Emotional Support Animal corner

[Rainman8772]

@Rainman8772 We also have a thread for SD handlers, just FYI :)

Service dog handler lobby

I do get some weird looks when I am speaking to people with my strong southern accent then start talking German to my dog. Beagles are so much smarter than Shepard’s but also 10 times harder to train because of their independence and stubbornness.

 

[siniang]

Whoever came up with the concept of ESAs had good intentions at heart, but really really really didn't think it through.

So, you're having a severe enough mental disability that you official benefit from the "comfort" of a pet as part of your treatment, as attested for by your treatment team. So much so that you're eligible for no-pet housing exemptions as well as being allowed to travel with said pet because you might need it during your travel or at the destination.

But you're not protected at the destination (hotels etc.) nor at work, where you're bound to spend a lot of time in addition to your home.

It doesn't even make sense! I get the whole "public access" part, which tend to be more short-term activities. But lodging is pretty much "home away from home". Work is a major time component outside the home, where the mental disability doesn't just - poof - disappear.

I get that it's in part because ESA isn't species-exclusive and it would be not only weird but probably inappropriate if people started bringing their ESA birds, fish, and pigs to their work place or to hotels.

But it does frustrate me that it's this half-baked.

It really needs a significant overhaul. Because it's at the same time being abused by all those people who merely don't want to pay air travel fees as well as discriminatory against those who have high-functioning disabilities, but do rely on their ESAs for their mental health - yet don't quite qualify for a service animal, either due to severity of their disability or species of their ESA.

No wonder there is so much stigma against ESAs. Because you're obviously able to function without your ESA for extended periods of time - so there's very little rationale for suddenly needing them at home and on a plane. (yes, <I> know this is a stupid argument, but that's what healthy people do say - yes, I've heard it. "Our non-ESA pets provide comfort to us, too".)

/rant

 

[siniang]

FUUUUUU....K

Alaska Airlines becomes first major US airline to announce emotional support animal ban

Starting Jan. 11, Alaska Airlines will ban emotional support animals, becoming the first major U.S. airline to do so after the DOT revised its rules.

www.usatoday.com

I was silently counting on Alaska of all airlines to *maybe* keep some sort of ESA policy because I always experienced them as the most pet-friendly airline (and the only one that allows animals travelling to Hawaii in-cabin -- all other airlines prohibit it, cargo only).

So it begins.

(I expect Southwest to be next, because they've been very vocal against ESAs from the very beginning and one of the airlines pushing for this change ... which too sucks because they don't even have the options for pets travelling in cago *facepalm* )

@joeylittle if you were still going to write something, woud be super interested in hearing your thoughts on the issue.

 

[siniang]

Jesus f*cking Christ, btw. ... from the article...

“This is a wonderful step in the right direction for people like myself who are dependent on and reliant on legitimate service animals,” said Albert Rizzi, founder of My Blind Spot, an advocacy group for people with disabilities, at the time. He said some people “want to have the benefits of having a disability without actually losing the use of their limbs or senses just so they can take their pet with them.”

The disability community is disability advocacy's biggest enemy.

Seriously, what is it with all this gatekeeping?

Airlines Ban Emotional Support Animals—For Now

After lobbying by US airlines, the Department of Transportation has ruled that Emotional Support Animals must depart the passenger cabin.

www.forbes.com

Conlon is clinical manager for CertaPet, which connects clients with mental health professionals familiar with emotional support animals. She says, “How can they say that someone with a physical disability, or certain mental disabilities like PTSD, can have a service dog when they have a legitimate need for them, but someone who has been diagnosed by a clinician with a mental health disorder and has a legitimate need for them can’t have their animal with them anymore? That is textbook discrimination.”

YES! It IS discrimination and I'm hoping someone will actually challenge this on this basis.

 

[Rainman8772]

Jesus f*cking Christ, btw. ... from the article...



The disability community is disability advocacy's biggest enemy.

Seriously, what is it with all this gatekeeping?

Personally I think it’s a good thing considering what all animals people were bringing. I bring my service dog basically everywhere I go. Lots of people were bringing untrained animals that in some cases were interfering with legitimate service dogs. This also made it harder on those with service dogs which should now ease up some. You may still bring your animal just not inside the cabin. Can also still have it at a hotel per the fair housing act.

 

[siniang]

With all due respect, Rainman .... but please read the quote again. You obviously didn't understand the problem.

We're talking about LEGITIMATE ESAs, not frauds. Not trouble-makers that are real threat to SDs. This is not about your alleged ESA-peacock or Fifi who bit the flight attendant.

This is about gate keeping within the disability community because apparently some disabilities are more "legit" than others.

And no, ESA have no legal status in hotels. Fair housing act doesn't cover hotels. ESAs have no public access rights and hotels are considered "public access". The Fair housing act ESA exemption is only for rentals/landlord-situations.

 

[siniang]

You may still bring your animal just not inside the cabin.

Yes, I may bring my PET... (as per now airline policy)

I have a history of spending the entire 7ish hours of a trans-atlantic flight curled up as a ball, whimpering, thanks to a severe anxiety attack triggered by major turbulences. My PET cat I had with me would have majorly helped me, had I been allowed to take her out of her carrier and just cuddle with her (you know ... DPT and calming effects of purring) ...

I have spent the entire 7ish hours of a flight my husband was on with our cats when he was moving, pacing, unable to work, because one of the cats unexpectedly had to fly cargo, triggering my anxiety.

I live in Hawaii and most airlines have an embargo for flying any pets in-cargo for several months a year. All airlines except Alaska prohibit small pets to travel in cabin. I also can't exactly take other means of travel...

Well f*ck me that I have qualifying disabilities but my CATs are neither dogs nor can be task-trained ...

You know, you just proofed my point about the gatekeeping within the community. You have a SD. So you care about all the fraudulent ESAs that might be a threat to you. And that is valid.

But you do forget that ESAs are legit and are legit for a reason.

Instead of an umbrella ban that doesn't even make sense, it should have been a species restriction and a liability document attesting behavior/training (for dogs) as is now required for SDs.

My cats are more than just "pets". They are my lifeline. So will be my future dog.

 

[Rainman8772]

With all due respect, Rainman .... but please read the quote again. You obviously didn't understand the problem.

We're talking about LEGITIMATE ESAs, not frauds. Not trouble-makers that are real threat to SDs. This is not about your alleged ESA-peacock or Fifi who bit the flight attendant.

This is about gate keeping within the disability community because apparently some disabilities are more "legit" than others.

And no, ESA have no legal status in hotels. Fair housing act doesn't cover hotels. ESAs have no public access rights and hotels are considered "public access". The Fair housing act ESA exemption is only for rentals/landlord-situations.

I get the quote. It needs to be more defined such as service dog restrictions and definitions until it is there will be bad actors. I educate people all the time over my dog. You would be amazed at who still has issues even with service dogs. In most cases you can educate them in 2-3 minutes. However you always have the one or two hard asses that want to argue. I even just filed my first ever complaint with DOJ about the hospital emergency room security guard of all places.

 

[siniang]

And American follows suit ...

American Airlines to not allow emotional support animals

Pigs and peacocks are among the unexpected animals that have previously flown as emotional support animals.

abc-7.com