WestJet service animal policy: the Special Care Desk, dogs in training and ESAs

Which rules apply on WestJet: U.S. flights vs Canadian flights

WestJet is a Canadian airline, so two rulebooks meet on its network. On flights within Canada and to other countries, Canadian rules apply: the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR), enforced by the Canadian Transportation Agency, which cover large air carriers (those that carried 1,000,000 or more passengers in each of the two previous years). The ATPDR defines a service dog as one "individually trained by an organization or person specializing in service dog training to perform a task", and lets a carrier ask for a trainer-issued ID card or document before departure.

On flights that begin or end at a U.S. airport, the U.S. DOT rule also covers WestJet (14 CFR 382.7). You can see it in WestJet's own numbers: one service dog normally, two when the itinerary includes the U.S.

Service dogs on WestJet: what WestJet requires

• Number: "We accept one service dog for a person with a disability. If your itinerary includes a flight to or from the U.S., we accept two service dogs".
• Control and marking: the dog "must: wear a harness, vest or collar and leash (tether) or be inside a kennel. Regardless of what control measure is used, it must indicate that the dog is a service dog (or animal), for example, a label on a kennel, or embroidery on the leash, vest or harness".
• Behavior: WestJet may refuse a dog for "barking or growling repeatedly at other persons", "urinating or defecating in the cabin or gate areas" or "causing significant disruption", and gives written reasons "within 10 days".
• Breed and age: no breed rule and no minimum age for service dogs on the pages we read.

The marking rule is WestJet's own. The DOT rule lets airlines treat a vest as one sign among several but does not require one, and no law makes a vest proof of anything. On WestJet, though, something has to say "service dog": a patch, an embroidered leash or a service dog vest meets it. WestJet also recommends bringing a "Registered Identification Card or other written documentation in the event it is required by airport authorities". A voluntary registry card like ours is not proof of training, so bring your trainer's documents too.

How to add a service dog to a WestJet booking

1. Book your flight.
2. "Call us at least 48 hours before your flight departure and ask for the Special Care Desk." The contact options are on WestJet's service dog page.
3. Optional: register the dog with WestJet (below), so the details are on file.

Late requests get "every reasonable effort ... which may include delaying you until another WestJet operated flight is available". So the 48-hour call is worth making.

WestJet's service dog registration form, and the DOT form

WestJet offers a "Service Dog Registration Form (PDF)" that you email in with proof-of-training documents, using the address on its service dog page. "Form submissions without proof of training documentation attached will be considered incomplete." It is optional for most trips, and WestJet keeps it "on file for up to three years". It is required for the UK, at least seven days before you fly.

The DOT form: WestJet's service dog page, as we read it, does not mention the DOT forms, and we could not confirm how WestJet collects them on U.S. flights. The DOT rule lets an airline require them on those flights, so have a completed DOT service animal form ready and ask the Special Care Desk when you call.

Psychiatric service dogs on WestJet

WestJet's page sets no separate rule for psychiatric service dogs. On a U.S. flight, the DOT rule treats them like any other service dog, with no mental health letter. Within Canada, the dog must meet the Canadian definition (task-trained by an organization or person specializing in service dog training), and WestJet's registration asks for proof of training. A dog whose presence alone helps is an emotional support animal, which WestJet does not accept. See our psychiatric service dog guide.

Emotional support animals on WestJet

"Starting on August 5, 2021, emotional support animals will not be accepted for travel in any cabin." WestJet's tariff adds: "Emotional Support Dogs do not qualify as Service Dogs for transportation." If your dog meets WestJet's pet rules, it can book as a pet like any other dog:

• Fee: $50 to $59 for flights within Canada and the U.S., and $100 to $118 for flights outside them (WestJet's Canadian site; the page does not name the currency). "Fees apply to both directions of travel."
• Kennel: under the seat, at most 16 x 8.5 x 10 inches (41 x 21.5 x 25.4 cm), counting as your personal item. Pets must be at least 8 weeks old.
• Checked: $100 to $118 within Canada and the U.S., up to 45 kg (100 lb) with the kennel.

Compare other airlines in can emotional support animals fly?

Service dogs in training on WestJet

Yes, with conditions: "WestJet accepts one service dog (no other species) in training per trainer or handler, at no charge on flights booked with WestJet and WestJet Encore". The dog is classed as a "pet" on the reservation, so it flies only "if space is available in the aircraft cabin". Book by phone. The dog must be "at least eight weeks old", may not travel with an unaccompanied minor, and must wear gear "that indicates that the dog is a service dog (or animal) in training". More on service dogs in training.

International flights on WestJet

• Jamaica: "Service dogs are not accepted on flights to or from: Montego Bay and Kingston, Jamaica".
• Pre-approval countries: WestJet lists several that need pre-approval from a local agency, among them Belize, Panama, Spain, Japan and Trinidad and Tobago.
• UK: pre-approval from the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre or Extrordinair, and WestJet registration, both at least seven days ahead.
• Ireland: a compliance check, with at least 1 working day's notice. Iceland: a permit from MAST and quarantine (14 days, or home quarantine).
• Into the U.S.: the CDC Dog Import Form receipt is checked at check-in.

More in international flights with a service dog.

Seating, size and large dogs on WestJet

No emergency exit row and no empty seat for the dog. Extra floor space, requested 48 hours ahead, is "free of charge for flights within Canada ... and you may purchase a second seat to provide additional floor space for flights outside of Canada", which matches the ATPDR's no-charge rule for domestic trips. If the dog is too large for the cabin, WestJet offers a later flight or carriage in the hold "free of charge, subject to the guest providing their own kennel."

Contacting WestJet, and when we last checked

WestJet's service dog page lists how to reach the Special Care Desk; the link is in our sources. We read the service dog page (rendered live), the pets, fees and entry requirements pages, and WestJet's international tariff (dated June 18, 2026) on 2026-09-25. None of the web pages shows a date. For Canadian rules we read the ATPDR and the Canadian Transportation Agency's service dog page on 2026-09-29. Compare Air Canada.

Common questions

Sources

1. WestJet, service dogs
2. WestJet, travelling with pets
3. WestJet, fees
4. WestJet, pet entrance requirements
5. Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations, SOR/2019-244
6. Canadian Transportation Agency, service dogs
7. 14 CFR 382.7, which carriers the DOT rule covers
8. DOT Service Animal Air Transportation Form (PDF)

General information, not legal advice. Policies and laws change; follow the sources. Last checked September 29, 2026.