Comments

1

People abuse the system. Your pet is not an emotional support service animal. There are truly disabled people who need service animals: the blind, those who have seizures, and those with diabetes (especially young children with Type 1). If every asshat in this country didn't slap a fake service animal vest on their clearly not a service animal pet and call it an emotional support pet, this problem would not exist. It's all about privilege. It's total bullshit. Saw a guy with a 2 pound elderly poodle that had a service animal vest on it in Costco. If people weren't selfish assholes who lied to serve their own needs, people with actual disabilities and needs would not be scrutinized (which is illegal under the ADA, but now basically happening because of these assholes).

2

@1: ++

3

The night before my last flight I saw a news report about some woman (ass hat) flying with her emotional support miniature horse. That night I dreamed my sister for some reason thought I needed an emotional support animal to take on my flight. She gave me a raccoon, it didn't go well, lots of screaming, blood everywhere.

4

I'm saying this as someone that has occasional crippling anxiety and is prone to panic attacks and that even avoided flying for a few years because of it: Xanax is like, $1.

5

@3: Racoons are connected with organized crime and are already on the no fly list.

6

Good Afternoon Katie,
Indeed, after reading about some of the critters brought aboard aircraft recently (spider, guinea pig, snake etc.) and that the passengers were not paying for ESPs on flights, I thought "this is getting out-of-hand". To me, it can be argued that it is "animal abuse" to bring an animal other than a dog on an aircraft. Like humans they get restless and pee & poop. I too, question the need for ESPs other than a dog. Surely, some of them have died in flight.

Many owners are simply irresponsible and/or don't need ESPs in the cabin. Bloody foolish. I think it fine that the FAA review this allowance.

7

Gosh, remember that girl who murdered her Hamster rather than not go to spring break?

8

@6 That reminds me, flying out of Seatac recently I was at one of those ground-level terminals that shuttled the passengers via bus to where the plane was parked on the tarmac, and the "emotional support" animal (and tiny dog) with the man was absolutely losing it's shit. It did NOT want to be there.

9

*a, not and

10

Totally agree with @1. The huge number of privileged assholes abusing this system make it all the worse for the disabled people who sincerely need a service animal. I used to know a guy who was prone to seizures, and had a dog that was specially trained to sense early signs of seizure before he even knew what was happening; the dog would bark and get him to sit down before he had a collapse. It was fucking amazing. I also used to know a guy who trained service dogs. Proper training usually took a full year. And one of his properly trained dogs would never bite anyone under any circumstances. That was part of the training. There's a big difference between truly disabled people who depend on a properly trained service animal and the huge number of privileged morons who just want to take their pet on a plane for free. Fuck them.

11

@3: trash pandas -- the worst kind of urban terrorists.

12

Fuck dogs on planes! Just substitute 'cigarette' for 'support dog' & see how idiotic it sounds to have animals on planes... "She needs her cigarette to ease her anxiety while flying." Too fucking bad. I've been accosted by a gigantic 'service dog' who licked my hand while I was plane sleeping — next time I will punch the beast who tries it.

13

If we just join the rest of the First World, Second World, and Third World in building High Speed Rail, this won't be a thing.

We can have an Emotional Support Pet car set aside for people to use, without bothering the 99.9% of us that mock them.

Plus, we'd save the planet. Win win.

14

If you're incapable of leaving your house without your animal, then don't leave your house. Or if you have no choice and must leave, then drive. If you must cross an ocean, take a boat.

If you cannot function without your animal, stay off of planes. Period.

15

I, too'm gonna get me a flying Support animal -- either a blue or grey whale -- not sure which color might be better for me. Gonna take more than one seat for that puppy! So scootchtf over, Rover. Oh, and don't nobody (lookin' atchyoo, Blackbeard) punch my whale -- unless you wanna get Moby Dicked (demasted).

16

Wow. Just like I need any more valid reasons NOT to ever fly again. First Boeing's scandalous 737 MAX 8 crashes--all due to profits over people, flawed automated systems be damned!--and now this.
@13 Will in Seattle: I like your thinking.
@14 Urgutha Forka: Thank you.
@15 kristofarian: You wouldn't want to go 1st Class with a Southern resident orca?

17

@auntie Gee -- more typically, I'd catch a Ride on his back if/when I'm headed to SoCali. Still learning how to hold my breath!

18

@13 imagine being so intentionally obtuse to people who live with trauma that you think PTSD survivors don’t deserve to try and lead as normal a life as possible. sorry but sometimes that includes a dog trained to mitigate panic and anxiety attacks.

19

@18 imagine being so dumb that thinking that post means that someone thinks that people "don't deserve to try and lead a normal life". Take a 5th-grade reading comprehension course and try again in the morning.

20

@19 my reading comprehension is just fine thanks, scored great on the ACT. People out here making generalized statements like “if you can’t leave your house without your animal, don’t leave your house” and any other derivative of that lump all PTSD survivors and those with diagnosed panic disorders into that without even considering that other people have trauma that you don’t see and frankly isn’t your business to know. Just let them exist in a way that allows them to carry out as normal a life as possible. and correction for the jury, I meant to @ 14.

My statement stands: willfully obtuse and I just can’t help you with working on yourself, seek therapy

21

@20 your level of reading comprehension is available for everyone to evaluate for themselves. As is your goalpost moving.

22

It is possible to hate the people lying about being disabled without also hating disabled people, I recommend trying it.

You can opt out of animal flights, it's easy.

@1 Google breath dogs.

23

@17 kristofarian: LOL. I'm so glad you aren't pissed off at me. I have had a seriously emotional week (it's a long story). :)
@18 gnar-lotte: I'm sorry to hear about your PTSD issues. I'm a Gulf War veteran with service-connected PTSD issues, in therapy, and can both sympathize and empathize. Hang in there.
@21: Go get a hot chocolate and chill, Sporty.


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