NBC analyst, who appeared irked about dog on flight, clarifies tweet

File photo of an American Airlines plane departing to Phoenix, Arizona from the Charles M. Schulz�Sonoma County Airport on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif. File photo of an American Airlines plane departing to Phoenix, Arizona from the Charles M. Schulz�Sonoma County Airport on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, in Santa Rosa, Calif. Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close NBC analyst, who appeared irked about dog on flight, clarifies tweet 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

Update: Halperin responded to criticism of his earlier tweet at 11:50 a.m. on Saturday: "This dog is cute & service, companion & emotional support dogs=best souls on Earth. Point was, on long flt Delta sat dog apart from its owner." Halperin then switched seats with the dog's owner so the two could sit beside each other on the flight.

End of update.

NBC political analyst Mark Halperin appeared to be angry about sitting beside a bowtie-wearing dog during a Delta Airlines flight on Friday.

Halperin, the former managing editor of Bloomberg News, tweeted a photo of the smiling pup with the caption, "Seriously, @delta?!?"

The dog lovers of Twitter lost it.

"I would ask to switch seats with someone so I could sit next to that dog," reads one tweet. "Finally, an airline gets it right," reads another, likely referring to recent incidents on United and American Airlines.

See also: American Airlines investigating confrontation at SFO

While Twitter was quick to detect a negative tone in Halperin's tweet, some users called for Halperin to clarify that he was not complaining about the dog, but overwhelmed by its cuteness.

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Others defended the analyst, citing pet allergies as a valid reason for annoyance.

According to Delta's pet travel requirements, dogs in the cabin must remain in soft- or hard-sided kennels. Service and emotional support animals are not required to travel in kennels, which likely explains the bow-tied animal's presence on the flight.

Delta also stipulates that passengers traveling with large or multiple service animals may need to be re-accommodated if the "animal encroaches on other passengers or extends into aisles."

Halperin has yet to respond.

Read Michelle Robertson’s latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.