 Mickey
Writes:
Airlines have never regarded dogs highly in their
passenger policy, a fact
that most of us dogs accepted as a "given"
for many years as we froze or
sweltered in baggage compartments on planes. However, I'm wondering if the
presence of specially-trained attack dogs on passenger
flights might make
possible a safer environment for travelers and might
also elevate the
general status of dogdom in the world. Just as dogs
have been trained to
sniff out drugs, to locate lost children in wooded
areas, and to uncover
bodies, so there are dogs who could learn to sniff out
bad people on
airplanes, keep an eye on them during flights, and
attack them if they made
a move to hurt other passengers.
If Charles Schutz were still alive, I'll bet, since
9/11, he and Red Baron
Snoopy would have led a "FREQUENT FLIER FIDO"
campaign by whisking Snoopy
from the cockpit to the passenger section and
activating his detective
nose. How about it think tankers? Let's
get our thoughts together.
Please email your thoughts to me. If our case is
strong enough, we'll take
it to AKC and CKC with the intent of petitioning the
airline industry for
consideration.
Thanks,
Mickey
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  Mayu, Kiri
Hi Mickey,
We think this is a great idea. Our Mom said she would rather fly with
a
trained dog on board than
a marshal with a gun. We trust dogs more. They could sniff out
explosives
better and would
probably deter someone from even trying to do something. They wouldn't
need to be attack dogs,
most search and rescue dogs are not attack dogs. Even we Basenji's
have
been trained as search
dogs. We have great noses and we can leap across seats like a cat and
stop
someone if we needed to.
Yooooooo from your country cousins,
Mayu & Kiri
 Lucas
Dear Mickey:
You never cease to amaze me! How do you come up with so many creative
ideas? This last one is interesting, but I don't quite understand it. Do
you mean that we could all be especially trained (somehow?) in order to be
allowed to travel in the cabin, or would it be only for professional dogs?
If so, how would that help us little guys? Just between you and I, I
don't
think I have what it takes to be an attack dog, even if I was a little
bigger. I have heard in the news that there is a huge shortage of
trained
dogs to work in the airports checking the baggage... so who could do this
job?
I tell you, I would sure like to be able to travel in the cabin with my
dad. He has invited me several times to go with him to Guanaja, and
the
thought of being alone in the baggage compartment is the only thing that's
keeping me from going.
By the way, did you hear about the 187 silent heroes who are hard at work
in Afghanistan, detecting the thousand of hidden mines there? The
courage
of our brothers (and sisters) and the need for their services seems to be
endless. What an inspiration they are!
As are you. Keep us the good work! Proud to be your friend,
Lucas  Jamie
Dear Mickey,
Your "Flying With Fido" topic is very well chosen.
There is
much to read on the internet regarding this subject but little of a specific
nature on rules and regulations of various airlines. The fates forbid that I
should ever have to fly. People with ears much smaller than my beautiful
Basset Hound biggies have painful experiences even in the pressurized cabins
and I blanch at the thought of what it must be like in cargo. On a flight
from L.A. to Baltimore my cousin Rhett howled from the moment the plane
began its descent until landing...so loud in fact he could be heard all over
the cabin. This story gives me the "high stripes" and is one of
particular
interest to me. My interest in investigating puppy mills also remains in my
thoughts and I hope it can be pursued in the future.
Slurps, Jamie
 Winston
I think your new think tank topic is wonderful! Absolutely genius!! I have
never flown, myself, but Zoe arrived from South Carolina to Buffalo via air.
Luckily, since she was so wee (only 3 lbs) she was able to flyer
"counter to
counter" or some such term, which meant she was in the cabin of the
plane.
But when Mom has to put rescues on planes to their new homes I know she
always cries and worries sick about them.
Why not have a trained attack dog on the plane? They are certainly better
than an armed person, since I would worry that the criminal would be able to
wrestle the gun away from them, and then we would have an armed criminal!!!!
I wish I knew of a brave dog trained in such work we could interview.
Perhaps if I can find the time I will try and search the web. Or, with your
canine connections, do you know of such an animal?
Winston  Newest
Member Vita
I believe that planes accept service dogs in the
cabin even now, whether for security purposes or for the handicapped. It is
the poor " run of the mill " canines that have to travel as cargo,
in a special heated and pressurized cargo hole just under the cockpit, and I
am told, accessible from the cockpit. ( Geeky, my younger brother, flew
as a pup en route from England, and he says it was fine and certainly came out
smiling. But Geeky is a happy fellow, and was very little at the time. And
memory is not his strong point. )
Certainly a canine officer would be a good early
warning system: indeed, canines would be totally undeterred by box
cutters and the like, and would take prompt action. And maybe people have now
learned as well. But how would it work: the fasten seat belt sign is almost
always on; then the aisles barely accommodate the trolley, and for most
of the flight passengers can hardly get out, climbing first across several
other passengers and then fighting to get past the trolley in order to use the
facilities which are already occupied. How could a canine patrol in such
circumstances? And canines are discriminated against where people food
is being handled? Would there be a health issue? Surely canines
would enhance safety, but there would be a few issues to be resolved.
I remain yours, devotedly, Vita Whittome
 Baby
Hi Mickey,
Your Think Tank topic "Faithful Fido Flies" is very thought
provoking. I
agree with Vita about the difficulty of an attack dog being able to get up
and down narrow aisles due to food carts, people, etc. Also, in an
attempted hi-jacking if the passengers began to fight back and the handler
is hurt, how would Fido know the good guys from the bad. I'm sure all
that
could be worked out. Perhaps a dog cross trained in multiple areas
might be
used at the boarding point to sniff out shoe-bombs, weapons, and keep
an
eye on any troublemaker. Anyway, I think just having a ferocious dog
like a
Chow riding shot-gun in her assigned first-class seats would be a deterrent
to any would be hi-jacker.
Love to all,
Babe
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