American man buys three seats to fly with Great Dane service dog

The passenger caught the attention of millions online, via a TikTok video. Photo / Unsplash, TikTok

A video, showing the lengths one traveller went to travel with his dog has gone viral on TikTok.

Gabriel Bogner was all set to move from Los Angeles to Brooklyn but there was just one problem; the 27-year-old planned to fly but his service dog was larger than most airlines’ largest cargo crates.

Weighing in at 65kg, Darwin the Great Dane is far from a handbag dog. So, Bogner did the next best thing and purchased three seats: one for himself and two for Darwin.

In the video, which has been viewed 18.2 million times, Darwin is shown spread out across the two seats.

“Who says Great Danes aren’t airplane dogs,” Bogner in the video caption. “Shoutout to @American Airlines for making our move to Brooklyn a piece of cake though! (Yes I bought 3 seats for us on the plane).”

Most viewers who commented on the video appeared to be amused by Bogner’s approach.

One suggested they would have immediately requested a seat change to be closer to the dog, while another said a dog was far better than a baby on a flight.

Despite the mainly positive response, Bogner then shared a follow-up video explaining why American Airlines allowed his pup in the main area of the plane.

“I have Crohn’s disease,” Bogner explained in the video, adding that Darwin was his service dog.

“I looked into driving her myself, I looked into chartering a plane, I looked into having somebody else drive her, but just none of those options seemed really viable, and when I asked how big was the crate underneath the plane, she ended up being bigger than the largest crate available,” he said.

@gibbon1215

Replying to @Parker Roberts Hope this helps answer some questions I’ve been getting! This was just my experience flying with her, but happy to answer more questions, and I have endless content of her. 🐶 #greatdane #dog #crohnsdisease #tiktok #fyp #ostomate

♬ original sound - Gibbon

Bogner then researched pet-friendly airlines and spoke to someone at American Airlines.

“I found out that if you have a service dog, no matter their size, they’re technically allowed on the plane.”

Since Darwin isn’t a small pooch, he asked if her size would impact whether she could sit in the cabin. Staff allegedly said it wouldn’t matter but they may need to buy two seats for her, so she would fit comfortably.

Bogner then had to complete a form for the Department of Transportation, which was accepted.

In the US, it isn’t uncommon to see the odd dog in an airport terminal but Bogner said Darwin’s size was a surprise to some travellers.

“It was definitely a shocker for people walking through the airport,” he said. “To see a literal horse coming towards them.”