I mean, I get it, some people are emotionally fragile and having a pet certainly has therapeutic/medical benefits, however I get the feeling that those with a genuine need for such a thing are relatively rare and this is mostly a sort of legal loophole that is abused by selfish people so they can get special privileges, a la medical marijuana.
Sure, we’d all like to have our pets with us on a plane, in a store, at work, etc. but just because you want to sit with your pet on the plane doesn’t mean you should be allowed to.
And what about people with allergies? Where are their rights? They’ve already turned peanuts into the devil, why do selfish people have a right to bring their animal into a recycled-air environment? What about people with dog/cat/guinea pig phobias? Do I get to bring my “emotional support rifle” on board with me?
Basically, there are genuine conditions for which people can obtain a genuine service animal for “emotional support.”
However, this seems to be something that people have found to be a sort of loophole in ADA law so they can bring Yippy the Pocket Dog, or their cat, or monkey, or horse, or basically any animal except for a reptile, everywhere they go, like commercial airplanes. Because it is an ADA issue, airline/store owners or employees, etc. cannot require you to provide proof of disability, so all one must really do if they want to bring their pet onto a plane with them is to declare it a “support animal.” If they decide to take you to court over it you would have to provide proof (which would certainly never happen), but otherwise you are in the clear.
Here is some links with info and some editorializing from both sides of the aisle:
That article doesn’t talk about service animals. But yeah, I could see how allergic people could be bothered.
Is there a big problem with people bringing fake service animals on planes? I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone with a fake seeing-eye-dog anywhere. And I’ve never seen a real one on a plane, but maybe I’ve never had a fellow passenger who was blind.
I asked my mom (an RN working at a very large amusement park) about support animals. No, you can’t ask a person what their disability is, but you can ask them what task the animal performs as support. That is, the animal isn’t just there. The animal does something for you.
For people with depression, anxiety disorder, PTSD or other “invisible” ailments, a genuine support animal is trained to do something when it’s given a cue - either a command or a behavior by the person. The animal will cuddle or lean or get between the person and other people or some other action that provides comfort and helps the person carry on. I’ve seen a program where a dog was trained to disrupt his owner when she started into OCD rituals (pulling her hair out strand by strand was the big one; she had a huge bald area on her scalp) and another where a man with a rage disorder kept his parrot with him because the bird would respond to the onset of aggression by saying “I love you”, which redirected him. He could also just start talking to the bird, and the bird’s responses would keep him calm.
Those are legitimate uses of a comfort animal. But, according to Wikipedia, the ADA excludes comfort animals - the ones people keep with them just because they feel better. In fact, the ADA only recognizes dogs as service animals. So establishments have the right to deny entry or service to someone with another species of service animal. Miniature horses apparently have some protections as service animals under the Fair Housing Act, but not the ADA.
My guess is that the people you see with cats, ferrets, pigs, goats, lizards, baby elephants, goldfish, and invisible pink unicorns either don’t know the law at all or know that they’re not covering it. It’s the owners of the establishment who are reluctant to enforce the law because they don’t want a big squabble on their hands or the bad press of being mean to someone who needs Schnooky in her handbag while she shops at the grocery store.
I’ve known people who are genuinely agoraphobic and have been able to get out in the world and function with the help of their support animal.
It’s like a lot of other things, I think. It can be legit and can seriously improve the lives of some people. And it can be abused for things like being able to keep your pet in the cabin on an airplane or just wanting to carry it around with you.
Personally, I don’t give a shit. If your animal is a trained support animal and is trained to be quiet, unobtrusive, and well-behaved in public, it’s not my place to decide whether or not you actually need it to function. Even if it really is, at the core, just a matter of wanting to have your dog with you- as long as your dog isn’t more obnoxious than that blind guy’s dog over there, why should it bother me?
I was waiting in line to board a plane once, and a woman waiting with me had a service beagle. I don’t remember how I came to know it, but the dog’s job was emotional support (as opposed to physical).
He was definitely working. I couldn’t pet him, he was sitting as still as a statue. It’s not like he was in a cute little bag, or pacing around like an untrained dog.
I have absolutely no problem with service animals whose job is emotional support. My dog’s job is emotional support, and she’s helped me through several anxiety attacks. Thankfully, I can leave the house without her. And most people can leave the house without their dogs. Most people don’t use their dogs for any sort of emotional support, they’re just pets.
But some people can’t cope in public or in certain situations, and if it helps them to lead a more normal life having dogs that are trained properly and are providing a service, then rock on
It’s a problem here in south florida. Basically the rumour has gotten around that all you need to do is say that your animal is a “support” animal and you can take your pocket dog anywhere! whee! I’ve found a way around this by asking patrons in the bar if the dog is working right now. Usually the fakers will slip up and spill the beans. Those who need them will firmly answer yes or no and I usually gey to pet a doggie at work which always brightens my day.
While there are instances of people claiming their pet as a “support animal” even though they don’t actually do anything, I can’t get behind this as a reason against it. Someone allergic to dogs is going to be allergic to a seeing-eye dog just as much as a support dog.
Funny you should mention this. Not long ago we had a applicant at my former job (managing an inside sales team) who wanted to bring her emotional support animal to work. I felt a little bad about it, but part of the reason I turned her down was that my top account exec is badly allergic. I wasn’t willing to inconvenience her for an unknown quantity.
I live next door to a park with a large dog run. There is a regular crowd there, and among them are people who I can only describe as confrontational assholes. They describe themselves as “activists,” or some such bullshit.
They have all bought little orange jackets for their dogs, declared them to be emotional support service animals, and take them everywhere with them. Restaurants, grocery stores, everywhere in the neighborhood. And they live for the moment when they can get into a confrontation with someone who attempts to deny entrance to their pet.
So, while I do not doubt that there are some real instances of “emotional support animals” doing necessary things, my experience has been that the whole concept is bullshit.
When I get around to getting a service dog it should be a monkey to pick up stuff I have dropped, go flip light switches and such. I am getting a dog because I watched Monkey Shines :eek: [well, and also I find monkeys as pets sort of skeevy, like enslaving my cousin Bobby or something.]
I have a buddy who trained his dog to get him beer out of the fridge, we joke that if the dog ever developed opposable thumbs he would be sunk - the dog likes beer
Except unlike a real service dog or monkey, “emotional support” animals are often not trained and are obnoxious in public. see wiki. A co-worker has one and he’s badly behaved compared to standard issue pet-type dogs.
I’m trying to imagine various scenarios of bringing my two cats with me on a plane. None of the possibilities end well . . . neither for me, the cats nor the other passengers.
Anyone who wouldn’t support the Vachss dog therapy program, which trains dogs to help sexually abuse children and even accompany them to court to testify against their accusers, is a disgrace to the human race.
