The above graph may be outdated now, and the laws regarding service/therapy/emotional support animals vary widely from country to country, but it is a useful general illustration of the differences between service and emotional support animals.
As a teacher of adults, I have had a number of service dogs in my classes. They have primarily been guide dogs for hearing and sight impaired students, but I have also had diabetic and seizure alert dogs attend classes with their owners. All of the dogs were big breeds. While the dogs were certified, well-trained and perfectly behaved, it did bring up some conflict in the group because there were allergic and dog-phobic students present as well.
I was asked once if I would accept an emotional support cat. Luckily I did not have to decide on that one because the contractor who hired me decided against it. Apparently the cat was not well-socialised, and we had several clients with cat allergies in that group. Despite the fact that I love cats, I think it would have disrupted the class and also stressed the cat.
I was thus fascinated to read that different airlines over the world have banned certain categories of emotional support animals. The lists usually include mice, rats, squirrels, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, poultry (for example turkeys), waterfowl, peacocks, goats, sheep, spiders, insects and alligators. I am sure there are hygiene concerns, as well as permit problems for these animals entering other states or countries.
One can have a mini-horse on a plane if it is a trained service animal. I wonder where it would stand? I wonder where all the above emotional support animals went before they were prohibited. Did they sit with you? Were they contained?
I am not sure Wally, emotional support alligator would have ever been allowed on a plane, but he sure is cute! Here he is with his owner, Joie Henney. Apparently he is very friendly.
I also had a vision of a group of people travelling to an arachnophobe conference when someone’s emotional support tarantula escapes mid-flight. Or a snake…
There was a case years ago when someone’s emotional support peacock was not allowed to board a plane at Newark Airport. Peacocks sound awful so that noise on a plane would be dreadful. He is cute though!
I understand therapy, comfort, and support animals. I have seen the difference they can make. But I have also seen untrained and badly behaved comfort animals ruin goodwill in public spaces for genuine, certified, trained, service animals who alert for cardiac events, panic attacks, low/high blood sugar and fainting. Perhaps in future there will be stricter requirements regarding training and certification for ESAs, so that they can provide comfort in public spaces without causing discomfort to others? This is what Wikipedia had to say
