What airline lets you have your dog out of a carrier? All the airlines I've been on explicitly state the dog needs to stay in their carrier at all times.
I'm starting to think that OP might have just been breaking the rules just for a photo, main character style. The sheer number of hashtags are evidence to believe that is true, as well.
@crimedad@aww Also, in addition to meeting this little guy another fun thing about my flight was the announcement the captain made regarding vaping. He reminded us that it's a federal offence to use a vape device on a US flight and that he would have to report it to US authorities "if we see it … one more time."