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  1. #1
    BPnet Veteran Ax01's Avatar
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    Woman with ESA Squirrel Flips the Bird as She De-Planes

    ok our fav topic of Emotional Support Animals returns when a woman was removed from an Orlando to Cleveland flight yesterday. the reason: she had and failed to disclose her ESA as a squirrel. she did manage to board the plane but was asked to de-plane when the flight crew found out it was a squirrel and the airline has a policy limiting what kind of ESA you could have on the plane. she refused to comply, all other passengers had to de-plane as authorities were called to remove her. everything was delayed for over 2hours as a result. is this the price we must pay?

    anyways my fav part of the story (and vid) is that she flipped the bird as they wheeled her off the plane to everyones cheers and jeers.

    story: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nat...219773560.html

    Emotional support squirrel’s owner flips the bird as she’s kicked off Frontier flight

    A flight from Florida to Ohio was delayed nearly two hours on Tuesday after a woman tried to fly with her emotional support squirrel.

    The Frontier Airlines flight, which left nearly two hours later than scheduled, was heading from Orlando to Cleveland, according to WKYC.

    When she arrived for Flight 1612, the unidentified woman revealed that the support animal she had cleared ahead of time was actually a squirrel, which is not allowed on the airline, Fox8 reported.

    Frontier Airlines only allows cats and dogs on its flights, as noted on ESADoctors.com, a site that provides information on where certain emotional support animals are allowed. The airline also specifies that it does not permit rodents on flights, meaning squirrels are a no-go.

    But in a statement to Fox8, the airline said it had to call police to remove the woman from the flight because she refused to leave. She had been told that the squirrel violated the airlines policy, Fox8 reported.

    A video posted by a man named Brandon Nixon on Twitter appears to show the woman getting kicked off the flight.

    “So im flying back to cleveland and everyone got on the plane then was asked to exit the plane,” he wrote. “Only to later find out a woman brought a squirrel in her carry on and labeled it as her emotional support pet. Then refuses to get off the plane until the cops come”

    As she is wheeled away in a wheelchair, the woman tells onlookers to “shut up” before raising her middle finger, the video shows. A few people begin to applaud as she is taken away from the flight, the video shows, and she gives a thumbs-up as she says, “Thank you!”

    “You can’t make this stuff up,” Nixon wrote.

    embedded tweet: https://twitter.com/bnix4/status/1049817315116818432

    Another Twitter user named Julia Papesch posted a pair of videos showing the same woman getting kicked off the flight.

    She wrote that “they made us deplane because a woman brought on a f----- squirrel.”

    embedded tweet: https://twitter.com/julia_papesch/st...20969060261888

    And Amber Calhoun, a passenger on the plane, told News5 that some people on the flight tried to find humor in the situation.

    “The joke of the plane was hashtag squirrel so you’ll probably see it all over social media,” she said, according to the outlet.

    In January, a woman wasn’t allowed to board a United flight leaving Newark, New Jersey, because she tried to bring a much bigger emotional support animal — a peacock.

    “This animal did not meet guidelines for a number of reasons, including its weight and size,” United said in a statement. “We explained this to the customers on three separate occasions before they arrived at the airport.”
    more here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ne/1587164002/
    and here: https://www.usatoday.com/videos/trav...ht/1588596002/
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  3. #2
    BPnet Senior Member Sonny1318's Avatar
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    I can’t wait for this madness to stop, I notice more and more people in stores with dogs with not very believable vests on their dogs. I am severely disabled and am very familiar with real trained animals for real problems. It’s a real shame that people would try and pull stunts like this. Again selfish people who believe they’re special and don’t care about others. People need to treat people like they would want to be treated. Not like the world revolves around them. Sorry vented, lol.
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  5. #3
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    As one of what I suspect is a huge minority of people who've actually had pet squirrels (actually mine were chipmunks, but close enough I think?) I just want to
    say how ridiculous it is that ANYONE would claim to have a squirrel for an "emotional support animal"...because they freak out in any sort of man-made trans-
    portation...cars, buses, & planes are terrifying to them & they hide for days after. I know...I once flew home from overseas with my 2 chipmunks under my
    seat as a (declared & specially-approved) "carry-on". (this was years ago, & a long story) So if anything, that crazy woman was the ESA for the squirrel!

    And yes, this sort of self-absorbed infantile sense of entitlement that some seem to have just makes it hard for those who truly NEED an ESA. I don't even like
    to see people smuggling their little doggies (& I LOVE dogs!) in their over-sized purses into stores & restaurants, where in theory it "hurts no one"...until it does.
    The same kind of people who park in handicapped spaces at the store when they don't need it. That plane (in above story) was delayed for 2 hours...who knows
    what havoc that caused people who had medical appointments or funerals to attend or a job interview? Geez...
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 10-10-2018 at 06:09 PM.

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  7. #4
    BPnet Veteran Ax01's Avatar
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    i recently saw this op-ed about snakes as "service animals"

    here: https://www.westword.com/news/python...imals-10844336

    RTD: No, Pythons Are Not Service Animals

    In mid-September, a man with a python slung around his neck walked onto a Regional Transportation District bus. "This is my comfort-service animal," he said, RTD officials report.

    The albino python may have comforted the man, but it definitely discomforted other passengers...and it wasn't an actual service animal. According to RTD, similar incidents happen several times a month on its lines, which is why the agency has started a campaign to clarify what qualifies as a service animal.

    "The public’s perception of what a service animal is and what a service animal is defined as under the Americans With Disabilities Act [ADA] are two different things.You can’t just bring on your pet because it makes you feel good. That’s not a service or task," explains Ed Neuberg, RTD's ADA manager.

