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Taking your dog on Delta Air Lines? They’d better be well-trained

Delta is asking customers to confirm their dogs are trained, after complaints about animals biting or peeing and pooping doubled since 2016.

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Delta Air Lines says it will require owners of service and support animals to provide more information before their animal can fly in the passenger cabin, including an assurance that it's trained to behave itself. File photo: AP
Associated Press

Delta Air Lines says for safety reasons it will require owners to provide more information before their animal can fly in the passenger cabin, including an assurance that it’s trained to behave itself.

The airline says complaints about animals biting or peeing and pooping have nearly doubled since 2016.

Starting March 1, Delta will require owners to show proof of their animal’s health or vaccinations at least 48 hours before a flight.

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Owners of psychiatric service animals and so-called emotional-support animals will need to sign a statement vouching that their animal can behave. But owners will be on the honour system – they won’t have to show, for example, that their dog graduated from obedience school.

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Delta’s policy change arrives with the number of animals in the cabin increasing.

John Laughter, the airline’s senior vice-president of safety and security, said there are insufficient rules in place to screen animals for health and behaviour issues.

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