Are Therapy Dogs Allowed on Planes?

This is a great question that can have different answers depending on the meaning of the question. Are therapy dogs allowed on planes? Yes and no.

Therapy dogs are dogs trained to provide emotional comfort for individuals experiencing a stressful or traumatic event. However, therapy dogs are not service dogs, therefore they are not covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. This limits the places that therapy dogs can go, meaning they are not necessarily accepted in places where service dogs are accepted. Service dogs are specifically trained to perform tasks that improve the quality of life for a disabled individual, therapy dogs do not perform tasks for disabled individuals, rather, they are there to emotionally support and comfort during difficult times.

There is a high probability that if a therapy dog is flying to a location with its owner, it will be treated like any other pet that is flying on the airplane, they will not be treated as a service dog. This means that the therapy dog will either need to fit under the owner’s seat or it may fly in the cargo area. In certain circumstances, the owner may purchase a ticket for the seat next to them and have their dog potentially sit on their lap. Some individuals have letters from their doctors stating that their dog is an emotional support animal which allows the dog to be out of the kennel and on the owner's lap. However, laws are changing regarding emotional support animals, so it would be best for you to check with the airline if you are planning to take your dog as an ESA.

Therapy dogs may be used on a plane if they're there to perform a certain service for passengers or crew members on the plane. In this instance, the therapy dog would be working in a therapeutic capacity. However, this is not generally at the place where therapy dogs work, it is more of a special circumstance.

So, if you are planning on taking a trip with your therapy dog it is recommended that you look at the airline guidelines to see what their policies are surrounding therapy dogs. Be prepared to accept that your therapy dog will be flying as more of a pet companion than a working therapy dog on your flight.