And They Complain About Snakes On A Plane

[Ax01]

ok some of us are still trying to get our Burms on the plane yet some ESA's still cannot behave. SMH.

i feel bad for this victim and what this incident did to actual peeps w/ ESA's.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...enger-n1011881

Man attacked by emotional support dog on Delta flight sues the airline and passenger
The attack was so severe Marlin Jackson suffered "extensive facial damage" including lacerations to his nose and mouth, according to the suit.

An Alabama man is suing Delta Air Lines and one of its passengers over his getting mauled by an emotional support dog on a flight in 2017.

The attack was so severe that Marlin Jackson suffered "extensive facial damage," including lacerations to his nose and mouth, and bled so profusely "that the entire row of seats had to be removed from the airplane," according to the suit, which was filed on Friday in Georgia's State Court of Fulton County.

Jackson was seated in a window seat on a Delta flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to San Diego International Airport in June 2017, the suit says.

Fellow passenger Ronald Mundy was already in his middle seat "with his large dog attempting to sit in his lap," according to the suit, which says that Delta's policy required large emotional support dogs be secured on the floor.

"Defendant Delta allowed the large animal to remain in Defendant Mundy's lap while Delta employees passed through the area in open disregard of said policy," the suit states.

Before taking his seat down, Jackson asked Mundy if the dog would bite and Mundy assured him the animal was safe. As Jackson buckled his seatbelt, the dog started to growl and shift in Mundy's lap, according to the lawsuit. Jackson again asked if the dog was safe, and Mundy said it was.

Without warning, the dog lunged at Jackson, biting him several times in the face and pinning him against the window, the suit states.

"The attack was briefly interrupted when the animal was pulled away from Mr. Jackson. However, the animal broke free and again mauled Mr. Jackson's face," according to the lawsuit.

NBC News was unable to immediately reach Mundy, whom the lawsuit says is a North Carolina resident.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the dog that attacked Jackson was 50 pounds. Mundy is a military veteran, according to Journal Constitution.

Jackson required 28 stitches and lost sensation in parts of his face, the suit states. He also experiences "emotional distress and mental anguish" from the attack. Jackson is seeking damages in an amount to be determined by the court.

"Marlin Jackson continues to suffer from the vicious dog attack," said his attorneys J. Ross Massey and Graham Roberts with Alexander Shunnarah and Associates in a joint statement to NBC News. "The attack on Mr. Jackson would not have happened had Delta enforced their own pre-existing policies concerning animals in the cabin."

A Delta spokesperson told NBC News the airline could not comment on pending litigation, but that in 2018 it changed its policy regarding emotional support animals by requiring a "confirmation of animal training" form as well as other official documentation.

"The airline also banned pit bulls and animals under four months of age as service or support animals. These policy updates reinforce Delta’s core value of putting safety first, always," the spokesperson said in a statement.

In that policy change in December 2018, Delta said it was also banning emotional support animals on flights that are longer than eight hours. The company made the changes following an 84 percent increase in incidents involving service and support animals in 2016 and 2017.

also here: https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-sues-d...ry?id=63364828

Man sues Delta after emotional support dog allegedly attacked him on flight

An Alabama man has filed a lawsuit against Delta, accusing the airline of negligence after a passenger's emotional support dog allegedly attacked him on a 2017 flight.

Marlin Jackson was in a window seat on a flight from Atlanta to San Diego when a fellow passenger's "large dog" suddenly mauled him, biting his face and pinning him against the window of the aircraft, according to the suit.
Jackson said the dog bit him several times, causing him to bleed "so profusely that the entire row of seats had to be removed from the airplane," the suit, filed Friday in Fulton County state court, said.

"While Mr. Jackson was securing his seatbelt, the animal began to growl," the lawsuit said. "The attack was briefly interrupted when the animal was pulled away from Mr. Jackson. However, the animal broke free and again mauled Mr. Jackson’s face."

Jackson said he suffered injuries to his face and upper body that required 28 stitches and left him with permanent scars. He said he suffered loss of sensation to areas of his face, "severe physical pain and suffering," emotional distress and mental anguish following the attack, according to the lawsuit.

"His entire lifestyle has been severely impaired by this attack," the suit said. "Mr. Jackson sustained lost life enjoyment and his entire lifestyle has been severely impaired by this attack."

He's suing the airline for an unspecified amount, claiming it failed to ensure his safety and allowed the dog to board without proper restraints. The dog's owner is also named as a plaintiff in the suit.

Delta told ABC News that it could not comment on the accusations because the litigation is still pending, but shared it did offer details on its policy regarding animals on board.