    A service animal, as defined by the ADA, is a dog "that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person's disability." Although not included in this definition, miniature horses are also considered legitimate service animals, though they're a rarer sight on RTD lines.

    But even if a rider has a dog or a miniature horse along for the ride, it doesn't qualify as a service animal unless it is specifically trained to perform a task for an individual with a disability. The vast majority of the animal complaints that RTD deals with stem from dogs whose owners insist they qualify when they don't.

    "People just take their dogs everywhere and say it’s a service dog. Sometimes they lunge at legitimate service animals or even try and fight or snap, and that’s a huge issue for people who have a legitimate service animal, because you can actually wreck that dog’s training," says Julie Reiskin, executive director of the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition.

    Dogs aren't the only problem. RTD has dealt with numerous snake situations; there have also been issues with large spiders and even parrots.

    In mid-September, an RTD bus stopped to pick up a woman in a wheelchair. She had a parrot on her shoulder. The bird had already defecated on her shoulder and backpack. According to RTD officials, the bus driver told the woman, "No, you can’t bring that parrot on board," to which she responded, "This is my service animal."

    After she got on the bus, the parrot, which was not an ADA-approved service animal, began to defecate on the floor. "That's unsafe and unhealthy in a lot of different ways. We are watching for that now," says Neuberg.

    Unauthorized animals aren't just a health and safety issue. They damage the credibility of people using legitimate service animals.

    "When people take it on themselves to do whatever they want, it creates some problems for people who really need a service animal. People who have legitimate animals are scrutinized. All they want to do is partake in public life, and they’re not able to. They’re harassed," says Neuberg.

    If a legitimate service animal gets too rowdy or aggressive on a bus or train, drivers can use their discretion as to whether the rider and animal should be kicked off. "Even if it’s a service animal, if it’s not behaving, they need to kick it off," says Reiskin.

    And if would-be riders want to bring a non-service animal such as a cat, dog or any other pet on board, parrots and pythons included, they simply need to carry them in an appropriate crate or container.

    But Reiskin has little patience with people bringing snakes on buses. "There is no legal argument ever for taking a snake," she says. "Even it was trained to perform a task, it’s still not a service animal.
    i have yet to see or read of a snake being trained to perform a service or task on command and agree that they are not service animals no matter how much i love them. also i do think that a snake can provide emotional support and be an ESA and believe that the two are distinct. however don't be "that guy" (or gal) to abuse the laws, policies, rights, property/space and decency of the public and other people.
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  9. #5
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    Re: Woman with ESA Squirrel Flips the Bird as She De-Planes

    Quote Originally Posted by Sonny1318 View Post
    I can’t wait for this madness to stop, I notice more and more people in stores with dogs with not very believable vests on their dogs. I am severely disabled and am very familiar with real trained animals for real problems. It’s a real shame that people would try and pull stunts like this. Again selfish people who believe they’re special and don’t care about others. People need to treat people like they would want to be treated. Not like the world revolves around them. Sorry vented, lol.
    Very well said.

    I am seeing more and more people in stores with dogs as well. Often times they're just holding the dog while shopping. Just a collar and a leash. No vest.

    Is there a standard vest they're supposed to be wearing? I don't want to be a jerk, and I don't know any of these people, but something tells me at least a percentage of these people are abusing the system.

    I'm 1000000% for service animals being in stores and wherever their owner brings them, but I can't support Mrs. Thompson "needing" her chihuahua in the grocery store because she's feeling a bit blue lately.
    I have anxiety and depression issues, and I don't want this to come off as insensitive, but I seriously question the "need" for these animals in more cases than not.
    Last edited by Craiga 01453; 10-16-2018 at 04:37 PM.

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  11. #6
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    Re: Woman with ESA Squirrel Flips the Bird as She De-Planes

    Quote Originally Posted by craigafrechette View Post
    Very well said.

    I am seeing more and more people in stores with dogs as well. Often times they're just holding the dog while shopping. Just a collar and a leash. No vest.

    Is there a standard vest they're supposed to be wearing? I don't want to be a jerk, and I don't know any of these people, but something tells me at least a percentage of these people are abusing the system.

    I'm 1000000% for service animals being in stores and wherever their owner brings them, but I can't support Mrs. Thompson "needing" her chihuahua in the grocery store because she's feeling a bit blue lately.
    I have anxiety and depression issues, and I don't want this to come off as insensitive, but I seriously question the "need" for these animals in more cases than not.
    I completely agree! It's out of hand here in Utah too. I see it on almost a daily basis.It doesn't help that many times these animals are so far from being properly trained it's ridiculous. If you have a trained animal I totally get it. Anything else is just a nuisance. Yapping or defecating in the store. Many use it as a work around to have pets in a rental when not allowed and now you've gotta be able to drag it through the grocery store or a restaurant too? Give me a break. Just because you got a doctors note doesn't make your emotional support animal a "service" animal. Service animals are highly trained to perform a certain job. I'm sure there are cases that people really benefit but as a whole I feel like they're abusing the system. Sending in a check along with a note to get a little card and a patch is far and away different than getting a dog that is going to see for you or sense when you're about to go in to a full blown seizure and protect your head. These animals are capable of amazing things and ESA's aren't even in the same class. We all have pets because they make us feel good. I love mine like family and they've gotten me through some pretty dark times yet they are far from service animals. Service animals do a job. An "ESA" is a pet in my opinion. Don't get me wrong. I'm a firm believer in what animals can do for people. I'm just not buying that every Tom, :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r:, and Harry needs one to successfully make it through their local Albertson's,

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