Just because you cannot see into people’s heads doesn’t make emotional issues any less deserving animal support than more physical ailments.
Which is a good thing.
Or not. Not much difference against a crying child, and an animal generally responds better to soothing than a noisy child. And, for me, the chance of spending the flight with a staring contest with a co-traveler’s cat is worth the perspective of a yapping dog.
Oh, the Holy Rules again. If you have a chance of playing by alternative ones, why not?
You can have stronger bond to your cat than to somebody else’s child. The “only an animal” argument won’t fly.
In an ideal world, the crated-in-cargo-space experience wouldn’t be so bad. But we don’t live in an ideal world, so the alternative-rule exploit with the certificate you for some reason claim to be “fake” is the best available solution.
Because sometimes you just have to travel, and cannot go by car for this or that reason.
Not going to debate all of your counter-points since we obviously disagree on the relative social constructs of what are appropriate environments to bring animals into. If you don’t understand the fundamental differences between a legitimate Service Animal and an Emotional Support Animal then there’s no reason to discuss it further. The unrepentant disregard for others that some people exhibit is simply bewildering to me.
I recently lost my cat to cancer. I held him in my arms and cried as the vet administered the euthanasia. I took him home and buried him in my back yard under his favorite tree. I am under no delusion that pets are the same as humans, however.
You can’t draw a line between the category “service animal” and “emotional support animal”, because you can’t draw a line between the ailments. I have a balance disorder that makes me intermittently try to fall over. I’m considering getting a dog to help me with that. Balance is undoubtedly physical but mostly invisible. Would you try to get my dog kicked out? Bipolar disorder is a physical ailment that happens to have emotional symptoms. Some bipolar people have service animals to alert them when they are getting agitated (sign of manic outburst) or to engage them when they stop doing stuff (sign of depression). How would you rate those? People with PTSD get screwed up brain chemistry that makes them prone to emotional outbursts, even suicide. Would their service dogs meet your standard of realness? Even if someone is “just” ordinarily depressed or anxious, are you qualified to say that their needs aren’t real enough? I am not inclined to bring a Great Dane into a plane, but if I need to then it’s not your business why. I think you should address your outrage to badly-trained or badly-behaved animals whether service or not.
This is not my distinction - there is a definition outlined by the ADA:
A service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Tasks performed can include, among other things, pulling a wheelchair, retrieving dropped items, alerting a person to a sound, reminding a person to take medication, or pressing an elevator button.
Emotional support animals, comfort animals, and therapy dogs are not service animals under Title II and Title III of the ADA…The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability. It does not matter if a person has a note from a doctor that states that the person has a disability and needs to have the animal for emotional support. A doctor’s letter does not turn an animal into a service animal. [emphasis mine] Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals | ADA National Network
This definition requires the animal to be trained to perform specific tasks and goes beyond non-specific emotional “needs”. A typical household pet does not meet this definition.
You’re correct that it is none of my business what kind of disorder you have - just like it’s not my business to question someone parking in a handicapped space with a valid permit - but buying a fake certificate or ID tag on the Internet because you wish to avoid paying the in-cabin pet fee hurts everyone and makes it harder for people who actually need a Service Animal for legitimate ailments.
I doubt there would be much tolerance for fake handicapped placards. Why the excuses for people abusing loopholes allowing fake support animals?
I have no connections to MikeKStar-- and I don’t agree with everything he says-- but I emphatically agree with what he says about Service Animals because he is 100% correct. There -are- guidelines that define a service animal and it is selfish to cheat with fake service animal papers. As he says, ADA service animals are highly trained and fakers send the wrong message and can create bad feelings towards service animals.
I love my dogs as much as anyone and when I have to fly with them, I make sure as many of the airline personnel know they’re in the system-- from the check-in people to the stewards. I’ll often not board until I see their crates loaded. I know that, “things can happen,” so I try to minimize their flying time, often driving or boarding them (much as I’d like to have them with me).
All of that said, I have to give a shout-out to Alaska Airlines: they have always treated my animals like their own pets: they keep the kennels in the building until the last moment (so they aren’t subjected to the noise/smells) and many baggage handlers have personally wheeled them into the baggage area.
PET FLYING TIP: if you can, train your dog to tolerate ear plugs (the foam ones). That made a world of difference for my husky (and the way a dog’s ear is shaped, there is little chance for it to get pushed in too far). She just shook them out when she got out of the crate!
Maybe we should spin off another topic about ‘comfort’ vs. ‘service’ animals?
That being said, I see many people claim special exemption for their pets so they can bring them into the library. We have seen bogus service animals and comfort animals run unconstrained in the building, go to the bathroom on the floor, bring in fleas and other pests, and be a nuisance. Their owners are frequently not much better behaved, but because we don’t want to disallow people who require service animals, we have to tolerate it. Properly trained and cared for service animals are virtually unnoticeable.
