13 ms·

tl;dr: Emotional-support animal (E.S.A.) are not allowed in places they shouldn't be. Exceptions are: >The rights of anyone who has such an animal are laid out

by vmarsy 12y ago

tl;dr: Emotional-support animal (E.S.A.) are not allowed in places they shouldn't be. Exceptions are: >The rights of anyone who has such an animal are laid out in two laws. The Fair Housing Act says that you and your E.S.A. can live in housing that prohibits pets. The Air Carrier Access Act entitles you to fly with your E.S.A. at no extra charge, although airlines typically require the animal to stay on your lap or under the seat—this rules out emotional-support rhinoceroses. Both acts stipulate that you must have a corroborating letter from a health professional. So anywhere else these animals are it is not legal. It is different for service dogs that are trained for a specific purpose (i.e. blind people's dog) > They defend the practice by saying [...] that Europeans gladly accept dogs everywhere. I'd love to see them trying it in Europe :) However, here in the US I've never seen animals in uncommon places, is it really a trend ?

mc32 12y ago
Somewhere someone mentioned that normal pets are not allowed on planes unless you pay more but if you get your pet labeled emotional support then its free AND they mentioned getting that classification is easy and people abuse it to get a break...
- gamegoblin 12y ago
  I was recently on a flight from Chicago to Seattle with a chihuahua on someone's lap a few rows in front of me that yapped in long stretches for the entire flight. Far, far worse than any child screaming.
  - servicepups 12y ago
    Yup, but they are allowed regardless. Only difference is with an ESA certificate the airline didn't make $125. A 'pain in the ass' tax that's levied on noisy people, dogs, and children and paid in a sliding scale to the people around them would be great.
- vmarsy 12y ago
  ... this is just sad to abuse it like this. I feel sad for people who _really_ needs their animals for this particular reason. Some people are allergic to some type of animals though, how do you handle that? If I happen to sit next to a pet owner, can I claim that I'm allergic to it and this is a threat to my well being?
  - vitd 12y ago
    > Some people are allergic to some type of animals though, how do you handle that? The same way people allergic to other things handle it. They do their best to avoid it and they keep an epi-pen on themselves in case they're accidentally exposed. I was once at the Los Angeles airport, and a fellow passenger walked up to the counter and told the person there that they have an airborne peanut allergy, and to please announce that nobody in the concourse could eat nuts. The person behind the counter did so, but realistically, this did very little. Between the vast majority of people ignoring most announcements, and the literally thousands of people per hour coming and going from other areas in the airport and planes, there was no way you could keep everyone in the area from eating peanuts. It's on the person with the allergy to make sure they can safely go wherever they're going. You can't expect the rest of the world to magically know, or comply with procedures for your particular issues.
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  - servicepups 12y ago
    It's a per seat thing. It's not like someone in dire need has no room for their animal becomes mine is under my seat! Also, I have a hypo-allegenic dog, but they'll reseat complainers. Usually though I have the opposite issue. Everyone wants to touch the dog etc.
  - mc32 12y ago
    Yes its basically a scam with people taking advantage... As the saying goes the road to hell is paved with good intentions... I think flyertalk has people complaining about the ease with which you can get the cert
Dylan16807 12y ago
It's not legally mandated that the animal be allowed in, but it's perfectly legal to bring the animal with permission.
- vmarsy 12y ago
  I see. But the permission is granted because the restaurant's staff is afraid to break the law. They piss off some of their customers and probably loose some profits. Is it legal for places like Walmart (or Whole Foods as the authors mention) where food is served? The trained dog exception is understandable but animals in general are known to convey diseases, I'm surpised that these places are not legally required to forbid any other animals. EDIT: Section 114259.5 of the California Retail Food Code says that "live animals may not be allowed in a food facility." But it makes exceptions not just for service dogs but for "pets in the common dining areas of restricted food service facilities at times other than during meals." http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-laz-dog-grocery-20141010-story.html http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-laz-dog-grocery-201410...
ars 12y ago
> E.S.A. can live in housing that prohibits pets Does that bother anyone else? If you are petrified of dogs, you will (reasonably) pick housing that prohibits pets. Then someone comes in with an ESA dog? Why do their rights trump yours?
- baddox 12y ago
  Well, either way it's one "right" trumping another.
icelancer 12y ago
> However, here in the US I've never seen animals in uncommon places, is it really a trend ? Depends on the city. In the cities full of hipsters (NYC, Seattle, SF) it's a lot more common. In Waco, TX, no. Not really.

