Emotional Support Dogs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I volunteered at an organization who trained dogs as Autism Assistance Dogs, Hearing Ear Dogs, Mobility Assistance Dogs, Seizure Assistance Dogs, Diabetic Alert Dogs, FASD Assistance Dogs, Facilitated Guide Dogs, Food Allergen Detection and Alert Dogs, and Multipurpose Assistance Dogs. These dogs were amazing and many of these conditions while not visible on the outside are still very dangerous. So please when you see these dogs be kind, you have no idea why they are by their owner's side.

You are confusing jobs of trained dogs and the intended subject of this thread. I'll give you a road map of fraud:
http://einhorninsurance.com/dangerous-dog-liability-insurance/

Click on renting with dogs
http://einhorninsurance.com/california-insurance/renting-with-dogs/

under 4) click on renting with an emotional support dog. Note the stock photo of a legitimate service dog [golden retriever] working as an assistance dog for a person in a real wheelchair
http://einhorninsurance.com/california-insurance/emotional-support-dog-service-dog-therapy-dog/

Therapy dogs are supposed to be friendly gentle animals that go to nursing homes etc. Ironically the most valuable trained dogs providing real service as service dogs are lumped for public access with the [usually] fake emotional support dogs.

And there you have a link to order the tags! http://www.servicedogtags.com/emotional_support_animals.htm I once had a support dog go for my ankles in the TSA line. Some little terrier-wheaten or westie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't read the article but I know these dogs are used for people with PTSD, like returning veterans, etc.

I think you are confusing genuine, certified assistance or companion animals that are trained.

"Emotional support animals" have no training or credentials. They interfere with the work of trained/certified assistance dogs. They are the bane of the assistance animal world.

Exactly. Emotional support dogs have no certification. A nut loves her dog and think she has the right to take it anywhere, just because. And they don't

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I volunteered at an organization who trained dogs as Autism Assistance Dogs, Hearing Ear Dogs, Mobility Assistance Dogs, Seizure Assistance Dogs, Diabetic Alert Dogs, FASD Assistance Dogs, Facilitated Guide Dogs, Food Allergen Detection and Alert Dogs, and Multipurpose Assistance Dogs. These dogs were amazing and many of these conditions while not visible on the outside are still very dangerous. So please when you see these dogs be kind, you have no idea why they are by their owner's side.

None of those instances you listed have a dog solely for COMFORT. Big difference

[Anonymous]

I have a small, well trained 7lb dog that I fly with. He never leaves his bag and 99% of the people in the airport never see him (he has to be hand carried through Xray machines). I pay the $150 ticket EACH WAY for him, but it's normally double or triple what my plane ticket is. He also counts as my carry on, so I have to pay for a checked bag.

I don't blame people for sneaking their dogs past that nonsense. $300 is just ridiculous for a dog who takes up as much room as a personal item under my seat. And lap babies are free.

[Anonymous]

http://servicedogcentral.org/content/ESA-flying

The problem are not the Emotional Support Dog, it's people that fake it.

[Anonymous]

An ESA is not a service animal. To qualify as a service animal the critter must perform trained behaviors that mitigate a disability.

"Being calming" is not a trained behavior. If the person really has debilitating panic attacks and the dog leads the person to a quiet place, or provides tactile stimulation by licking their hand to keep them focused on something else, or creates a barrier and body blocks others from coming close, then it is a service dog and should absolutely be allowed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't read the article but I know these dogs are used for people with PTSD, like returning veterans, etc.

I think you are confusing genuine, certified assistance or companion animals that are trained.

"Emotional support animals" have no training or credentials. They interfere with the work of trained/certified assistance dogs. They are the bane of the assistance animal world.

Exactly. Emotional support dogs have no certification. A nut loves her dog and think she has the right to take it anywhere, just because. And they don't

There is no official, DOJ-recognized certification for ANY service animal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a small, well trained 7lb dog that I fly with. He never leaves his bag and 99% of the people in the airport never see him (he has to be hand carried through Xray machines). I pay the $150 ticket EACH WAY for him, but it's normally double or triple what my plane ticket is. He also counts as my carry on, so I have to pay for a checked bag.

I don't blame people for sneaking their dogs past that nonsense. $300 is just ridiculous for a dog who takes up as much room as a personal item under my seat. And lap babies are free.

