[murgindrag]

Allergies.

You end up with a large segment of the population who sneezes a little bit, which is sort of annoying but sort of okay.

You end up with a small segment of the population with asthma attacks, anaphylaxis, and other life-threatening conditions.

Universal use of dogs would mean that there would be people who simple cannot travel, ever, anywhere beyond driving distance.

There's a small war between extremist dog-owners (the ones who believe dogs are people too, and sneak them into all sorts of places dogs aren't allowed as "activism") and people with severe allergies.

[sidlls]

I have never heard of any life-threatening allergic reaction to any drug or bomb sniffing dog. Has that actually happened? If so...how, when, and where?

[woofie11]

Asthma attacks are not uncommon in response to dog dander. Those can be life-threatening, but can be managed with albuterol. 30 seconds with Google will turn up countless documented instances.

Anaphylaxis is a very rare response to animal dander, but there have been a few documented instances:

https://www.petful.com/misc/can-pet-allergies-kill-me/

What's amazing is the number of dog owners who don't believe in dog allergies, or who believe their dogs are hypoallergenic due to fur/hair (dander is in the saliva).

[yunohn]

> dogs are hypoallergenic due to fur/hair (dander is in the saliva)

I’ve read the same explanation for cats. But, I find it hard to believe. Pets are constantly licking their fur, and shedding said fur all over the place. It’s very clear to me that more fur = higher chances of allergic reactions.

What am I missing?

[woofie11]

1) That a lot of allergic reactions come from actually touching a dog or having the dog touch something; they don't need to leave fur behind for that to happen.

2) That licking hair/fur releases the same amount of dander, whether your shedding fur, hair, or neither. Matter is conserved.

3) That clumps of fur are easy to avoid.

[yunohn]

Those are fair points, but I’m not convinced that fur doesn’t have an impact.

Anecdotally, I have a mild cat allergy and own a cat. Vacuuming our sofa regularly makes a huge difference, as it gets rid of the fur stuck to it. It goes from feeling scratchy to totally fine.

Maybe clumps of fur are common with super fluffy pets? Ours is a shorthair and shedding leaves single hairs lying around.

Matter is conserved, sure, but fur with dander stuck to it from saliva versus skin with saliva on it, surely makes a difference?

[woofie11]

I'm less concerned about fur with dander stuck to it then simply furniture with dander stuck to it.

Three things to consider:

1) You can't see dander.

2) Vacuuming helps with pollens, and with dander from animals without fur too.

3) You have mild allergies. Others have stronger ones. I have no scientific basis for this, but I suspect sometimes, the immune system goes into maximum overdrive.

[sidlls]

Countless documented instances of asthma induced by the dander of drug/bomb sniffing dogs or just dogs in general? I have asthma and have occasionally reacted to animal dander—but never in an airport or other location due to service animals.

[woofie11]

I don't think there is a database of allergic reactions people have had. They just happen and people move on. If the question is narrow enough, e.g., "Has there ever been anaphylaxis in response to a dog named Woofers jumping on a 12-year-old girl in New York's Central Park?" the answer will be "No."

However, there have been plenty of instances of severe asthmatic reactions to dogs in situations in all relevant respects similar to drug/bomb-sniffing animals. And I've seen plenty of allergic reactions to service animals.

People react to different amounts of allergens. For some, it requires direct contact. For others, it's enough to be in vaguely the same room.

Service animals are tougher, since both sides have a disability and medical need. Police dogs should be easier, if not for police generally being power-hungry thugs.

[dopamean]

There's no chance that people with pet allergies are the reason bomb sniffing dogs aren't more widely used.