by vmarsy 12y ago

mc32 12y ago

Somewhere someone mentioned that normal pets are not allowed on planes unless you pay more but if you get your pet labeled emotional support then its free AND they mentioned getting that classification is easy and people abuse it to get a break...

gamegoblin 12y ago
I was recently on a flight from Chicago to Seattle with a chihuahua on someone's lap a few rows in front of me that yapped in long stretches for the entire flight. Far, far worse than any child screaming.
- servicepups 12y ago
  Yup, but they are allowed regardless. Only difference is with an ESA certificate the airline didn't make $125. A 'pain in the ass' tax that's levied on noisy people, dogs, and children and paid in a sliding scale to the people around them would be great.
vmarsy 12y ago
... this is just sad to abuse it like this. I feel sad for people who _really_ needs their animals for this particular reason. Some people are allergic to some type of animals though, how do you handle that? If I happen to sit next to a pet owner, can I claim that I'm allergic to it and this is a threat to my well being?
- vitd 12y ago
  > Some people are allergic to some type of animals though, how do you handle that? The same way people allergic to other things handle it. They do their best to avoid it and they keep an epi-pen on themselves in case they're accidentally exposed. I was once at the Los Angeles airport, and a fellow passenger walked up to the counter and told the person there that they have an airborne peanut allergy, and to please announce that nobody in the concourse could eat nuts. The person behind the counter did so, but realistically, this did very little. Between the vast majority of people ignoring most announcements, and the literally thousands of people per hour coming and going from other areas in the airport and planes, there was no way you could keep everyone in the area from eating peanuts. It's on the person with the allergy to make sure they can safely go wherever they're going. You can't expect the rest of the world to magically know, or comply with procedures for your particular issues.
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- servicepups 12y ago
  It's a per seat thing. It's not like someone in dire need has no room for their animal becomes mine is under my seat! Also, I have a hypo-allegenic dog, but they'll reseat complainers. Usually though I have the opposite issue. Everyone wants to touch the dog etc.
- mc32 12y ago
  Yes its basically a scam with people taking advantage... As the saying goes the road to hell is paved with good intentions... I think flyertalk has people complaining about the ease with which you can get the cert

Dylan16807 12y ago

It's not legally mandated that the animal be allowed in, but it's perfectly legal to bring the animal with permission.

vmarsy 12y ago
I see. But the permission is granted because the restaurant's staff is afraid to break the law. They piss off some of their customers and probably loose some profits. Is it legal for places like Walmart (or Whole Foods as the authors mention) where food is served? The trained dog exception is understandable but animals in general are known to convey diseases, I'm surpised that these places are not legally required to forbid any other animals. EDIT: Section 114259.5 of the California Retail Food Code says that "live animals may not be allowed in a food facility." But it makes exceptions not just for service dogs but for "pets in the common dining areas of restricted food service facilities at times other than during meals." http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-laz-dog-grocery-20141010-story.html http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-laz-dog-grocery-201410...

ars 12y ago

> E.S.A. can live in housing that prohibits pets Does that bother anyone else? If you are petrified of dogs, you will (reasonably) pick housing that prohibits pets. Then someone comes in with an ESA dog? Why do their rights trump yours?

baddox 12y ago
Well, either way it's one "right" trumping another.

icelancer 12y ago

> However, here in the US I've never seen animals in uncommon places, is it really a trend ? Depends on the city. In the cities full of hipsters (NYC, Seattle, SF) it's a lot more common. In Waco, TX, no. Not really.