Support dog repeatedly bites Delta passenger

A passenger on a Delta Air Lines jet was repeatedly bitten in the face by another passenger’s emotional support dog, according to a police report, in an incident that raises new questions about animals flying with owners.

The attack happened Sunday during boarding of Flight 1430 at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, on a Boeing 737 bound for San Diego.

“During the boarding process, a passenger’s emotional support animal bit another passenger,” Delta spokesman Anthony Black said. The dog was described in a police report as a “chocolate lab pointer mix.”

The incident was first reported by Atlanta station Fox 5, which quoted a passenger who said: “The gentleman’s face was completely bloody .... his shirt was covered in blood.”

The dog was in its owner’s lap in a middle seat, Delta said. The victim, identified in a police report as Marlin Jackson of Daphne, Ala., was in the adjoining window seat.

The police report said Jackson was taken to a hospital “in stable condition, but (with) severe injury to the face due to several dog bites.”

The report listed the dog’s owner, Ronald Kevin Mundy of Mills River, N.C., as a military service member with the Marine Corps who “advised that the dog was issued to him for support.”

The dog was put into a crate after the incident and later released to Mundy, who was not charged, according to the police report. He was allowed to fly with his dog in the kennel, according to Delta, although it was unclear if the kennel was in the cabin or cargo hold.

Asked if the incident may influence any policy change, Black said: “We are currently examining the details of the event but have no updates at this time.”

Airlines generally only allow small, crated pets to fly in cabins. But the Air Carrier Access Act, passed in 1986, requires airlines to accommodate people with service or emotional support animals. Delta’s website says it “complies with the Air Carrier Access Act by allowing customers traveling with emotional support animals or psychiatric service animals to travel without charge” if they comply with certain conditions and provide required documentation. The animal “must be trained to behave properly in public settings as service animals do,” according to Delta’s website. “A kennel is not required for emotional support animals if they are fully trained and meet same requirements as a service animal.”