Let me start by saying, I am 100% in favor of legit service animals being allowed to go ANYWHERE with their owners. If you rely on a trained service animal, and some jackwagon tries to tell you that your animal isn't welcome in their establishment, they are WRONG. Ok? We good? Ok. Moving on.
Lately, I've seen people getting a little ridiculous with their so-called "support animals." I personally know people who have bought vests and gotten fake papers online, just so they could take their pets with them into places where pets aren't usually allowed. THAT IS ABUSE OF THE SYSTEM. It makes me angry! In my opinion, it's disrespectful to people who actually NEED a service animal to assist them in their daily lives. Look, I get it. I'd love to take my cat with me everywhere I go, but it's just not realistic. I'm not going to get a little kitty vest on Amazon and pitch a fit (as my mother would say) when some restaurant owner won't let me bring her inside while I eat my chicken parmesan.
Last year, I saw a story make the rounds about a person who brought a "support turkey" on a commercial flight. Now, there's a story about airlines cracking down on people with fake "support animals." United airlines denied passage to a support peacock this week.
Allow me to repeat that: Someone tried to take a PEACOCK on a plane, and tried to pass it off as a service animal.
No. Guys. Just, no.
There is absolutely no way I'm buying your nutso story about this animal performing actual services for you. I was born at night, but it wasn't LAST night! This woman is just trying to see what she can get away with so she can tell a funny story to her friends. Simple as that.
And so many people are trying to pull stuff like this, that it's forcing airlines to reevaluate their guidelines as to what constitutes a "service animal," and which ones are allowed on planes.
And listen, if you think I'm in the wrong, SAY SO. I'm lucky enough to be in good health and don't need a service animal... but if you have experience with this and think I'm out of line, I'd love for you to weigh in. But you better come to me with a pretty solid argument if you are trying to convince me that you can't get through your day without your service peacock. Like, REALLY solid. I'm talking charts and graphs, and a letter from your doctor. And the surgeon general.
Fire away.