Recent News
ADA Does Not Provide Blanket Exemption From Face Mask Requirements
August 30, 2020
The claim: The Americans with Disabilities Act exempts people from face mask requirements imposed by governments and retailers Face mask use has been a source of confusion and contention amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As new outbreaks of the coronavirus grow across the country, some anti-mask activists have claimed that policies mandating mask-wearing infringe on disability […]
Bad News About Those COVID-Sniffing Dogs
August 12, 2020
With dogs, the nose knows. Whether it’s random patches of grass, what’s cooking on the stove, dead things, or people’s crotches, dogs want a whiff. While humans have just 6 million olfactory receptors, dogs have about 300 million, giving them a sense of smell scientists estimate is between 10 to a 100,000 times more sensitive […]
The Air Force Is Struggling To Find Homes For Retired Military Working Dogs. Here’s How You Can Help
July 31, 2020
Seems hard to believe, but the U.S. Air Force says it’s having a hard time finding homes for retired military working dogs. The dogs are typically retired when they’re ages 10-12. While young puppies rejected by the military for various reasons typically are snapped up right away, the Air Force has been struggling recently to […]
The Army Is Training Dogs To Detect COVID-19
July 31, 2020
The Army is exploring whether dogs can detect signs of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) thanks to a new research agreement with the University of Pennsylvania. Researchers from the Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Chemical Biological Center have entered into a cooperative research and development agreement with the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn […]
Emotional Support Squirrel A No-Go On Frontier Flight
June 26, 2020
Jokes aside about flying squirrels, nuts served on planes and bushy-tailed passengers, squirrels and planes do not actually mix. At least not on Tuesday at Orlando International Airport, where an unidentified passenger hadn’t gotten the memo. She boarded her Cleveland-bound Frontier Airlines flight toting a cage containing the furry occupant. She did her due diligence […]
New Barking Orders For Documenting Support Animals Before Boarding Planes
June 26, 2020
United Airlines wants to see more paperwork before passengers fly with an emotional support animal. We all need a little emotional support or comforting every now and then. And for many of us, our animals can provide it. Some of us with severe anxiety, phobias, PTSD or other disabilities cannot travel without them. But one […]
Federal Government May Tighten Restrictions On Service Animals On Planes
June 26, 2020
The number of pets on planes has become a hot-button issue of late as emotional support animals have become more common than ever. The U.S. Department of Transportation is considering tightening the rules for taking service animals on planes after increased customer complaints and lobbying from the airlines who think current regulations are too lenient. […]
Service Animals as Reasonable Workplace Disability Accommodations
May 15, 2020
Many individuals with disabilities use service animals to help them fully engage in everyday life. Animals, particularly dogs, can be trained to perform a wide range of tasks to help people with disabilities, and the number of tasks these specially trained animals can perform continues to grow. As a result, more applicants and employees are […]
DOT offers guidance for people traveling with emotional support animals
May 14, 2020
Airlines cannot limit the number of service animals on a flight, but will be allowed to deny boarding to an animal that is too large, too heavy or younger than four months, according to guidance provided Thursday by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Officials are developing new rules governing what types of animals will be […]
Airlines would be allowed to ban emotional support animals, allow only service dogs under new proposal
May 14, 2020
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has proposed a ban on emotional support animals, as well as a restriction on the types of service animals that passengers would be allowed to bring on planes, limiting them only to trained service dogs. The DOT announced the proposal on Wednesday, in response to the rising numbers of […]