Service Animal or Emotional Support Animal?

Should I Request a Service Dog or an Emotional Support Dog (ESD)?

We welcome customers travelling with trained service dogs and emotional support dogs (ESD) to ensure a smooth and comfortable journey. If you are unsure if you are travelling with a service dog or ESD, please review the information below to identify which aligns best with your animal's training qualifications and the burden of proof. 

In this article, you will find information on the following:

• Service Dogs
• Emotional Support Dogs
• Table: Comparison of Eligibility and Travel Requirements Eligibility 
• Related Articles

Service Dogs

The ATPDR define a service dog as a dog that: 

• Has been individually trained by an organization or person specializing in service dog training; and 
• Performs a task to assist a person with a disability with a need related to their disability. 

In order to establish that a dog is a service dog for purposes of the ATPDR, we require customers to provide the following:

• an identification card or other document issued by an organization or person specializing in service dog training that identifies both the person with a disability and their service dog; and 
• in the case of any service dog that is not a guide dog, an attestation by that organization or person specializing in service dog training that:
  • the service dog has been individually trained by that organization or person to perform a task or tasks to assist the person with a disability with a need related to their disability;
  • a clear description of the task(s) the dog has been individually trained to perform to assist the person with their disability-related need(s);
  • the credentials of the trainer(s), including any qualifications, certifications and affiliations with professional service dog organizations, and a clear description of the specific content of the training program(s) completed by the dog, including the duration of the program, the goals to be achieved by the dog, the involvement of the handler, the assessment methods used and the assessment results achieved by the dog and its handler.

Emotional Support Dogs

Emotional support dogs (ESDs) are not recognized as service dogs under Canadian air transport regulations and do not have the same access rights as service dogs. Flair may, at its discretion, permit an ESD to travel in the cabin on domestic flights as part of our Pet in Cabin policy at no additional charge. This is a courtesy accommodation and is not guaranteed under the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR). 

To accept Emotional Support Dogs (ESD) for travel in cabin, the following conditions must be met:

1. Proof from a physician or medical health professional who is licensed and in good standing with their governing body, that they are treating the person for a mental health disability, and that the person requires an ESD to accommodate that disability.
2. A veterinary certificate that:
   • identifies the specific ESD by name and breed;
   • identifies the person with a disability who relies on that dog as an ESD;
   • attests that the ESD is healthy enough to travel; free of any contagious diseases, ticks and fleas; and current on its vaccinations; and
   • states whether the veterinarian has any knowledge of inappropriate behaviour exhibited by the ESD, including aggressive behaviour, excessive whining or barking, or causing injury to others.
   • If the timing for the veterinary certification has not otherwise been prescribed in the jurisdiction of the county, province, state or territory where the person travels to or from, the certificate must be dated within two months prior to the date of initial travel set out in the itinerary. 
3. The person with a disability must provide us the above documentation tat least 96 hours in advance of travel. If a request is made less than 96 hours in advance, we will make every reasonable effort to transport you and your ESD. However, the Agency strongly encourages all persons with disabilities to provide sufficient advance notice and to provide adequate supporting documentation for yourself and your ESD when you make your request to minimize the risk that you will not receive adequate accommodation.
4. The ESD must fit comfortably in an appropriate animal carrier that must fit and be kept at the seat—or in the case of air travel, under the seat in front—of the person with a disability for the duration of the trip. The animal carrier must meet the conditions of our Pets in Cabin policy, and the ESD must remain in the carrier for the duration of its time in the passenger cabin.
5. The person with a disability must demonstrate that your ESD meets all travel, entry or exit requirements of the country, province, state or territory they travel to or from, which includes providing all required documentation, as applicable.

We may refuse transportation to any person with a disability and their ESD if the ESD poses a threat to the health or safety of others by exhibiting aggressive or other inappropriate behaviour, or if the user removes it from its animal carrier during travel.

Table: Comparison of Eligibility and Travel Requirements Eligibility 

Please refer to the table below for a summarized list of differences:

Requirement / Topic	Guide Dog	Service Dog	Emotional Support Dog (ESD)
Accepted for in-cabin travel	✔ (domestic & international)	✔ (domestic & international)	✔ (domestic only)
Must perform trained disability-related tasks	✔ (guiding specific)	✔ (disability specific)	✘
Task-training attestation required	✘	✔	✘
Identification from training organization/person	✔	✔	✘
Veterinary certificate required	✘	✘	✔
Medical documentation required (mental health professional)	✘	✘	✔
Advance notice required (48–96 hrs*)	✔	✔	✔
Where the dog must be positioned during travel	Must be leashed, tethered, or harnessed and remain at handler’s feet	Must be leashed, tethered, or harnessed and remain at handler’s feet	Must remain in approved carrier under seat in front of passenger
Eligible for adjacent seating when additional floor space is required for larger dogs	Domestic – no charge International – charge	Domestic – no charge International – charge	✘
Carrier must retain documents for 3 years if requested	✔	✔	✘
Can be refused for aggressive or unsafe behaviour	✔	✔	✔

*A customer who wants to travel with a service dog is required to provide us with advance notice. This is a minimum 48 hours notice in advance of departure but it can be as much as 96 hours if we require information or documentation relating to your service dog.

If a customer with a disability gives advance notice but the information or documents provided are insufficient or the notice period includes a day that is a weekend day or holiday, we may not be able to complete our assessment of your request. In these cases, we may not be able to provide the requested service. For this reason, it is important that customers provide the required documents or information and make every effort to give advance notice that includes two full business days.

We will make a reasonable effort to transport a service dog even if the customer does not provide advance notice or the information or documents that are requested by the carrier. Reasonable efforts may mean, for example, asking another passenger to move to a different seat in order that a person and their service dog can occupy adjacent seats.

Related Articles

• Service Dogs
• Emotional Support Dogs
• Pet in Cabin