What are the Requirements for Flying with a Psychiatric Service Dog

When traveling with your PSD, it is important to follow these guidelines to ensure a safe and comfortable flight for all, including your service animal.

Fully Train Your Psychiatric Service Dog

Ensure that your service animal is fully trained and able to behave well in public. Make sure your dog is toilet trained and won’t get overstimulated in public spaces. Service dogs must be well disciplined and should not showcase anxiety or aggression to other people or animals. 

Using special service dog harnesses, leashes, and badges is a great way to alert the public that they are working dogs.

Notify Your Airline that You Are Flying with a Service Dog

Notify the airline that you will be traveling with a service animal when you book your flight and find out about any important paperwork you need to fill in. 

Fill out the DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form

DOT requires handlers to fill out a special form known as the Service Animal Air Transportation Form. Generally, this must be completed 48 hours before the flight, however, some airlines may require earlier submission. The form includes important information about the animal’s behavior and specialized training, their health information (including vaccinations), and information about the handler.

If flights are longer than 8 hours, handlers will need to fill in an additional form, known as the Service Animal Relief Attestation Form. This form assures airlines of two things:

• The animal will not need to relieve itself for the duration of the flight, or 
• If it does need to relieve itself, it will not cause sanitization or health issues (for example, the dog has a special doggy diaper)