[nagdu] Flying cats and other creatures

Ginger Kutsch gingerKutsch at yahoo.com
Tue Jan 27 15:56:34 UTC 2009


Flying cats and other creatures
By Ken West
Published: January 26, 2009
Lynchburg News, VA 
http://www.newsadvance.com/lna/lifestyles/features/article/flying
_cats_and_other_creatures/12799/
 
The once "friendly skies" aren't so friendly any more. Families
need to take extra precautions when flying with children or older
adults who have health concerns. An example follows.
 
After New Year's, my son and daughter-in-law were flying from
Dulles to Portland. Patrick and Sarah are both medical doctors in
Oregon. During the flight, Sarah's eyes began to swell. She took
on asthma-like symptoms and experienced difficulty breathing
normally. Although doctors, both became worried as her symptoms
worsened without any apparent explanation.
 
Upon "deplaning," the two watched in disbelief as the couple
sitting directly behind them pulled two cats in cages from
underneath their seats.  Along with 15 percent of the American
population, Sarah has a severe allergy to cats. Unlike many
Americans, she has immediate access to a colleague who is an
allergist. 
 
Nevertheless, the next day she was forced to greet her new AIDS
patients while wearing a patch over one eye and with skin
speckled with rashes. She imagined the patients were wondering if
they should be the ones wearing plastic gloves.
 
Not so simple
My initial reaction was to wonder why cats were allowed on
planes. Quickly, I discovered that the issue is more complicated
than I thought (see "Assistance Animals" below). While some
airlines do not allow passengers to carry pets in the cabin,
others allow owners to pay a hefty fee to stow animals under
their seats. 
 
What remains inexplicable is why airlines are not required to
check with and relocate people who may have allergies to animals.
In addition, there are some people who simply don't like animals.
On a long trip to Hawaii, I was forced to sit away from my
family. I looked at the person next to me. To my surprise, I saw
four eyes staring back: the passenger's and her dog's. It's not
that I don't like dogs, but I do dislike the permissiveness of
many dog owners. I was not happy. 
 
Fortunately, the stewardess asked if I would mind trading seats
with a person who had asked to be moved and was also not seated
with a family. But when I sat in my new seat, there was a man
next to me who must have weighed 400 pounds and totally covered
the armrest between us, and more. I could only smile, thinking
that the person who asked to be moved was now looking into a
dog's eyes.
 
Assistance animals
The most intriguing argument about animals on planes concerns
which ones are truly assistance animals. We are accustomed to,
and tolerant of, guide dogs. However, the definition of
assistance animals is expanding. National Public Radio
interviewed Rebecca Skloot, who writes about airlines and
restaurants and people who advocate they broaden their views of
"assistance animals." 
 
Skloot told of a man named Jim Eggers, who has bipolar disorder.
He is now allowed to carry his parrot named Sadie on planes and
into restaurants. "Sensing that her owner is on the verge of a
psychotic episode, Sadie talks him down with, 'It's OK, Jim. Calm
down, Jim. I'm here, Jim.'" (NPR)
 
Many blind people have traded in traditional guide dogs for guide
miniature horses, which can legally help their owners through
stores and restaurants. Why? "Horses tend to live and work into
their 30s, whereas a guide dog will work six to eight years
total," Skloot explained.
 
As readers can imagine, expanding the definition of assistance
animals creates challenges. People are not required to prove
their animals are trained to help with their disabilities (which
also do not require documentation). Unfortunately, some people
take advantage of the loose regulations. Stay tuned.
 
Common sense
Few people would object to a person taking an assistance animal
on board. We would even have empathy for people carrying animals
on board, which could not bear the temperature changes that might
occur in a plane's cargo hold. 
 
However, I am amazed that airlines are not required to inform
passengers that an animal will be near them and then to reseat
people, if they have allergies or strong objections. Warning: If
you or a family member has allergies, the skies are no longer
friendly. 
 
Ginger Bennett Kutsch
Morristown, NJ

 



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