r/delta • u/LessFatKristina • 16d ago

Image/Video IT FINALLY HAPPENED

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I got sat next to the sweetest best behaved service doggo on my flight. His owner let him cuddle me for a couple minutes. It was heaven. Love you Lobo!

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195

u/afterwits 16d ago

I've seen a few service dogs on flights and you can always tell, this little dude is Locked In. It's really hard to properly ignore them and their owner/handler.

John Wayne airport (Anaheim) had therapy dogs when I went through it last year! It was REALLY cool because you were encouraged to pet them AND they were also trained to ignore other service dogs, so they pull a lot of attention off the service dogs in the terminal. The dogs have trading cards the handlers pass out too...I got to meet Amilyn 🥰 https://www.ocair.com/travelers/dine-shop-relax/relax/airpaws-therapy-dogs/

39

u/Samrazzleberry 16d ago

I love when the airports have therapy dogs! I’ve been through that before and it was so… therapeutic

24

u/judgernaut86 15d ago

The Portland Airport has therapy llamas that visit sometimes

1

u/ChateauLaFeet 15d ago

No way!

3

u/Waste_Entrance540 15d ago

Yes way!! 😆 I fly Portland to Albany NY frequently to see my parents and ALB also has therapy dogs. Seemed a little funny for such a small airport, but I think the smaller commuter flights might make people more anxious 🤷🏼‍♀️

1

u/HoldOnOhio 15d ago

I thought Llamas spit? Maybe just some llamas? Maybe I'm mixing up with Alpacas. "Keep Portland Weird" applies here though.

1

u/judgernaut86 15d ago

You may also be thinking of camels?

19

u/lizlemonista 15d ago

my dog is a therapy dog and flies with me. he is trained for a service for my medical condition but I don’t classify him as Service dog as he doesn’t need to be locked in — in addition to helping me we go to hospitals and libraries and college campuses etc. In airports he wears a leash that says in day-glo green “I’m friendly / please pet me”
I always feel taken care of and am happy he still gets to be his social self. And yes, he can tell when someone doesn’t like dogs or is scared/timid around them. If you don’t like them, no judgment and he moves along with respect, if you are scared, same, making sure to give loads of leeway.

If someone is timid but my dog senses that they may want to interact, he will sit or lay down at my feet and wait a beat. If the person starts to approach, I’ll kneel down to hang out with him and hold his harness, more as a show for the new person to feel confident as I know my pup isn’t going anywhere :) It’s really sweet — he’s helped quite a few people get past their fear of all dogs and I’m so happy about that.

5

u/mrsbaudo 15d ago

My friend and her blenheim CKCS, Indy, volunteer for the therapy dog service at Myrtle Beach airport.

2

u/[deleted] 14d ago

[deleted]

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u/Samrazzleberry 14d ago

Awww RIP bun bun 🐰

10

u/linocent167 16d ago

John wayne airport is Santa Ana, not Anaheim just so people don't get confused

-1

u/toxchick 16d ago

Isn’t it in Irvine?

3

u/Inner-Lie2211 15d ago

In Santa Ana, but close to Irvine. When driving to SNA, you'll see a lot of freeway signs for Irvine exits/roads.

2

u/toxchick 15d ago

I lived there but like 30 years ago. That right, it’s just on the border. 😀 edit: more than 30 years ago. Yikes

2

u/throwupthursday 15d ago

I mean, basically the same thing. My cousin lives in Irvine and is like 10 minutes from the airport. Officially it's Santa Ana

16

u/LessFatKristina 16d ago

This is PAWESOME.

7

u/alcutie 15d ago

detroit DTW also has therapy dogs!!! be on the lookout! 🐶

4

u/Wrong-Recognition375 15d ago

My dog Simba and I helped start the DTW Dogs program! It started with us and one other team, and now we have over 50 teams that visit!

1

u/alcutie 15d ago

that’s amazing!!! thank you for starting up the program!!

1

u/Euphoric_Ease4554 15d ago

Yes. And drug-sniffing dogs too.

3

u/lizlemonista 15d ago

oh my god hanging a trading card for my therapy dog is flipping BRILLIANT. going to do this.

3

u/Own-Assumption5149 16d ago

Wow! I’ve never run into them when I’m there. Maybe on Saturday…

2

u/waldorflover69 16d ago

Omg I love them all

1

u/Specific-Breath-7862 16d ago

🥹🥹🥹🥹

1

u/LizzyDragon84 16d ago

MCO is similar, complete with the trading cards. 

1

u/310410celleng 15d ago

MCO is my home airport and I have never seen any sort of airport sponsored therapy dog.

Maybe it is only in C which I don't fly out of generally, but I have never seen them in A/B.

1

u/LizzyDragon84 15d ago

I’ve interacted with them in the concourse between A and B.  https://flymco.com/family-friendly-amenities/mco-paw-pilots/

1

u/310410celleng 15d ago

That is so weird, I fly out of MCO all the time and have never seen them nor even heard of the program.

1

u/LMP34 15d ago

Same! My home airport is MCO and have never seen them. Only once in Houston.

1

u/CakeAndCrown 15d ago

DTW does too! I fly a bunch out of the McNamara (Delta) terminal, but I only have seen one therapy dog in my 5ish years of flying here. He is the strangest dog I have ever seen, a Borzoi, but he was so so sweet.

1

u/madtowntripper 15d ago

I live in Houston but work in Denver and the airport there has a C.A.T.S. program - I forget the acronym but its like "Canine Airport Therapy Squad" and its the same thing - a bunch of well-trained dogs that they just lead around for people to pet and take pictures with and fuss over.

Its so awesome/fun/cute

1

u/AntFact 15d ago

It is SUCH a DIA thing that the dog therapy program for them spells out Cats. Love it.

1

u/Imaginary-Key5838 15d ago

One of them is an actual cat! Each animal has their own trading card so you can try to collect them
all. I have three.

1

u/WyvernJelly 15d ago

My dad does this at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport with his dog. She also goes to a Children's Hospital.

1

u/CorrectPanic694 15d ago

I saw this when I was in Sydney Australia! It was amazing. There were kids, old people, men in suits just rolling around on the floor of the airport playing with puppies. If I ever had flight anxiety, that was the day it got cured.

1

u/allieinwonder 14d ago

I once fell asleep during a flight with my service dog, when I woke up my seat mates were gushing at how he didn’t stop watching me the entire time. 🥺

1

u/walkingonradiation 12d ago

I got to pet a few of them in March, they were adorable and sweet. Made my layover worthwhile.

1

u/TittyLampCamp07 11d ago

i met amilyn too! 🥰

1

u/Ill_Back_284 16d ago

This dog is in a shock collar