Larger than life pets often need extra TLC, which is why one owner of a Great Dane therapy dog purchased three American Airlines economy seats so that the pooch could fly in comfort.
When Gabriel Bogner needed to move from Los Angeles to New York, he was faced with a dilemma: he could not find a crate big enough to fit his therapy dog, a Great Dane, to fly in.
Great Danes, considered to be one of the largest dog breeds in the world, can weigh up to 120 pounds, and can measure up to 40 inches in height and width. The IATA pet crate standard measurements have a maximum of only 32 inches in its interior, and 35 inches in its exterior.
Bogner’s five-year old Great Dane named Darwin weighs 140 pounds and was deemed too big to fit an airline crate.
So Bogner, who suffers from Crohn’s Disease and needed Darwin’s assistance as a therapy dog, knew that his only choice was to purchase three economy seats so that he and Darwin could fly comfortably next to each other.
Bogner, who goes by the username @gibbon1215 on TikTok, shared a video of their flying experience, which has amassed more than 18 million views on the social media platform.
The video shows Darwin at the airport waiting for the flight, boarding the aircraft and taking a quick peek inside the cockpit, and eventually clips of the long-legged therapy dog being a well-behaved passenger on the almost six-hour cross country flight.
Bogner initially had Darwin sit on the floor, but a subsequent video clip of that showed how cramped and uncomfortable she was, so she ended up on the seats, where she could sleep and sit in comfort.
Bogner and Darwin’s videos were met with plenty of supportive comments, with some saying Darwin was more well-behaved than some human flight passengers.
One user, who identified herself as a flight attendant, said that she would do “anything” to have Darwin on her flight.
How do therapy dogs help with Crohn’s Disease?
Crohn’s disease is a chronic disease that causes inflammation in a person’s digestive tract.
According to a medical site for Crohn’s and Colitis conditions, service dogs can provide pressure therapies to relieve pain or bring medication to persons with these conditions when needed. The dogs can also provide comfort to their owners during flare-ups.
In one of his TikTok comments, Bogner said that Darwin helps him manage his symptoms by placing her head on his stomach and accompanying him to the bathroom.