Great Dane Taking Up Two Seats on Plane Shocks Internet: 'A Literal Horse'

A video of a giant 140-pound service dog traveling on a plane on an American Airlines flight to New York City has gone viral on TikTok, where it received 8.9 million views at the time of writing.

The clip, posted by Gibbon (@gibbon1215), was shared with a caption that read: "Who says great danes aren't airplane dogs. Shoutout to @American Airlines for making our move to Brooklyn a piece of cake though! (Yes I bought three seats for us on the plane)."

Standing as tall as 32 inches at the shoulder, great danes "tower over most other dogs and when standing on their hind legs, they are taller than most people," notes the American Kennel Club.

In a later viral clip, the original poster said: "It was definitely a shocker for people walking through the airport to see a literal horse coming towards them."

The previous viral video showed Darwin, the great dane, laying on a floor of what appeared to be an airport before she was seen boarding a plane. Darwin, who was wearing a mouth guard, was shown looking into the cockpit before she was later shownsprawled across two seats.

Gibbon has Crohn's Disease, the TikToker explained in a subsequent video. The condition causes inflammation and irritation in the digestive tract. According to the subsequent video, Gibbon had his entire large intestine as well as part of his small intestine and rectum removed due to the disease.

In another later video, he explained how Darwin helps him as a service dog. For example, he experiences "quite a bit of belly pain pretty much all the time." Noting that "heat and mild pressure can help alleviate a lot of that pain," Gibbon said he trained Darwin to "put her head and parts of her body to rest on me in certain times when I am in pain."

Are Service Animals Always Allowed on Planes?

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), "Airlines are required to recognize dogs as service animals and accept them for transport on flights to, within and from the United States."

Carriers may deny transport to a service dog if it requires "completed DOT service animal forms" and the service animal user does not provide these forms to the airline.

The DOT notes that "airlines are not permitted to require other documentation from service animal users except to comply with requirements on transport of animals by a Federal agency, a U.S. territory, or a foreign jurisdiction."

According to the subsequent viral video, Gibbon was asked to fill out a DOT form after he called American Airlines about what options he had for transporting Darwin. He later asked if he could purchase three seats for the journey and the airline agreed to it, understanding that both Darwin and Gibbon "need to be comfortable" during the flight.

Do Service Animals Need to Be Certified?

Several TikTokers expressed upset that Darwin was brought on the plane when she was only "technically" a service dog, according to the later video post by Gibbon, as opposed to one that has undergone formal training.

Gibbon initially registered as "an emotional support animal due to a lot of anxiety just from growing up basically in a hospital and a lot of trauma from having a chronic illness." He said "because I have a disability, I looked into her becoming a service dog," according to another later video.

He said he "didn't have all the resources, information and money to afford" the training that "that type of service dog seemed to need...so I did all of the training myself."

He acknowledged that Darwin does not do all of the "advanced tasks" that other service dogs might be trained to do, according to the later clip.

According to ADA.gov, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) website of the U.S. Department of Justice, service animals are defined as dogs of any breed and size that are "trained to perform a task directly related to a person's disability."

Service animals are not "required to be certified or go through a professional training program" or "to wear a vest or other ID that indicates they're a service dog," the website notes.

"Emotional support or comfort dogs" are not counted as service animals because "providing emotional support or comfort is not a task related to a person's disability," ADA.gov adds.

'Better Behaved Than Most Adults'

The latest viral video has delighted users on TikTok.

Kelly Davis said the great dane was "Better behaved than most adults on the flight."

Carmen wrote: "This would make my day if I was on a plane with a Dane!"

User @sammmthecreator wrote: "I would demand a seat change to be closer so I can pet doggo."

User mari.lexi wrote: "I'd gladly take the middle seat if it meant being next to the dog. Would also rather be on a plane with a dog than a kid."

Brittany Panzer agreed, writing: "Baby next to me: mood ruined. Dog next to me: best flight."

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.

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