If you plan to fly with a service dog, then airlines can require you to fill out up to two forms issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). If you do not, airlines can refuse to allow your service dog into the cabins of their planes.
Luckily, these forms do not permit the airlines to ask any personal questions about your disability that would violate your privacy. While you do have to fill out forms, airlines still cannot ask you to have your dog demonstrate a task.
Though these forms are straightforward overall, there may be a few questions that trip you up. Therefore, we will go over the forms step by step to help you fill them out correctly.
Service Dog Definition
Before we tackle the DOT forms, it’s important to understand what a service dog is. This is because anyone misrepresenting their pet can be charged with fines and other penalties. You probably already know what a service dog is, but just in case, here’s how the DOT defines a service animal.
A service animal is a dog trained to perform at least one task to benefit an individual with a disability. These include pulling a wheelchair, providing momentum up the stairs, providing deep pressure therapy during a panic attack, and alerting the handler to specific sounds.
The definition of a service dog makes clear that emotional support animals are not service animals, as they aren’t trained to perform a task related to the handler’s disability. As such, they are not protected by the Air Carrier Access Act and are not allowed to fly in airplane cabins unless the airline allows them.
You’ll also notice that the definition covers dogs that help with mental disabilities. As such, psychiatric service dogs are recognized as service animals and have all the same rights as service dogs that are used for physical disabilities. That is to say, a psychiatric service dog can accompany you in an airplane cabin at no extra cost.
How to Avoid Scams
There have always been airline scams, and now, scammers are targeting service dog owners, too. However, you can easily avoid these scams if you follow our tips.
First of all, airlines are required to use forms created by the Department of Transportation. As such, it doesn’t matter which company you choose to fly with, the form will always be exactly the same.
Secondly, you can find the forms you need to fill out on the DOT’s official website, which is a .gov website. By downloading the forms directly from the DOT, you’ll know you have the real thing. The Service Animal Air Transportation form can be found here, and the Service Animal Relief Attestation form can be found here. Both of these forms are completely free of charge.
If you take a look at these forms, you will see that they do not ask for personal information such as credit cards, bank info, or social security numbers. These forms are meant to inform the airline about your dog’s health, behavior, and training as well as serve as an agreement that you understand your dog can be removed from a flight for being aggressive or disruptive. Your payment for your flight is entirely separate from the documents you need for your service dog.
Finally, the DOT forms are meant to be submitted 48 hours before a flight. If you’ve booked a last-minute flight, you may be asked to provide the forms at the gate of departure. So, if you receive any emails from an “airline” asking you to fill out a form when you haven’t even booked a flight, then it’s likely a scam.
How to Fill Out the Service Animal Air Transportation Form
Though the forms are fairly straightforward, there are a few sections that can be a little confusing. We’ll go through the form section by section and explain what the form is asking for so that you can fill it out correctly.
Basic Information
The first section of the form is asking for the name(s) and phone number(s) of the person(s) responsible for the service dog. You’ll see that the form asks for both the handler’s and the service dog user’s names.
Sometimes, the person who has the disability (the user) will not be trained in how to control the dog or may be physically unable to do so. In this instance, a handler is assigned to control the service dog for the user’s benefit.
If you are both user and handler, then you only need to put your name where it says “service animal handler’s name.” The rest of the section is straightforward, simply asking for your phone number, email address, and the dog’s name and weight.
Animal Health
This section is meant to confirm that your dog is healthy and does not have any diseases that could endanger other people or animals. As such, it asks when your dog was last vaccinated for rabies as well as when that vaccination expires.
You can easily find this information by contacting your veterinarian. The form also asks that you provide the name of your veterinarian as well as their phone number. You do not need to get your veterinarian to sign the form.
Animal Training and Behavior
In this section, you will attest that your dog has been trained to assist with a disability and knows how to behave in a public setting. You agree that your service dog is well-trained and will not bite, bark, jump at, lunge at, or otherwise act aggressively toward or injure other people or animals. You’ll also attest that your dog will not relieve themself on the plane or in the airport (except for in designated areas).
This section also acts as an agreement. You acknowledge that if your service dog is unruly, the airline has the right to charge you a pet fee and require your dog to be transported in a pet carrier.
Perhaps the most confusing part of this section is that it asks what trainer or organization has trained your service dog. It is perfectly acceptable to put your own name and phone number if you trained your own service dog.
Under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), it is perfectly legal for someone with a disability to train their own service dog. As such, neither the DOT nor any airline can require that your service dog has been trained by an organization or professional trainer.
Finally, this section asks you to confirm that your service dog has never acted aggressively in the past. If they have, you’re required to explain.
