My name is Kylee Church and I am 13 years old.  I am a big believer on everyone is equal, and that includes dogs. I have recently heard about the restrictions of pit bulls on the discontinued ban of emotional support animals. I understand there was a problem with a pit bull on a plane being an "emotional support animal". Just because there was a problem with a certain dog doesn't mean the breed should be treated like this. According to the U.S Department of Transportation it is not allowed to ban one breed in particular. Delta has said that pit bulls are 5% of the dog population but 37.5% of the aggressive dog count. If this is true, then what is the other 62.5%? Discrimination is not just happening with people but breeds of animals too. Any dog breed could be aggressive depending on their training and genetics. If Delta as a company is concerned about safety, they should check if the emotional support animal is actually certified. Some people buy vests or collars online and now they are an "emotional support animal". According to the AKC, the dog must have its Canine Good Citizen title. This means they are suppose to have the proper  training and certified through an evaluator.  There are other alternatives to be safe about emotional support dogs then to ban the pit bull breed. 

I know I am only 13 but I do have a lot of experience with pit bulls. I have my own working 3 year old pit bull who is a certified therapy dog. I also volunteer at therapy dog testing and have been exposed to many pit bulls. The pit bulls gain certification more then any other dog.  Believe me other dog breeds can be much more aggressive!  I take my dog to a local shelter where we rescued him and volunteer there for kids birthday parties. My pit bull is surrounded by many children, adults and food where he behaves like a well trained dog. He also goes to a local physical therapy office and visits injured patients. I know not all pit bulls or other dogs are this well trained but if correctly certified and tiltled they should be. 

I have reached out to Delta Airlines twice by email and  gotten two responses, the first email said they would pass my thoughts on to Corporate Security and the Safety Compliance team. Also in this email she reported that people are less then truthful regarding their emotional support certifications. Then why are they not doing something regarding that? The second email I requested to see what protocol was followed to allow any emotional support animal on the plane and it was not addressed at all. I did suggest them checking to see if any emotional support dog that is allowed on the plane be certified as a Canine Good Citizen. 

Please sign my petition to allow pit bulls as emotional support animals back on Delta Airlines.  I hope this inspires them to make a change and come up with a better solution.