"In 2018, Delta tightened its policies on emotional support animals by requiring a 'confirmation of animal training' form as well as other official documentation," the company said in a statement. "The airline also banned pit bulls and animals under four months of age as service or support animals. These policy updates reinforce Delta’s core value of putting safety first, always."

"Delta continuously reviews and enhances its policies and procedures for animals on board as part of its commitment to health, safety and protecting the rights of customers with disabilities," it added.

[Valyndris]

Snakes just have such a bad reputation, honestly dogs, cats and birds are scarier than most snakes.

[Bogertophis]

I have to wonder if this was a real "ESA", one that's been trained to work as such...I really doubt it. I suspect this was yet another person making that claim
just to get their dog on board with them, & didn't care one bit about risking other passengers: people are closely packed together on planes & eye contact is
easily misread by dogs, plus the unfamiliar transportation is frightening (think about the sensitive hearing that dogs possess). This was inexcusable, I feel so
sorry for victim Marlin Jackson, and by the way, I love dogs but even I'd have been uncomfortable taking that seat. People are not truthful about what is or
is not a genuine "service animal" & getting bit in the face on any flight is an outrage. I think documents may have been forged showing this dog as an ESA.

[fadingdaylight]

Yep. People at my office act like my snakes are scary, I tell people all the time though, if there is one animal in my house that I would really fear if it turned on me, it's my Great Dane. He could crush my bones in his jaws. Snake might draw a little blood, but that dog is far more powerful in the long run.

[Godzilla78]

I can’t stand this stuff, If that 50 pound dog bit me, that “emotional support animal” Would now be a dead “traumatic experience animal” as it’s skull was bashed in... self defense allows the lethal force against an animal.

[Neal]

ESA's don't belong outside your home or with you in your vehicle if you're driving. A service dog is different and they're highly trained. They need to ban ESA's from public places, otherwise these types of incidents are going to happen more often.

Who complains about snakes on a plane? I get my venomous shipped Delta and honestly the people never really know what's on it, so there's that lol.

[Bogertophis]

ESA's don't belong outside your home or with you in your vehicle if you're driving. A service dog is different and they're highly trained. They need to ban ESA's from public places, otherwise these types of incidents are going to happen more often....

If someone needs an ESA with them, why can't they function as such AND be restrained at the same time??? ie. in an airline kennel when traveling at the owner's side?
It's just ridiculous to allow a large dog on a plane the way this one was (& I'm a lifelong dog lover & dog owner)...it should have been muzzled at the very least.

[Bogertophis]

...I get my venomous shipped Delta and honestly the people never really know what's on it, so there's that lol.

It doesn't sound to me like "honestly" is the right word for this... The only legal air shipping is done with accurate labels as to contents
& applicable warning labels. This is the kind of thing that gives hot keepers a bad name, IMO...taking chances with other people's lives.

[Neal]

It doesn't sound to me like "honestly" is the right word for this... The only legal air shipping is done with accurate labels as to contents
& applicable warning labels. This is the kind of thing that gives hot keepers a bad name, IMO...taking chances with other people's lives.

It's completely legal to ship venomous via Delta Cargo. When I said people honestly don't know, I mean the people flying on the plane. The staff that load and unload the plane know what's on there because it has a big Live Animal Sticker than papers taped on it that say VENOMOUS SNAKES and you have to write the species on the outside of the shipping container.

So the passengers flying on the plane have no idea what's actually on the plane. When large constrictors get to a certain size you have to ship them this way as well through Delta Cargo.

[Neal]

If someone needs an ESA with them, why can't they function as such AND be restrained at the same time??? ie. in an airline kennel when traveling at the owner's side?
It's just ridiculous to allow a large dog on a plane the way this one was (& I'm a lifelong dog lover & dog owner)...it should have been muzzled at the very least.

Let's be realistic when we talk about people needing ESA's here, the people who actually have them because they want versus really need. ESA's weren't even a thing until people made it a big deal a few years back then people wanted to start saying they were just like service dogs.

ESA's in a Kennel still in the interior of the plane bark, and prevent people from sleeping, plus it makes an irritating flight, so no they shouldn't be by the owners side, if the owner can't accept that, then drive.

I do agree it was stupid to allow a large dog on a plane though. Service dogs go through so much training and listen to commands, an ESA is no more than a pet animal. I don't say this to be mean or anything but it's bull. I mean if this is the case I want to start taking my cobra with me as my ESA, right who said it has to be a dog, or why not a crocodile?