Every Flight Needs A Therapy Fido

Flying is weird. You’re in this giant tin can traveling ridiculously fast while suspended thousands of feet above the ground. It’s no wonder it freaks people out. Well I firmly believe that dogs make everything better, and flying is certainly no different.

A few people that happen to agree with me are Smiley the Blind Therapy Dog and his owner Joanne. Because of his special circumstances, Smiley (a golden retriever) is one of the few large dogs actually allowed to fly in the cabin of the plane. While getting a blind dog through security is no walk in the park, Joanne always makes it work. When Smiley finally makes it on the plane, the joy that he brings to everyone around him is amazing.

Manhattan here we come! Tomorrow we board the plane for NYC – and to be sure you know, Smiley will be in the cabin with us. I would never leave him. I made him that promise. ✈️

Posted by Smiley on Sunday, June 26, 2016

Joanne recalled one time when a young child was having a meltdown over not being able to sit on her mother’s lap during take-off. The girl was seated only one row away from Smiley, so Joanne walked the pup over to her so she could pet him. Once the girl felt how soft his fur was, she immediately stopped crying.

This story is just one of the many that prove how therapeutic dogs can really be. According to Joanne: “I think air travel would be better for everyone if we could have a therapy dog on every flight.” And we definitely agree.

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Sarah Cookson

Writer/Dog Enthusiast living in New York City. Only goes to parties in hopes there will be a dog there to hang out with. Her resolutions for 2017 were to eat healthier and pet more pups. Bet you can guess which one she stuck with.

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