Q&A on the News

Q: Do airlines request certain documentation from owners of service dogs, like certificates from an accredited agency? — Martha Hunt, Hoschton

A: Required documentation varies by each airline. Some ask that individuals flying with animals provide a certificate from a veterinarian showing the animal is in good health, but this may not always be asked of a service animal.

Airlines are not allowed to require a passenger with a disability to provide documentation that proves their service animal has been trained, Caitlin Harvey, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Transportation, told Q&A on the News via email.

“Generally, a service animal is individually trained to perform functions to assist the passenger who is a qualified individual with a disability,” Harvey wrote. “In a few extremely limited situations, an animal such as a seizure alert animal may be capable of performing functions to assist a qualified person with a disability without individualized training.”

This would mean that those specific animals would not have documentation.

The classification as a service animal can also depend on the quality of its training. If the animal “engages in disruptive behavior,” airlines are not required to accept it as a service animal.

An animal used for emotional support does not need to have specific training for that function, and airlines are permitted to require documentation for an emotional support or psychiatric service animal as proof of a passenger’s legitimate need for such an animal, according to the DOT.