US Airways Keeps Military Bomb Dog From Flying to DNC

A bomb-sniffing dog that served two tours in Afghanistan with the Navy was not allowed to board a US Airways flight to the Democratic National Convention because the pilot thought the dog might attack someone.

The 6-year-old German shepherd names Kevin and his handler were assigned to protect those at the Democratic National Convention this past week, but the pilot of the US Airways flight from Phoenix, Ariz., to Charlotte, N.C refused to let the dog board because he feared that he would become aggressive.

Kevin and his handler were ready to board at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix on the evening of September 1, when the captain of the plane asked the handler is Kevin was trained to attack. The handler isn't allowed to reveal details about military dog training styles. When he wouldn't go into detail about the training, the pilot chose not to let them fly on behalf of passenger safety.

"During the boarding process, the captain asked the passenger if the dog was an attack dog," US Airways spokesman Andrew Christie told The Washington Times. "The passenger answered 'sometimes.' Out of caution, the captain denied boarding. We don't transport attack dogs."

The airline feels that the handler should have been more specific about Kevin's training.

"Had he said the dog was a bomb-sniffing dog, there wouldn't have been a problem," Mr. Christie told the Times.

Kevin has flown on commercial flights in the past, without a problem. He usually sits on the floor with his handler.

The dog missed his Sept. 1 flight, but he was still needed at the convention. The U.S. Marshals service, which was notified about the issue, arranged an overnight hotel stay for Kevin and his handler. They were allowed to fly the next day on another US Airways flight.

Kevin spent three days helping police check vehicles for explosives while working at the Democratic National Convention near the Time Warner Cable arena, where President Obama and thousands of delegates gathered.