One problem here is that the article in the OP is simply a boiled-down re-write of an article from somewhere else. Ah, the internet. :mellow:
If you click through to
the article that features original reporting, you will discover that yes, this was a Service Animal. [The article does not
delve into whether or not this was a Service Animal that would meet the high standards espoused on this thread.]
The article also includes the key detail that the flight was delayed two hours on the taxiway in LAX prior to takeoff due to a fuel spill. Now, you
can start doing some math and say that a LAX-PHL flight that was delayed two hours in LAX would still not have made it to PHL by the time
the plane reached Kansas City, so the dog may have run into issues regardless of the delay. What we don't know is whether the dog's owner
was connecting in LAX....did she have time to let the dog relieve itself in LAX? Was her inbound flight delayed? Does LAX offer places for Service
Animals to relieve themselves without having to exit out through security?
All of these are relevant questions that simply won't be addressed in a short article like this. Much easier to jump to conclusions and pass judgement.
Ah, the internet. :mellow: