Dog Dad Splurges On 3 Seats On A Plane To Accommodate His Great Dane

Aug 16, 2023 by apost team

People usually keep domesticated animals as pets. A pet can be referred to as any animal owned by a human for companionship and pleasure. Animals like cats, dogs, horses, birds, etc., fall into this category and have been kept as pets for the benefit of humans for years. But animals do more than serve as companions to humans; they have helped provide emotional support for people and are thus referred to as Emotional Support Animals (ESA).

According to UMass Chan Medical School, an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) is one that provides a therapeutic benefit, including emotional support, comfort, and companionship, to a person with a mental health or psychiatric disability, such as a severe mental health condition. 

Another class of animals that are useful to people is service animals. These groups of animals ease the lives of people living with disabilities. According to The Americans with Disabilities Act, service animals are dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.

Although they are often used interchangeably, emotional support animals are different from service animals. While service animals require special training to perform specific tasks to assist with a disability, ESAs do not require any training. Unlike ESAs, service animals have full public access rights, which implies that they can go places where other animals aren't allowed.

In one such case, 27-year-old Gabriel Bogner, who was en route to New York City from Los Angeles, flew with his 5-year-old service dog, a Great Dane named Darwin. On May 30, 2023, Bogner took to TikTok to share a clip of Darwin’s first flight onboard American Airlines.

Bogner boarded a flight with a companion, leaving the boarding crew and passengers in awe. What’s more, the Great Dane, which was about the size of a small horse, required two seats to accommodate her on the flight. To make sure Darwin had ample space to sprawl, Bogner got three seats for their flight. 

“People were absolutely gobsmacked and shocked, but everyone was so excited to see her,” Bogner said, speaking about people's reactions to his dog.

In the clip shared by Bogner, Darwin peeked into the cockpit and greeted other passengers as she made her way to her seats. The rest of the clip showed the dog taking different positions on her seats and curiously looking around the plane. 

The video, which has since gone viral, has garnered over 18 million views, 2.9 million likes, and over 12 thousand comments, with many admiring the dog and others asking questions.

“Instantly demanding a refund for my recent flight, which unreasonably lacked a Great Dane,” one person commented. 

“Better behaved than most adults on the flight 😂,” another commented.

For the curious ones, Bogner made another video explaining his reason for flying with Darwin. He revealed that he suffers from Crohn's disease and needs the help of his service dog. He explained that he tried different means to transport Darwin to no avail before finally settling for a pet-friendly plane that allowed him to carry his 140-pound dog.

In yet another explainer video, he broke down the nature of his disease and shared details of how he trained Darwin to become a service dog.

“I took it upon myself to train her in some of these tasks like accompanying me to the bathroom, of which at one point in my life I was going 40 times a day,” Bogner explained.

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What do you think about Gabriel Bogner flying with his 140-pound service dog? Do you think the dog made a good flight buddy? Do you know of any other service animals like Darwin? Let us know — and be sure to pass this article on to friends and family members.