Gentle Giant

Jun 25, 2023

Does that still count as hand luggage? Normally, there are fixed dimensions for pets in the aircraft cabin, as with the trolley. This probably doesn’t apply to Great Dane “Darwin”. Kassel – pet owners will know it: when you fly on holiday, the joy often outweighs the longing for your four-legged friend. That’s why many owners decide, for the sake of the dog, to forgo a flight and go on vacation on four wheels instead. If the fur nose has to go with you, the carriage in the cabin is subject to the strict conditions of the respective airline. “Small dogs or cats may be taken into the cabin,” says Lufthansa’s website, for example. A dog owned by an American certainly doesn’t pass as “small”. The Danish mastiff caused quite a stir on a domestic flight. Huge plane passenger on four paws: dog attracts attention at the airport “Who says Danish mastiffs can’t be airplane dogs?” the pet passenger’s owner wrote under his TikTok video. According to general understanding, said airplane dogs are more likely to include Chihuahuas and similarly large – or rather small – lap dogs. With a height of over 90 centimeters and an impressive weight of 90 kilograms, the Great Dane does not fall into this category; even if some of the four-legged friends might see it differently. Passenger on four paws: With a stately height of 90 centimeters, one seat for the dog lady “Darwin” would probably not have been enough; that’s why my master made two places jump for her. © Screenshot/TikTok “gibbon1215” The massive size of his “lap dog” is probably no secret to the owner either. On the contrary: “gibbon1215”, the name under which he is active on TikTok, seems to really enjoy the looks of the other passengers and the crew. “It was definitely a bit of a shock to the other people at the airport when a literal horse marched towards them,” he writes, amused of the Doggo ladies “Darwin.” If people and animals had flown with another airline, it could have been expensive. Because with an airline, passengers are weighed before departure. Gentle Giant: Great Dane Helps Owners Against Pain From Intestinal Disease In any case, “Darwin” had to come along: the Great Dane lady is trained as a service dog and assists her master. He suffers from Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that can lead to intermittent pain in the abdominal area. According to Gibbon, she trained “Darwin” to rest her huge head and parts of her torso on his torso to ease the pain. Because: “Warmth and gentle pressure” often help against the pain, explains Gibbon. Fortunately, special regulations usually apply to service dogs on board. So write the experts from anwalt.orgthat assistance dogs, such as guide dogs for the blind or other companion animals, are allowed in the cabin with the owner, provided they fit in the footwell and do not leave it during the flight. Anyone who has flown economy class in the recent past will instinctively pull their legs to their chests at the thought. There is not much space there. Service dog is too big: Great Dane owner buys whole row of seats so that “Darwin” can go with him So what did Gibbon do? Booked a whole row of seats on the plane without further ado. “Yes, I bought us three seats for the flight,” he writes under his TikTok video. Whether “Darwin” is made for jet-setter life remains to be seen. In the video you can see them first lolling on the ground at the gate, finally boarding including a greeting to the cockpit and then passing the time on the probably looooong flight to Brooklyn (New York). Sometimes she lies majestically next to her master, sometimes she sits helplessly in her seats and towers over all rows of seats in the plane. Then again, “Darwin” curiously sticks his head between the front seats and sees what’s going on. All in all, master and dog seem to have survived the hardships of the journey well. Gibbon thanks the airline on TikTok for making the flight with the giant dog a “piece of cake”. Under certain circumstances Gibbon could have saved the money for the row of seats; provided the machine had been mostly empty. (rku)