Community Chat

[SilleeMee]

Oh come on now, we can watch the movie together and even share my popcorn.

[bri20]

I was shopping a few weeks ago, and a woman was pushing what I thought was a baby stroller.  When I walked by, I saw she had a little dog in there.

I was in CVS and saw a woman carrying a ferret.  Scared the c*** out of me.

Managers don't seem to want to lose a customer, so they don't say anything to these people. 

[SaRina]

I'd rather have a dog sitting next to me on a plane than a screaming kid or crying baby anywhere near me.

[traveler]

DH walks out of restaurants and grocery stores when he spots a comfort dog.  And yes, most of those vests are internet purchased and mean nothing.  A few years ago a guy with a small dog was asked to leave Walmart by an employee.  He pulled out a gun and shot the employee.  He is without the dog now cause he's in prison.

[Yardlie]

I know someone who has an "emotional support pet." In fact, she just finished going through the process. She has major depression. She was required to get a letter from her psychiatrist and had to register the pet with an emotional support registry online. She is now allowed to have the pet with her in senior housing, and the pet can fly free on airlines. She has a cat.

These are the rules I found online:

What Are Your Legal Protections and Rights?
The Air Carrier Access Act 49 U.S.C. 41705, Dept. of Transportation 14 C.F.R. Part 382, Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 are the laws that protect an emotionally disabled person and his/her ESA.

The legal protections an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) has are to:

1. Fly with its emotionally or psychologically disabled handler in the cabin of an aircraft without being charged a pet fee. Click here for detailed information on Flying with Your Emotional Support Animal.
2. Qualify for no-pet housing (that also includes limited size, breed, or species housing) without being charged a pet fee. Click here for detailed information on Housing Rights For You And Your ESA.

No other public or private entity (motels, restaurants, stores, trains, taxis, busses, theatres, parks, beaches, libraries, zoos, etc.) is required to allow your ESA to accompany you and in all other instances, your ESA has no more rights than a pet. That means they aren't protected by law to accompany you into any public place that does not allow pets. That doesn't mean these places won't let you, it just means that they are not required to, by law.

[Yardlie]

---

@traveler wrote:

DH walks out of restaurants and grocery stores when he spots a comfort dog.  And yes, most of those vests are internet purchased and mean nothing.  A few years ago a guy with a small dog was asked to leave Walmart by an employee.  He pulled out a gun and shot the employee.  He is without the dog now cause he's in prison.

---

@traveler ... Wow! They didn't cover prisons in the post I just made!

[Yardlie]

---

@colliegirls wrote:

I feel all these therapy pet claims are a load of cr@p!

---

@colliegirls ... I respectfully disagree. My friend lives alone. She has an emotional support pet due to her major depression. She takes several medications for depression, and they have changed her medications around many times. The medications alone are not enough to lift her depression. Some people have treatment-resistant depression. However, the love of a cat relieves much of her depression and anxiety. She does much better when she has her pet around. She registered her cat as an emotional support pet so that she could have it with her in senior housing. As it turns out, the pet can also fly free with her if she chooses.

People cannot just register any pet as an emotional support pet. They need a letter from a psychiatrist stating that the person is under their care and needs this pet in addition to other treatment modalities.

If you see my post (#35) you will see the rules regarding emotional support pets. Having an emotional support pet does not LEGALLY allow the person to bring the pet into restaurants, theatres, stores, etc. Only actual SERVICE dogs (e.g. for the blind) are allowed in those places.  However, it is up to the store, theatre, etc. if they so choose to allow the pet in. The person must have the registration of the pet with them. My friend never takes her pet anywhere outside of her apartment.

[151949]

---

@Brinklii wrote:

---

@colliegirls wrote:

I feel all these therapy pet claims are a load of cr@p!

---

@colliegirls ... I respectfully disagree. My friend lives alone. She has an emotional support pet due to her major depression. She takes several medications for depression, and they have changed her medications around many times. The medications alone are not enough to lift her depression. Some people have treatment-resistant depression. However, the love of a cat relieves much of her depression and anxiety. She does much better when she has her pet around. She registered her cat as an emotional support pet so that she could have it with her in senior housing. As it turns out, the pet can also fly free with her if she chooses.

People cannot just register any pet as an emotional support pet. They need a letter from a psychiatrist stating that the person is under their care and needs this pet in addition to other treatment modalities.

If you see my post (#35) you will see the rules regarding emotional support pets. Having an emotional support pet does not LEGALLY allow the person to bring the pet into restaurants, theatres, stores, etc. Only actual SERVICE dogs (e.g. for the blind) are allowed in those places.  However, it is up to the store, theatre, etc. if they so choose to allow the pet in. The person must have the registration of the pet with them. My friend never takes her pet anywhere outside of her apartment.

---

 You don't understand - many people go online - get the vest and then LIE and say the pet is something they are not.

[Yardlie]

---

@151949 wrote:

---

@Brinklii wrote:

---

@colliegirls wrote:

I feel all these therapy pet claims are a load of cr@p!

---

@colliegirls ... I respectfully disagree. My friend lives alone. She has an emotional support pet due to her major depression. She takes several medications for depression, and they have changed her medications around many times. The medications alone are not enough to lift her depression. Some people have treatment-resistant depression. However, the love of a cat relieves much of her depression and anxiety. She does much better when she has her pet around. She registered her cat as an emotional support pet so that she could have it with her in senior housing. As it turns out, the pet can also fly free with her if she chooses.

People cannot just register any pet as an emotional support pet. They need a letter from a psychiatrist stating that the person is under their care and needs this pet in addition to other treatment modalities.

If you see my post (#35) you will see the rules regarding emotional support pets. Having an emotional support pet does not LEGALLY allow the person to bring the pet into restaurants, theatres, stores, etc. Only actual SERVICE dogs (e.g. for the blind) are allowed in those places.  However, it is up to the store, theatre, etc. if they so choose to allow the pet in. The person must have the registration of the pet with them. My friend never takes her pet anywhere outside of her apartment.

---

 You don't understand - many people go online - get the vest and then LIE and say the pet is something they are not.

---

@151949 ... The problem is that the stores, theatres, restaurants do not know the rules. I helped my friend register her cat as an Emotional Support Animal (as my friend does not have a computer).  They are not required to have a vest for the animal, but I suppose the dog owners who want to cheat get one. Anyone can register their pet online (for a fee). However, owners of Emotional Support Animals are required by law to have the original letter from their psychiatrist (on letterhead and signed) and their ESA registration with them at all times at places where they are legally allowed to bring their pets...in their homes and on airlines.

As I mentioned above, stores, restaurants, theatres are not required legally to allow these pets in. SERVICE dogs...yes, but ESA...no. The stores, restaurants, theatres need to learn the laws. If you complain to the manager, maybe they will learn the laws.

What will eventually happen is that the rules will get stiffer ,,, and probably the fees to register the animal will get higher...sad for the people who actually need the animal.

I just wonder how you would know if the animal is a legitimate ESA without asking to see the documentation? It is kind of like disability parking in cars. Some people look like they don't need the disability tag, but they do. There are some people who abuse the tag by using someone else's tag, but a police officer can look that up quickly enough.

[Marienkaefer2]

I don't see anything wrong with having a therapy pet or "comfort" pet, but people that do so also need to have consideration for the fact that there are people who are allergic.