Narrative:

Passenger brought onboard a small dog not in a holder. Flight attendant informed her, must be kept in holder before departure and passenger complied. En route the dog was removed from the holder by the passenger and when queried, by the flight attendant, passenger said dog was having breathing problems in holder. The flight attendant said the dog's breathing problems were obvious and apparent to her. She asked me if it was all right, and I concurred, as long as dog was kept on leash and nearby passenger did not mind due to dog's condition. Second flight attendant was unaware of this arrangement and asked the passenger to put the dog back, resulting in a personality conflict. The first flight attendant smoothed things over and kept me advised of situation. During deplaning at gate in yul, passenger with dog got into verbal dispute with other passenger, resulting in obscene and abusive language. I talked to the offending passenger to defuse situation and determined security was not required. Both flight attendants did great job with a difficult situation and a passenger with poor people skills. The passenger said they were never informed by the agent about rules for carrying pets onboard and were allowed by the crew on a previous connecting flight to keep dog out of holder. Either she was lying, or we are being inconsistent with our policy. Flight manual says that the agents are responsible for telling passenger carry-on pet rules. My decision to allow the dog out was based on the flight attendant's judgement that the animal was well behaved, restrained by the owner, not a nuisance or hazard to other passenger and in physical distress in the holder. Great job done by crew, unfortunate that the passenger did not recognize this and became a problem for them.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PAX WITH DOG IN KENNEL TOOK DOG OUT FOR FLT DUE TO DOG'S BREATHING PROB WITH CAPT PERMISSION. UPON DEPLANING, PAX FOUGHT WITH OTHER PAX.

Narrative: PAX BROUGHT ONBOARD A SMALL DOG NOT IN A HOLDER. FLT ATTENDANT INFORMED HER, MUST BE KEPT IN HOLDER BEFORE DEP AND PAX COMPLIED. ENRTE THE DOG WAS REMOVED FROM THE HOLDER BY THE PAX AND WHEN QUERIED, BY THE FLT ATTENDANT, PAX SAID DOG WAS HAVING BREATHING PROBS IN HOLDER. THE FLT ATTENDANT SAID THE DOG'S BREATHING PROBS WERE OBVIOUS AND APPARENT TO HER. SHE ASKED ME IF IT WAS ALL RIGHT, AND I CONCURRED, AS LONG AS DOG WAS KEPT ON LEASH AND NEARBY PAX DID NOT MIND DUE TO DOG'S CONDITION. SECOND FLT ATTENDANT WAS UNAWARE OF THIS ARRANGEMENT AND ASKED THE PAX TO PUT THE DOG BACK, RESULTING IN A PERSONALITY CONFLICT. THE FIRST FLT ATTENDANT SMOOTHED THINGS OVER AND KEPT ME ADVISED OF SIT. DURING DEPLANING AT GATE IN YUL, PAX WITH DOG GOT INTO VERBAL DISPUTE WITH OTHER PAX, RESULTING IN OBSCENE AND ABUSIVE LANGUAGE. I TALKED TO THE OFFENDING PAX TO DEFUSE SIT AND DETERMINED SECURITY WAS NOT REQUIRED. BOTH FLT ATTENDANTS DID GREAT JOB WITH A DIFFICULT SIT AND A PAX WITH POOR PEOPLE SKILLS. THE PAX SAID THEY WERE NEVER INFORMED BY THE AGENT ABOUT RULES FOR CARRYING PETS ONBOARD AND WERE ALLOWED BY THE CREW ON A PREVIOUS CONNECTING FLT TO KEEP DOG OUT OF HOLDER. EITHER SHE WAS LYING, OR WE ARE BEING INCONSISTENT WITH OUR POLICY. FLT MANUAL SAYS THAT THE AGENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR TELLING PAX CARRY-ON PET RULES. MY DECISION TO ALLOW THE DOG OUT WAS BASED ON THE FLT ATTENDANT'S JUDGEMENT THAT THE ANIMAL WAS WELL BEHAVED, RESTRAINED BY THE OWNER, NOT A NUISANCE OR HAZARD TO OTHER PAX AND IN PHYSICAL DISTRESS IN THE HOLDER. GREAT JOB DONE BY CREW, UNFORTUNATE THAT THE PAX DID NOT RECOGNIZE THIS AND BECAME A PROB FOR THEM.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.