Emotional support dog on Southwest flight injures child, further fueling debate over airline rules

A child was injured by an emotional support dog on a Southwest Airlines flight from Phoenix to Portland, Oregon Wednesday night, fueling the debate over regulations regarding animals on airplanes.

The dog’s teeth scraped the child’s forehead after the passenger approached the animal during the boarding process, according to a spokesperson for Southwest.

The child received minor injuries and was examined by an EMT before continuing on the flight, which departed 20 minutes behind schedule. The dog and its owner did not stay on the plane and instead remained in Phoenix, the spokesperson said.

Another passenger on the same flight, Todd R., took a photo of the support animal and shared it on Twitter in a post that’s since been deleted, arguing that dogs should not be on planes and he would no longer be flying Southwest.

In another tweet, the passenger wrote: “When dogs are biting 6 year old kids on planes, it may be time to reconsider rewriting your 'safety' policy and procedure manual,'' AZ Central reported.

Source: foxnews