[nagdu] NY Times Emotional Support, With Fur, Draws Complaints on Planes.

[Darla Rogers]

OMG; I support animals for PTSD, but this sounds like an unscrupulous
psychologist eating from the money trough.
	And, while I know this is an overgeneralization, it seems that many
service dog handlers don't take their dog management responsibilities
seriously--in fact I have met a couple of people who had enough MH problems,
at least on the blush, to not have the facilities to handle any dog in
public.
Darla & Huck


-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Passle Helminski
Sent: Saturday, November 16, 2013 9:17 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: [nagdu] NY Times Emotional Support, With Fur, Draws Complaints on
Planes.


November 16, 2013 7:37 AM


November 15, 2013
Emotional Support, With Fur, Draws Complaints on Planes.
By BILLY WITZ.

LOS ANGELES - Gigi Griffis, a writer who travels around the world as she
works, and Luna, her sprightly 4-year-old Schnauzer-Yorkie mix, are nearly
inseparable. They have dined in Mexican cafes near Puerto Vallarta,
navigated the Paris Metro and hiked the alpine foothills of the Matterhorn.
They rarely go anywhere apart - even on airplanes.
Luna is certified as an emotional support animal, a designation under
federal law that allows her - if so desired - to sit on her companion's lap,
instead of being in a cage under a seat, where regular pets must ride. And
at a time when airlines are flying at near capacity and charging for
seemingly everything but peanuts, Luna rides free.
Classifying animals as emotional support animals has long been permitted
under antidiscrimination laws, allowing owners to take them into restaurants
and shops or to residential buildings that have no-pet policies. To
demonstrate the need for an emotional support animal, the animal's owner
needs a letter from amental health professional.
But their presence on airplanes is increasingly facing a backlash from
flight attendants, passengers with allergies and owners of service animals,
like Seeing Eye dogs, who say that airplane cabins have become crowded with
uncaged animals who have no business being there. The Department of
Transportation does not require airlines to keep data on emotional support
animals. One that does, JetBlue expects more than 20,000 emotional support
and service animals this year.
"It's becoming a big problem," said Marcie Davis, founder of International
Assistance Dog Week. "I've seen people bring on pets and try to pass them
off as an emotional support or service dog. It's not appropriate and it's
not safe."
Ms. Davis, who uses a wheelchair, flies about once a month, along with a
service dog, for her job as a health and human services consultant.
"Assistance dogs are trained not to bark in public, not to go smelling other
dogs or people," she said. "I've had my dog attacked in multiple situations.
Honestly, I understand that there's some value that people need an emotional
assistance dog. But I think a lot of this is that people love their dogs and
think they feel like if you have your dog, why can't I have mine?" Airline
workers echo Ms. Davis's view. "It's out of control," said an American
Airlines flight attendant, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity
because she was not authorized to speak publicly.
The attendant, a 30-year airline veteran, recalled one passenger whose dog,
while not big enough to throw a saddle on, filled the entire seat area, its
paws and tail spilling over the arm rests. It was more hospitable than the
cargo hold, though, where animals without the emotional support or service
designation must ride if they are too big to fit in a cage under a seat.
She did not approach the passenger about removing the dog from the cabin
because it was perfectly acceptable where it was.
For that matter, so would have a cat, a monkey, a miniature horse or even a
potbellied pig, if they were certified. The Air Carrier Access Act allowed
for emotional support animals to be taken on planes, broadening the American
Disabilities Act, which recognized service animals in public places, said
Robert Farr of the Pacific A.D.A. Center.
Airline employees are often reluctant to question passengers with emotional
support animals for fear of violating the law or stirring a conflict, the
flight attendant said. This week, for example, a blind man and his Seeing
Eye dog were removed from a US Airways flight after a dispute erupted over
securing his service dog while the plane prepared for takeoff. The airline
said the passenger was removed because he had become abusive to a flight
attendant.
There are many passengers with the emotional support certification who
cannot imagine flying without their pet. Ms. Griffis, who has written about
the issue on her blog, said that Luna's presence was instrumental in weaning
herself off antidepressants. Ms. Griffis, a former Colorado resident, said
in an interview from Paris that she was not afraid of flying and that Luna
was more comfortable traveling in a cage. Still, she added: "having Luna
with me really provides a level of comfort. When I'm on the road, I am safe,
no matter if I'm in Germany or Mexico."
Airline websites have detailed policies on animals, typically allowing for
cats and dogs that can fit in a carrier (approximately 18 by 12 by 8 inches)
that slides under the seat. Delta says it allows rabbits, guinea pigs,
hamsters, birds and marmots. But airlines charge fees, ranging from $75 each
way on Southwest to $125 on American, Delta and United.
Emotional support animals, by contrast, travel free, and restrictions on
their size and species are left to the airlines' discretion. They are not
required to be caged. And unlike service animals, which undergo extensive
training, they require no training. Their task is to provide comfort to
their companions.
To serve the needs of the animals and their owners, a cottage industry of
websites and doctors advertising documents that certify emotional support
animals has emerged.
Carla Black, a psychotherapist in Marina del Rey, Calif., began receiving
enough requests for emotional support animal certification that this year
she began advertising on her website. For $99, she provides an hour of her
time, over the phone or Skype, and a clinical assessment, along with a
prescription letter, which is valid for one year.
Ms. Black said in a telephone interview that before she issues a letter she
ensures the client is eligible under criteria set by the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. "I make sure they
qualify for depression or whatever, P.T.S.D.," she said, referring to
post-traumatic stress disorder.
There are also myriad places on the Internet that cater to the growing
demand, including a robust market for service animal vests.
Occasionally, the needs of passengers with support animals collide with the
needs of other passengers, like those with allergies. In those cases,
courtesies like switching seats can address the issue, passenger advocates
say.
Ms. Griffis, acknowledging that more people are traveling with emotional
support animals, said it was important for animals to be well behaved.
As for skirting the rules?
"Shame on anybody who abuses the system," she said. "That's why I tell
people this isn't just about getting around airline fees. If you genuinely
need this animal in your life, that's what this is about."

    Passle
__._,_.___


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