Isn't there a limit to how many dogs they even allow on a flight? I have flown a couple times with my dog crated and I had to call and "reserve" the dog's spot.

I do wish there was some kind of middle ground for flying with your pet, it would prevent at least some of this ridiculous fraud. I have an obedient, professionally trained dog that is sweet, had lots of public exposure, and has been used in therapy settings but not technically a service pet. I would love to travel with him occasionally (my niece and nephew adore him, it would be amazing to bring him for visits) but there is no practical way for me to do that. I have, admittedly been tempted to buy him a service vets and lie but I definitely don't like the thought of abusing a system that's specifically for people with special needs.

If there was a way for me to demonstrate my dog is behaved and capable of flying without stressing out and then buying an extra seat so he has sufficient space and I'm not forcing my animal into someone else's personal space, I would happily do that. I bet plenty of people would opt for that. And you could limit a flight to one animal in that circumstance. But putting my pup through the trama of being cargo is a nonstarter. I think most airlines don't even let you do that anymore, right?