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An ESA is not a service animal and there is no registry. There are just a bunch of idiots and/or scumbags who register their animal for a piece of paper that th

An ESA is not a service animal and there is no registry. There are just a bunch of idiots and/or scumbags who register their animal for a piece of paper that they think is a golden ticket for their pets. In a few very limited circumstances an ESA is allowed in places that “just a pet” is not, but AFAIAA this is not enshrined in law, just something some places do that aren’t otherwise legally prohibited from allowing animals and the only place I know for sure requires a note from a mental health professional. There is also no registry for service animals, but there are companies that train those animals and they can be queried about training and legitimacy. Next time someone says they have a service animal, ask them what service it performs. If they don’t have a ready response, they’re full of it. And if their animal isn’t well behaved, they’re also full of it. My dog is a retired service animal. She performed seizure alert and response. She could (and probably still can) save a life. If she was on your flight you’d only know if you happened to see her. And frankly the other passengers would be more of a problem for her than she would be to anyone. ESAs and liars create a lot of problems for legitimate service animals. I won’t point out any specific posts but there’s an incredible amount of ignorance in these threads and I’d bet it’s all due to negative experiences with people who don’t have service animals. Service animals save lives. The people who need them really need them. Lying about a service animal is like lying about needing a wheelchair. Complaining about them is like complaining about a wheelchair blocking the aisle. These animals are no joke. They’re extremely heavily trained. Many animals don’t make it through these programs. Some of them are worth more than your car.

smichel17 7y ago
Adding on: training a service animal costs hundreds to thousands of dollars. It's poetically not something you do so you can bring your dog on a flight with you.
CaptainZapp 7y ago
Add to that: I'm allergic to dogs. Depending on the dog it may be hardly a problem or maybe a minor inconvenience, but other times it can turn into hours of misery. And all because of an asshole who's too cheap to cough up 100$ for the proper transportation of his "support" animal.
- curryst 7y ago
  Just FYI, the "proper transportation" is the exact same thing, you just pay the airline $100 (in Delta's case, $150 per way) for the pleasure. They still go in the cabin with you, you still have all the same issues, they just want to skim some extra cash out of you. It wouldn't be nearly as irritating that they charge for it if there were something they were actually providing (like a more pet-friendly place to ride), but they don't.
  - airstrike 7y ago
    > Just FYI, the "proper transportation" is the exact same thing It's not. Dogs have to travel in their kennel under the seat, which is significantly more stressful for small dogs than on your lap, speaking as someone who travels with an actual ESA
jstarfish 7y ago
> If they don’t have a ready response, they’re full of it. You're missing the point of it being an emotional support animal-- the go-to response is usually something related to mental health that cannot be validated or disproven by the questioner.
- cgriswald 7y ago
  No, I’m not. An ESA is not a service animal and does not perform a service. If someone specifically claims to have a service animal they can be legally asked what services the animal performs. If someone claims “emotional support” or “mental support” or any other such claim, it is not a service animal. It might be an ESA but those do not have the same legal protections/rights.

smichel17 7y ago

Adding on: training a service animal costs hundreds to thousands of dollars. It's poetically not something you do so you can bring your dog on a flight with you.

CaptainZapp 7y ago

Add to that: I'm allergic to dogs. Depending on the dog it may be hardly a problem or maybe a minor inconvenience, but other times it can turn into hours of misery. And all because of an asshole who's too cheap to cough up 100$ for the proper transportation of his "support" animal.

curryst 7y ago
Just FYI, the "proper transportation" is the exact same thing, you just pay the airline $100 (in Delta's case, $150 per way) for the pleasure. They still go in the cabin with you, you still have all the same issues, they just want to skim some extra cash out of you. It wouldn't be nearly as irritating that they charge for it if there were something they were actually providing (like a more pet-friendly place to ride), but they don't.
- airstrike 7y ago
  > Just FYI, the "proper transportation" is the exact same thing It's not. Dogs have to travel in their kennel under the seat, which is significantly more stressful for small dogs than on your lap, speaking as someone who travels with an actual ESA

jstarfish 7y ago

> If they don’t have a ready response, they’re full of it. You're missing the point of it being an emotional support animal-- the go-to response is usually something related to mental health that cannot be validated or disproven by the questioner.

cgriswald 7y ago
No, I’m not. An ESA is not a service animal and does not perform a service. If someone specifically claims to have a service animal they can be legally asked what services the animal performs. If someone claims “emotional support” or “mental support” or any other such claim, it is not a service animal. It might be an ESA but those do not have the same legal protections/rights.