PTSD

Service dogs are great for anxiety.

Frequent business travelers and at least one airline say they have noticed an uptick in the number of service dogs in aircraft cabins, raising questions for others as to whether a number of dogs that are truly pets are being passed off as service dogs.

Such fliers don't want keep their dogs in a carrier case in the cabin or aim to avoid paying a fee for their pets, says Jeanne Hampl of the Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound in Gig Harbor, Wash.

"There's so much fraud out there," says Hampl, secretary of the club, which helps members train service animals. "People do it all the time — say it's a service dog when it's not — and create so many access problems for people with legitimate service animals."

According to the regulations, passengers are permitted to board a flight with a service dog — other than one for emotional or psychiatric support — by presenting an airline with written documentation or providing "credible verbal assurances" that the dog is needed for a disability.