People were absolutely gobsmacked and shocked (Video)

This man left passengers shocked after he boarded a cross-country flight with his huge support dog. 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 his massively cute pooch. This was Darwin’s first trip in a plane, which Bogner says was an easy ride because of all the assistance from the crew.

“People were absolutely gobsmacked and shocked but everyone was so excited to see her,” said Bogner. 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. 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,” which is a type of inflammatory bowel disease. “Crohn’s disease involves a lot of time and a lot of pain and a lot of time in the bathroom,” Bogner explained

The owner paid for three seats

“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. 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. Watch the video, as a flight attendant, I would do anything for that dog.