Community Chat

[sunala]

My girlfriend lives in Florida. She was at the movies with her husband. The theater was pretty full, and this lady walks in, looks around, and sits down right next to my girlfriend. The lady was holding a teeny tiny dog, the size of a rat. My gf said, "Oh no, please don't sit here. I'm allergic to animals." The woman responds, "She's my comfort dog and I can sit anywhere I want. Besides, she doesn't shed."

My gf tried to explain to this woman that it doesn't matter; it's not only the fur, it's the dander and the saliva. Finally the woman got up and walked away.

Have you ever heard of a "comfort dog" being brought to a movie theater? I don't know if this is legal in all states, and what the deal is, but I've never heard of such a thing.

Have any of you heard of this type of comfort pet?

[MyGirlsMom]

Yes, I've heard of comfort pets.

A few years ago there was a commercial featuring a pair of elderly female twins (I don't remember the product or service) who were rater dry and a hoot.  One of the networks did an expose on them and one of the ladies needed a comfort dog.  He or she was a cute little munchkin.

<edit>

Here they are:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaxrI3KbuoU

I think one of them suffered from depression and anxiety

[Reba055]

The whole comfort pet thing is getting out of hand. It takes pretty much nothing to get the paperwork approved.. It's becoming a nightmare for the airlines. Once again, people and their selfishness are ruining it for those truly in need. We all love our pets and they provide comfort and reduce anxiety. It doesn't mean we all need to carry our pets everywhere we go. 

Sorry, I'm getting so disgusted with people and their entitlements. Sounds as if this lady was in that camp otherwise she would have been considerate to those around her 😡

[Desertdi]

Maybe it was the dog who needed comfort................

[151949]

They don't even do any paper work - they buy those vests on the internet. And it is disgusting that they get away with taking those animals everywhere. Stores, restaurants - church - everywhere. I wouldn't mind a well behaved dog in church - one that is well trained . However, more often than not they bark, and fuss and disrupt the service. People at our church leave their babies and toddlers in the nursery but bring these annoying dogs into church. A man at our church brings his golden into church every week and the dog whines and scratches - thumping his leg on the pew the whole hour.

[Justice4all]

@sunala

Indeed.  Therapy pets.  My husband was bemused at a patient in ER who would not relinquish her small therapy dog she had in a basket!

[Kachina624]

How would you like to sit next to a pooping turkey on an airliner?

[DoneTryin]

I saw something about that on tv several months ago.  This particular piece was about how a woman who rented an apartment didn't have to pay the pet deposit because she claimed her small dog was a comfort dog.  As mentioned in other posts above, she just paid a few bucks to get the documentation online.

Thing is, if a person claims they need to have the animal, nobody can legally ask them why, because it's supposedly confidential health info.  There are plenty of people out there who truly have problems & these scammers just ruin it for everyone.

[151949]

Can you imagine being allergic to animal dander and having to sit next to one in an  airplane - no escape. It happened to someone where I live. She asked for another seat - uncooperative stewardess, finally she asked to speak to whoever is in change and the pilot came out to talk to her. By then her eyes were watering and red and she was all puffy. He did move her to a seat in first class, but it was too late, the damage was done.

[SunValley]

I just got my paperwork online for my therapy shoes. I got a card and everything! Oh....wait, this looks like a credit card....oh, I am safe, it comes with easy pays!