Hey crazy lady, lap infants are free BECAUSE THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS WHO NEED TO BE CLOSE TO THEIR MOTHERS. Not even remotely analogous to your yippy little turd factory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a small, well trained 7lb dog that I fly with. He never leaves his bag and 99% of the people in the airport never see him (he has to be hand carried through Xray machines). I pay the $150 ticket EACH WAY for him, but it's normally double or triple what my plane ticket is. He also counts as my carry on, so I have to pay for a checked bag.

I don't blame people for sneaking their dogs past that nonsense. $300 is just ridiculous for a dog who takes up as much room as a personal item under my seat. And lap babies are free.

Hey crazy lady, lap infants are free BECAUSE THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS WHO NEED TO BE CLOSE TO THEIR MOTHERS. Not even remotely analogous to your yippy little turd factory.

Woah. I didn't say my dog should be free. Just that airlines have made it increasingly difficult to allow dogs to fly and these fake service dogs are a result of that.

Oh and my dog isn't yippy.

[Anonymous]

Best article ever about emotional support animals:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/20/pets-allowed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a small, well trained 7lb dog that I fly with. He never leaves his bag and 99% of the people in the airport never see him (he has to be hand carried through Xray machines). I pay the $150 ticket EACH WAY for him, but it's normally double or triple what my plane ticket is. He also counts as my carry on, so I have to pay for a checked bag.

I don't blame people for sneaking their dogs past that nonsense. $300 is just ridiculous for a dog who takes up as much room as a personal item under my seat. And lap babies are free.

If you feel the need to bring your small well-trained dog with you wherever you go, you SHOULD have to pay for him!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a small, well trained 7lb dog that I fly with. He never leaves his bag and 99% of the people in the airport never see him (he has to be hand carried through Xray machines). I pay the $150 ticket EACH WAY for him, but it's normally double or triple what my plane ticket is. He also counts as my carry on, so I have to pay for a checked bag.

I don't blame people for sneaking their dogs past that nonsense. $300 is just ridiculous for a dog who takes up as much room as a personal item under my seat. And lap babies are free.

Hey crazy lady, lap infants are free BECAUSE THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS WHO NEED TO BE CLOSE TO THEIR MOTHERS. Not even remotely analogous to your yippy little turd factory.

Agreeing with you regarding the difference between people and dogs, but somehow I think that if parents had to pay for a seat with their kid, the kid would still be close to the parent (who may or may not be the mother, btw).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Best article ever about emotional support animals:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/20/pets-allowed

\

That article made my day. Thankyou for posting!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a small, well trained 7lb dog that I fly with. He never leaves his bag and 99% of the people in the airport never see him (he has to be hand carried through Xray machines). I pay the $150 ticket EACH WAY for him, but it's normally double or triple what my plane ticket is. He also counts as my carry on, so I have to pay for a checked bag.

I don't blame people for sneaking their dogs past that nonsense. $300 is just ridiculous for a dog who takes up as much room as a personal item under my seat. And lap babies are free.

If you feel the need to bring your small well-trained dog with you wherever you go, you SHOULD have to pay for him!

I agree that I should have to pay. My flights are commuter flights that cost me about $100, whereas my dog is $300. I'd rather buy him a seat. I'm just saying there is a lot of anger at airlines for the prices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a small, well trained 7lb dog that I fly with. He never leaves his bag and 99% of the people in the airport never see him (he has to be hand carried through Xray machines). I pay the $150 ticket EACH WAY for him, but it's normally double or triple what my plane ticket is. He also counts as my carry on, so I have to pay for a checked bag.

I don't blame people for sneaking their dogs past that nonsense. $300 is just ridiculous for a dog who takes up as much room as a personal item under my seat. And lap babies are free.

Hey crazy lady, lap infants are free BECAUSE THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS WHO NEED TO BE CLOSE TO THEIR MOTHERS. Not even remotely analogous to your yippy little turd factory.

Agreeing with you regarding the difference between people and dogs, but somehow I think that if parents had to pay for a seat with their kid, the kid would still be close to the parent (who may or may not be the mother, btw).

You haven't heard of the numerous horror stories where people have been separated from their very young children because airlines didn't guarantee the seats?

Babies, however, usually need to be held for comfort (you're right, could be a dad) and fed during a flight -- bottle or breast. So they really do need to be literally right there, either beside or on the parent's lap.