By Indy Behr (who, it should be noted, thinks his cats are cool–but not transportable)
The Blog Staff opted to take a deep dive into Pets. While several of our bloggers write with great affection and sentimentality about pets, Indy has a . . . pet-peeve. He doesn’t want to see your pets in public.
Over the last few years, I have observed an incredibly frustrating trend.
People have started to feel comfortable bringing their pets everywhere, especially dogs. I genuinely cannot walk down the aisle of a grocery store without walking next to a mini poodle. I once witnessed a small dog defecate in the aisle of a Gelson’s. I have never been all that much of a dog person, but, if I encounter a dog in my neighborhood, I will absolutely tolerate it. However, now people can take their pets on AIRPLANES without cages for “emotional support.”
I would firstly like to make a very clear distinction: service animals for those with visual impairments and/or other physical disabilities are entirely necessary, and I will never have any issue with them being wherever they need to be. Service dogs are considered something that most places are rightfully required to allow by the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, ada.gov publicly states that “emotional support dogs” are not service animals, period. Service dogs are required to be trained. With training, they don’t bother others or lick them at random. I know there are some people reading this who are going to think how insensitive I am, but I am not the only one saying this. I am sure for many people your flight or trip to the grocery store will be more fun with your dog, but that does not make bringing Fido along a medical necessity.
When airlines let untrained dogs sit out in the open on planes, it can be downright dangerous. One man needed twenty-eight stitches after an emotional support Labrador attacked him on a Delta flight from Atlanta to San Diego. And, now, there’s a get-around even for airlines that require documentation stating pets are necessary. Many websites will let you pay and get a “certificate” that makes your pet an emotional support pet. This can include pigs. This can include, somehow, horses. You can say that you have panic attacks without your duck on planes, and, bam, you are able to fly across the country holding a bird in your hands that can poop and quack whenever it wants.
The whole idea of emotional support animals being helpful in almost any case has nearly no scientific evidence. The Journal of Applied Developmental Science has said the only research on this issue is much too early to reach any conclusion (washingtonpost.com). Previous studies often had other issues–like not controlling other causes for increased or decreased stress in the presence of animals. I don’t think that we should be letting emotional support animals everywhere until we know they actually work.
If you are reading this and thinking, “But I know my dog makes me happy!”–I am not doubting that this is the case, but if there is still no actual evidence that your dog does things like lower anxiety in the long term, I do not think it is worth it to allow your untrained dog into all public areas. If you are considering paying someone online to say that your animal is for emotional support just because you want to take them out in public, please do not.
Bravo, Indy! I am a dog owner who believes it preposterous that these “service dogs” we see everywhere are actually providing a service other than to let the owner feel special and, as you say, “happy.’ The designation “service dog” was created so that a seeing-eye dog, absolutely necessary to a blind person’s every-day life, could be allowed in establishments that have traditionally excluded pets. This designation was later broadened to include the dogs assigned to disabled war veterans, who depended on their canines for all kinds of help. But our “I’m entitled” culture has led all kinds of totally independent and fully functional human beings to apply their pets for “service dog” designation, for the sole reason they don’t want to separate from them even long enough to buy a bag of kibble. Talk about separation anxiety!
You say one instance of a dog being violent on a plane means no dogs should be allowed on a plane because dogs can be dangerous. Phones can be dangerous, portable chargers can be dangerous, humans are dangerous. Is one instance of danger sufficient to ban dogs completely? One instance of danger has not been enough to ban cars, guns, planes, vending machines, etc.
I have a problem with your fourth and fifth paragraphs because it sounds like you’re trying to use the lack of scientific evidence in your argument, but then contradict yourself. Let’s assume you’re right and there is literally zero scientific evidence for emotional support dogs. Yet, you say that you do not doubt dogs make people happy. So, does it matter if there is no scientific evidence? Do you genuinely believe that you should outright deny the companionship of dogs in public places because there’s no scientific evidence for it?
Can a lonely 97 year old man bring his beloved dog wherever he goes because all of his friends are long gone? Or, would you say “Excuse me sir, there is actually no scientific evidence your dog helps you. So, you should just leave him at home.”
You use anecdotal evidence and buzzwords like scientific evidence to deny the one true motivation behind this post: you are a dog HATER.
I agree with everything you said
Agreed!! Great point. I would love to hear the perspective of someone who does need an emotional support animal. I bet they’d have a lot to say about this.
https://www.newsweek.com/viral-video-emotional-support-dog-lunging-service-dog-sparks-debate-1690156
Here, an “emotional support” dog lunged at someone in a store in Massachussetts.
https://www.wral.com/service-dog-attacked-by-emotional-support-dog-a-familys-plea-to-other-pet-owners/18369364/
In this case, an “emotional support” dog attacked someone in a restaraunt.
I may have highlighted a particularly significant case, but this is not a one-time thing. This is an epidemic, and there are even more cases than these four.I think that we should deny people having these dogs in public because there is no evidence *and* they are untrained, increasing risks of attacks. Additionally, these “emotional support” animals harm those who actually need service animals, as the justified criticism these certificates people get from the internet get often end up directed towards innocent people. So yes, I would say that people should leave their dogs at home if they are not for emotional support, even if they are 97 years old, and even if all of their friends are dead.
For the record, its pretty clear your argument is shaky when you attack my motivation and falsely accuse me, someone who very much appreciates dogs, of being a dog hater.
*It’s
Thank you for being a sane person in the world. I don’t need to encounter a dog at the grocery or the mall. Ridiculous. Take them to a park.
The ADA says you can’t even ask someone if a dog is a service dog. They are also NOT required to visually show they are a service dog any longer. So this, my friend, is all thanks to your wonderful government allowing all of this and you can even be a criminal for asking someone if their dog is a service dog. They can have a huge German Shepard lay on your feet during an entire flight and you CANNOT say or do ANYTHING! What a Wonderful World we live in now.