Saw a great sign at a restaurant today advising people not to try to pass off pets as service animals. I made it my avatar. The top got cut off but can be seen in my previous attempt to update the avatar.
I can see why people try to pass them off as service animals - United charges $125 each way! Our dog is the size of a loaf of bread for petes sake!
Yup, just paid $125 for transportation, a $500 pet housing deposit and $50/mo. extra housing fee for sonâs puppy. It would have been a lot cheaper to get on one of those websites and have the kid âdiagnosedâ by some shyster. Still doesnât make his dog a ESA.
Acquaintances of ours passed off their TWO HUGE golden labs as ESA on a southwest flight. Said they were encouraged to do so by a flight attendant friend. (Southwest). Even put a picture on their Christmas card with the dogs on the planeâone sitting in the seat (totally against all regulations)
.
And âIt was SO nice of the guy in the middle to move his seat!â I almost fell off my chair in disbelief.
Yeah, rightâhe couldnât get out of there fast enough.
I wasnât so niceâI pretty much told her they had no business doing that and she should be glad I wasnât the one stuck near them. I think it was first classâglad I didnât book that ticket for extra!
The first time a plane actually has an emergency with these animals on the planeâitâs all over. For everybody.
(If you can actually stuff your animal under the seat in a closed containerâand it doesnât whineâI might give a pass --if it counts as your âone personal item or carry-onâ)
In event of emergencyâyou donât get to take anything with youâpurses, bags, brief cases or animals.
SW doesnât have first class.
Im sitting in the waiting room of a lung doc. The lady sitting across from me has her little dogâno ESA vest or anything. What if other patients gave allergies to dogs? Out of luck, I guess.
See dogs in our shopping mall regularlyâno âESAâ vest or anything, just everywhere in the upscale indoor enclosed mall 
And now we know why! First class doesnât need dog hair everywhere.
She told me they were going to try it on another flight which was first classâIâve mixed up the story so forgive me. I certainly didnât mix up the photo of two big dogs on the plane and in the seat.
But obviously she thinks this is okay to do now and since it worked so well itâs just a money saverâand I personally donât think so.
A class action suit in favor of discounted air fare for traveling with animals would end it.
@HImom, even if the dog had an ESA vest on, the doctorâs office is not required to allow the animal in the building. Nor are shopping malls required to allow ESAs. A service dog is a different story entirely.
Yes, ESA is only for housing and airline flights.
I was standing in a LONG line at TJMaxx on the day before Christmas, and there was a dog right behind me. Someone asked the owner and she said âOh, they can go anywhere.â I said they couldnât. I told the clerk at the counter and she said they donât like them in the store but âwhat could they do?â I said put up a sign saying no dogs but SERVICE animals. Iâve also complained at my bank where they give them treats.
I just donât like dogs in stores, sitting on the counters, shedding, barking. Iâm going to keep complaining when I see them.
I will send and email to the MD. I donât think the mall will make changes unless LOTS of folks complain but I will try. Itâs reslly out of hand these days.
I hate the âNo dogsâ signs. So my cat, snake, hedgehog, or parrot are welcome. I am completely okay with âNo animals, except service animalsâ sign.
Love it @MaterS , but the fact is that (except for your pirate parrot-on-the-shoulder shopper), none of these animals are likely to be trotted into the shops. I canât even imagine taking my cat shoppingâŠwell, I can, but itâs too silly to continue.
I had a dream once that I took my cat to the mall and it was not a good dream. 
There is a woman in my office building that brings her pet cat to work; I periodically run into her in the lobby. Cute kitty and absolutely user-friendly. It purred as I petted her (I asked the owner if it was OK).
There was a cat at a New Orleans Saints game a couple of years ago. Quite the internet sensation.
http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2015/10/whodatcat_new_orleans_saints.html
I have both a twenty pound ragdoll cat AND a severe cat allergy 
I kept wondering why I was suddenly having constant widespread rashes that looked for all the world like some type of vicious insect bite, rashes only I was suffering from. It never occurred to me that our newly acquired kitten might be the cause because I had had cats at various times throughout my life with nary a problem. It was only after weâd had him for over a year that allergy testing revealed the severe cat allergy. By then, the idea of giving up my sweet and beautiful boy was more than I could bear. Iâm now enduring my third year of allergy shots, and greatly limiting our petting sessions. Iâve also had to ban him from our bedroom, which had been hard on both of us. I have sympathy for anyone that may also be severely allergic to cats. Itâs been quite the ordeal. He is an excellent ESA, but I would never in a million years consider taking him on an airplane, neither in the cabin, or cargo hold. We donât travel with him. He stays home where, hopefully, only I have to worry about allergy reactions.
The abuse of the system is unfortunate and I really feel for people with pet allergies, but I would pay a LOT of money to be able to fly my 60 lb dog on a plane. As far as I know thereâs no legitimate way to fly an animal this size. If I, for example, move cross-country or take an extended vacation, Iâm forced to drive. (I would never put her in cargo and canât afford to hire some kind of very special pet delivery service.) If only there were designated pet flights, and designated no-pet flights!
It would also be good to know if someone on the flight has severe pet allergies because frankly, they probably shouldnât sit anywhere near me. Iâm sure I have pet hair and dander all over my clothes (both cat and dog).
Was on a flight once from LAX (5-6 hour red eye) my asthma was so bad. I could barely breathe. The person in front of me had a huge dog. And the very very entitled people argued with the flight attendent about him being âunder the seatâ His paw wasnât even under the seat. I cannot believe that airlines allow this. Let them put their dog in the baggage department. I love dogs but they donât belong in the cabin. If the person wants to bring a dog on board they should hire a private plane. Personally, I would never put my dog in the baggage ( too many die if the air decompresses. Instead, like most people I pay for a kennel. And if I moved across country, I would drive my dog.
At a MINIMUM, the airlines should check with ALL of the passengers who are within 5 rows in either direction. I was never given options. Just so unfair.
As for someone being mauled, I think they should get the maximum amount possible. Put me on that jury. And why doesnât the dog have to be muzzled?
And why doesnât the dog have to be muzzled?
They absolutely should be.
IIWKOW (If I were king of the world)
-There would be a national standard for service animals and a single certification agency. While there could be independent training organizations they would all have to be accredited by the national agency. People with service animals would be issued an official dog vest and a license with their and their dogâs picture. There would be hefty fines for misuse, just like there are for misuse of a handicapped tag.
-People could bring their ESAs on planes and have them in apartments but in order to qualify for an exemption they would have to be of a size to meet the airline standard and would be required to stay under the seat. A small dog or cat can comfort someone as well as a large one, and while Iâm personally a big dog kind of person my desire to take my golden retriever on a plane doesnât trump your right to come off that plane without slobber on your sleeve. If you have problems so severe that a small dog will not do the job either take alternative transportation and find a pet-friendly apartment or go through the certification process for a SA.