Narrative:

Upon reaching the gate for our flight to ZZZ from dfw I encountered a large crowd of gate agents; police; and employees in suits at the podium. It seems that much confusion and turmoil was taking place with regard to accommodating a passenger with a very large great dane which had already accompanied the passenger to dfw. There seemed to be some ambiguity as to whether or not the passenger had the necessary paperwork to qualify her dog to accompany her under ada guidelines. I was never presented with information from any personnel either confirming or denying applicability. I was not given any paperwork or information regarding the legality of accommodating our passenger and her dog on our 5 hour flight to ZZZ from dfw. We had a nearly completely sold out flight and space would be quite limited as far as accommodating the dog in the cabin. I offered to have the dog accommodated in the cargo hold but was told that this was not an option. Several of the flight attendants expressed their concern regarding the substantial diminishing of safety if not violation of safety rules in the cabin if such a large dog were to be allowed to accompany the passenger in the cabin. In fact; two of them told me they would remove themselves from the flight if the dog was to be boarded because of their concern that doing so would compromise safety. I asked the agent how it was the dog would be secured in the cabin so as not to become a potential lethal object in the event of an unplanned emergency during takeoff or landing. She told me that it would just lay on the floor at the feet of the passenger. This seemed entirely inconsistent with current safety procedures we have for all our passenger who must store all loose items either under the seat in front of them or in the overhead bin. Not even a snack or a laptop computer is allowed on laps for takeoff or lndgs. The flight attendants also had great concern over emergency evacuate/evacuation procedures with having an extremely large dog blocking an entire row of seats and possibly the aisle in an ensuing evacuate/evacuation. So after consulting with dispatch and my chief pilot; I instructed the gate agents that I would not be willing to accommodate the dog on our flight to ZZZ from dfw; considering the negative impact I believed boarding such an animal would have with regard to compromising the safety of the passenger seated in the cabin and the cabin crew as well.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B757 FLT CREW REFUSES TO TAKE LARGE DOG IN THE CABIN DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS.

Narrative: UPON REACHING THE GATE FOR OUR FLT TO ZZZ FROM DFW I ENCOUNTERED A LARGE CROWD OF GATE AGENTS; POLICE; AND EMPLOYEES IN SUITS AT THE PODIUM. IT SEEMS THAT MUCH CONFUSION AND TURMOIL WAS TAKING PLACE WITH REGARD TO ACCOMMODATING A PAX WITH A VERY LARGE GREAT DANE WHICH HAD ALREADY ACCOMPANIED THE PAX TO DFW. THERE SEEMED TO BE SOME AMBIGUITY AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THE PAX HAD THE NECESSARY PAPERWORK TO QUALIFY HER DOG TO ACCOMPANY HER UNDER ADA GUIDELINES. I WAS NEVER PRESENTED WITH INFO FROM ANY PERSONNEL EITHER CONFIRMING OR DENYING APPLICABILITY. I WAS NOT GIVEN ANY PAPERWORK OR INFO REGARDING THE LEGALITY OF ACCOMMODATING OUR PAX AND HER DOG ON OUR 5 HR FLT TO ZZZ FROM DFW. WE HAD A NEARLY COMPLETELY SOLD OUT FLT AND SPACE WOULD BE QUITE LIMITED AS FAR AS ACCOMMODATING THE DOG IN THE CABIN. I OFFERED TO HAVE THE DOG ACCOMMODATED IN THE CARGO HOLD BUT WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS NOT AN OPTION. SEVERAL OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS EXPRESSED THEIR CONCERN REGARDING THE SUBSTANTIAL DIMINISHING OF SAFETY IF NOT VIOLATION OF SAFETY RULES IN THE CABIN IF SUCH A LARGE DOG WERE TO BE ALLOWED TO ACCOMPANY THE PAX IN THE CABIN. IN FACT; TWO OF THEM TOLD ME THEY WOULD REMOVE THEMSELVES FROM THE FLT IF THE DOG WAS TO BE BOARDED BECAUSE OF THEIR CONCERN THAT DOING SO WOULD COMPROMISE SAFETY. I ASKED THE AGENT HOW IT WAS THE DOG WOULD BE SECURED IN THE CABIN SO AS NOT TO BECOME A POTENTIAL LETHAL OBJECT IN THE EVENT OF AN UNPLANNED EMER DURING TKOF OR LNDG. SHE TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD JUST LAY ON THE FLOOR AT THE FEET OF THE PAX. THIS SEEMED ENTIRELY INCONSISTENT WITH CURRENT SAFETY PROCS WE HAVE FOR ALL OUR PAX WHO MUST STORE ALL LOOSE ITEMS EITHER UNDER THE SEAT IN FRONT OF THEM OR IN THE OVERHEAD BIN. NOT EVEN A SNACK OR A LAPTOP COMPUTER IS ALLOWED ON LAPS FOR TKOF OR LNDGS. THE FLT ATTENDANTS ALSO HAD GREAT CONCERN OVER EMER EVAC PROCS WITH HAVING AN EXTREMELY LARGE DOG BLOCKING AN ENTIRE ROW OF SEATS AND POSSIBLY THE AISLE IN AN ENSUING EVAC. SO AFTER CONSULTING WITH DISPATCH AND MY CHIEF PLT; I INSTRUCTED THE GATE AGENTS THAT I WOULD NOT BE WILLING TO ACCOMMODATE THE DOG ON OUR FLT TO ZZZ FROM DFW; CONSIDERING THE NEGATIVE IMPACT I BELIEVED BOARDING SUCH AN ANIMAL WOULD HAVE WITH REGARD TO COMPROMISING THE SAFETY OF THE PAX SEATED IN THE CABIN AND THE CABIN CREW AS WELL.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.