Pit bull terriers will join the ranks of rodents, reptiles and raptors on future Delta Air Lines flights when a new policy goes live in July.

The move drew the ire of animal lovers throughout the nation. An online petition hosted through Care2 received more than 26,000 signatures within a week. Delta customer and pit bull owner Kelsey Bourgeois started the petition.

“I have a pit bull of my own and am well aware of the undeserved bad rap that dogs like this are subjected to,” Bourgeois wrote in her Care2 petition. “As more people become aware that we should be blaming the deed, not the breed, the trend worldwide has been to end bans against certain dogs. Apparently Delta Air Lines did not get the memo.”

In the press release announcing the ban, Delta said, “These updates which come as the peak summer travel season is underway are the direct result of growing safety concerns following recent incidents in which several employees were bitten.”

The so-called “kneejerk reaction” targets innocent dog owners instead of the guilty dog and owner in the incidents Delta describes.

Leaders of animal protection, like Matt Bershadker, CEO, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, explains the ban serves damaging stereotypes.

The recent changes to Delta’s policies come after a set of March changes placed initial restrictions upon service animals. The first round of changes restricted passengers to a single animal of the dog, cat or properly trained miniature horse variety. Other airlines, such as American Airlines and JetBlue, followed suit and set similar restrictions.

United Airlines updated its policy earlier this month to restrict pit bulls and other commonly restricted dog breeds from its PetSafe program, which transports large pets in the cargo hold.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, airlines are able to exclude animals too large or heavy to be accommodated in the cabin, or that pose a risk to other passengers, cause a significant disruption of service or are prohibited from entering another country.

Do you own a pit bull or travel with a service animal? Will this policy change impact how you fly? Tell us. Email us at letters@globaltravelerusa.com. Please include your full name and location.