So many individuals don’t grasp the concept of how a service dog works. On top of that, there’s a general lack of understanding from businesses and organizations as well. This is incredibly disheartening for disabled individuals who rely on their service animals to function. A woman in California was shocked when she was denied a flight by an airline, and then repeatedly gaslit. The reason? They claim her service animal had an accident on the floor while there.
Erinn (@er1nnh) was less than impressed with her recent Southwest Airlines experience at the San Diego International Airport. Erinn has cystic fibrosis and diabetes. She chose to have a service dog to help her as she faces the symptoms of these illnesses on a daily basis. Erinn says she handed her service dog paperwork to the service desk and waited for her flight. After an hour and a half, they called her name and told her some disheartening news. They told her they were denying her service dog a flight, which means she couldn’t board.
When Erinn demanded to know why her service dog couldn’t board, they told her it was because “he had an accident.” Now, Erinn knew this wasn’t right. She said her dog was attached to her hip by his leash the entire time they were waiting there. They told Erinn that somebody saw the dog poop on the floor. Erinn demanded to know where it happened so she could see for herself. Unfortunately, they claim that they couldn’t show her any evidence. According to them, all they had was “hearsay” and nobody said anything to her right after it allegedly happened. It sounds kind of fishy as they explain it.
In the end, Erinn was left with no choice but to potentially pay $150 for her dog to board the flight. They said he would have to remain inside a carrier. She said this doesn’t work out for her because her dog is trained to sit on her lap and alert her if he notices a problem. That is the point of having a service dog, after all. Erinn was shocked by the treatment she received. She tells Southwest in her video, “You can’t gaslight me into believing this, because I know that it did not happen.”
One commenter said, “Even IF your dog had an accident, I’m sure he didn’t, but even if he did, that doesn’t give them the right to deny your service animal. It is appalling how many businesses do not know the ADA laws!” Another commenter suggested, “They lied to get more money out of you. They don’t want him on the flight because he had an ‘accident’ but they are fine with it once you fork over $150… h**l naw. Someone getting a bonus for charging you more.” It is pretty suspicious, when you put it that way.