It is best to be honest here so that the airline can accommodate you. If your dog is well-behaved except in the presence of, say, cats, the airline can ensure that anyone traveling with a cat is seated far away and out of view from you and your dog. This keeps everyone happy and safe.
Other Assurance
This is the final section of the form. Here, you must agree to keep your service dog leashed, harnessed, or tethered for the entire time you are in the airport and on the plane. Next, you agree that if your service dog causes any damage, you will be charged for the repairs.
Finally, you acknowledge that you are signing an official DOT form and have been honest. If you have knowingly made any false statements, you can be fined or otherwise penalized. With that done, all that is left is to sign and date the form. Review your responses to ensure everything is correct, and then you can submit the form to the airline you’ll be flying with.
How to Fill Out the Service Animal Relief Attestation Form
If you’re taking your service dog on a flight that lasts 8 hours or longer, then you need to fill out the Service Animal Relief Attestation form alongside the form we just went over. The purpose of this form is to ensure that your service dog can either hold their bowels or can relieve themself in a sanitary way.
Just as with the previous form, the service dog handler and user’s names and phone numbers are collected. This form also requires you to fill out information about your flight. You’ll need to know the estimated flight length, the flight’s date, as well as the departure and arrival airports.
Next, you will choose between the following two options:
- Your service dog will not relieve themself while on the aircraft; OR
- Your service dog can relieve themself during the flight without creating a health or sanitation issue.
Whichever option you choose, you must explain how your dog is able to refrain from relieving themself or how they are able to relieve themself in a sanitary manner.
Once again, you must acknowledge that you are signing an official DOT form and have provided accurate information. Finally, you can sign and date the form.
How to Submit the DOT Forms to an Airline
When booking online, most airlines will have an option within the booking process that allows you to notify them that you’re traveling with a service dog. Once the booking is complete, you’ll often receive an email with a link to where you can submit the DOT form(s). Similarly, you may be given an email address to send the form(s) to.
Some airlines also have an option in their online contact forms where you can select that you are contacting them about service dogs and attach files, such as the DOT forms. It’s important that you get these forms turned in 48 hours before your flight so that the airline can accommodate you. Therefore, if you’re ever confused about how to submit your forms, call the airline directly and ask them to walk you through it.
When Can Airlines Deny Service Dogs?
Because service dogs are a necessity and can even perform lifesaving tasks, there are limited situations in which it is acceptable for an airline to deny a service dog from boarding a plane. Here are the scenarios in which an airline can deny service dogs:
- You did not contact the airline within 48 hours of your flight and they are unable to make space for your dog OR you did not submit DOT forms within 48 hours of departure.
- Your dog shows aggression or other unruly behavior while in the airport or before the plane takes off.
- The dog exceeds what is considered a safe size and weight to be transported in the cabin.
- The dog violates health requirements and is prohibited from entering a country (e.g. is not up to date on vaccinations).
What to Do if Your Service Dog Has Been Wrongfully Denied
If you feel that you have done everything correctly but have been denied the right to bring your service dog with you on a flight, then there may be some steps you can take to rectify the situation.
If you’ve been denied upon arrival at the airport despite having filled out and submitted all of your service dog forms correctly, you’ll need to look for a customer service representative. If they are unable to right the wrongs, then your next step is to file a complaint with the airline.
Every airline that flies to, from, or within the US is required by the DOT to state on their websites where customers can make complaints. Many airlines have online forms for complaints. Airlines are also required to acknowledge complaints within 30 days and respond within 60 days.
If a complaint with the airline doesn’t rectify the situation, then your final step is to file a complaint with the DOT directly. If you feel that your service dog has been denied due to discriminatory reasons, then you can skip directly to submitting a complaint to the DOT.
However, the DOT faces a large volume of complaints and it will take far longer for the DOT to get back to you. Therefore, it may still be worth trying to resolve the situation with the airline, even if you do suspect discrimination.
Flying With a Service Dog
If you want to travel with your service dog, you have every right to do so. However, airlines have the right to require you to fill out a couple of DOT forms before your flight. Luckily, these forms can be filled out within 15 minutes and are pretty straightforward.
The forms outline what is expected of your service dog in terms of health, training, and behavior. They also function as an agreement between you and the airline — by signing the forms, you agree that your dog can be transferred to cargo or made to fly in a carrier if they act aggressively or are otherwise disruptive.
However, this shouldn’t be an issue for any well-trained service dog who has undergone public access training. As long as you fill out the forms correctly and submit them in a timely manner, it should be smooth sailing (or should we say flying?) from there.