I have a take on this that I suspect is going to be unpopular. I had a close friend who obviously had various mental health problems -- probably PTSD from a br

I have a take on this that I suspect is going to be unpopular. I had a close friend who obviously had various mental health problems -- probably PTSD from a brutal childhood, major social anxiety -- but no diagnoses. I mean, I'm not a doctor, so feel free to take that with a grain of salt, but he quite clearly had issues, and limited means to go see one. Anyway, he regularly used cannabis. Although he probably would describe his use of cannabis as recreational, I think for him, and for a lot of people who use it with undiagnosed health problems, cannabis "feels good" because it's actually therapeutic. I think something similar can be said for pets and animals in general. Some people have disabilities that prevent them from living their lives to the fullest. Some people have pretty severe anxiety around travel. And some people in those categories don't even have diagnoses. All they know is their animals provide comfort. Sure, if you're someone with autism, bad social anxiety, or PTSD, it's known that there can be a lot of safety inherent to a relationship with a creature who won't judge you cruelly for being who you are. But on the less extreme side, some people are dealing with anxiety or depression driven by grief, shitty jobs, financial insecurity, or other issues, and having a loved pet close to you -- especially when you're traveling, which sucks for a lot of people -- can make an enormous difference. One thing that I see missing from discussion here is that airlines and businesses in general have a financial stake in limiting what's required of them with regard to accessibility, and historically they've fought and continue to fight tooth and nail to reduce such requirements, and even when they lose, their actual implementation is often minimal and piss-poor. So I don't think their "wins" are to be celebrated Further, I'd argue that the headline itself is sensationalized: turkeys and possums on planes are red herrings, as are the anecdotes in the comments around "so-and-so said they got their dog registered just so he could fly with her". Why did she want him to fly with her then? Sure, a passenger with a turkey or a possum might cost the airlines more money -- but to what extent is the average consumer even impacted by someone bringing a possum on the plane? Finally, to the folks who suddenly care about animal welfare when we're talking about folks with mental health related disabilities, you don't always have to fly with animals in cargo. A number of airlines allow animals to fly in the cabin with you, with certain restrictions.