I have shown in obedience, and even the best of those dogs mess up sometimes because something else seems like a better thing to do. Now, I suspect this dog would have been perfectly fine, but I’m really surprised that this wasn’t cleared with the airline ahead of time and the pilot informed.
When I ship a dog, which I do on occasion, I have to make arrangements. I would assume you do the same when you take one in the cabin.
Yes, but the handler couldn’t (or wouldn’t) tell the pilot the dog wouldn’t attack. I think that was probably where the problem was.
I believe the pilot was just being overly cautious about this type of dog riding in the cabin(i.e. trained to attack if necessary). Which I do not have a problem with, since he is responsible for the passengers safety. However, even service dogs can be a problem, if the circumstances are right. I do not think this is a US Airways problem, just this pilot being overly careful.
I say that because, I just flew back from Phoenix to Ohio, and there were 2 service dogs on the flight. The staff went out of their way to take care of the dogs, before the flight. Taking them for a walk and taking them to the bathroom. In the terminal, you would have thought the dogs were famous, as everyone, including, US Airways staff, and many people on the flight, wanted to pet them. The people were pretty easy going and even though they should not have done it, they allowed them to do so. The dogs seemed to have a calming affect on those waiting to get on the flight, instead of making them nervous.
During the whole flight, which was turbulent, no one even heard one peep from the dogs. That is more than I can say about some people that fly and cannot handle flying in general, or turbulent weather.
If I had the choice I would pick the dogs over people.
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