@Sue22, I agree. Maybe if it required a little ( a lot?) more commitment, fewer people would attempt to abuse the system this way.
@jonri How about suggesting the apt management designate one elevator as being pet friendly and the other as being no pets. Then, no one can complain about being discriminated against.
Unfortunately, it seems as the laws are currently written, unless the danger from a particular ESA is manifest BEFORE boardingâŠand that already has some issuesâŠthe law overrides airline policies.
As the law currently stands, if I can find a kind doctor willing to write me an ESA certification for making Godzilla my ESA and heâs seems innocuous before boarding, the airline must allow us to boardâŠhowever absurd it is in reality.
Thereâs nothing in the law that says we canât charge for ESAâs. So start charging and watch the abuse dwindle significantly, Iâm betting. Everywhere. Want to bring them to the restaurant? $10 ESA cleanup fee automatically added to your check. And so onâŠ
As far as Iâm concerned, ESA=pet. My dog gives me emotional support because thatâs what dogs inherently do. Nobody cleans up poop for the fun of it-youâre getting unconditional love in the bargain.
âŠand on a depressing note,
https://www.officialservicedogregistry.com/register-your-dog/?gclid=CJawâ2Fr9QCFZJXDQodW04NvQ
So there you goâ
you not only need a written note from a doctor that you need your petâŠ
You also need a note from the VET that your pet is a safe travel companion in small confinesâwhich might be harder to come by (at least I hope). At least your vet might have a clue about your petâs temperament.
Want it to be pet friendly? Ask a vet. Theyâll answer the questions on who can get âstuck underneath the seatâ or âsit on someoneâs lap for hours without bugging outâ. Heck, I bug out.
And then someone as a gatekeeper at the airport that can still say your âpetâ lion is NOT a good travel companion in small confines of airline seats no matter what anyone else says.
@MotherOfDragons According to my understanding of the laws, part of the problem with ESA laws, as written, is that businesses/landlords canât charge fees. So, people abuse the system to gain access for their pets AND avoid fees.
^Except that you can get the doctorâs note online in 10 minutes by filling out a questionnaire and you only have to give a verbal assurance that your animal is safe. 
@doschicos what do you mean by âshare feesâ? Cleaning up after animals has to incur costs-why shouldnât the person whoâs causing the costs absorb them?
Bad typing autocorrected âchargeâ to âshareâ. Fixed it.
Way the laws seem to be written so as not to penalize those afflicted, I assume. Problem is all the fakers.
@doschicos said:
ESA animals are not by law required to be allowed anywhere except public transportation and housing!
Service dogs, YES. Not ESAs.
@gouf, where did you see a vet note requirement for ESAs?
There is no note requirement from a vetâbut there should be one.
I just suggested that. Hope everyone thinks itâs true and goes viral. Itâll help vet business and cut down on all the problems.
You canât tell from that photo whether or not that dog is a pit mix. 50 lbs is not a âhugeâ dog. Many pits are perfectly lovely, loving dogs.
Many animal rescue organizations will not classify dogs as pit mixes because it makes it difficult to adopt them out: homeowners insurance, etc.
A friend of a friend had a lab who suddenly attacked a friend of theirs who was lying on the sofa and bit his face.
The idea that all âsnub nosedâ dogs are dangerous is ludicrous.
Yes, there is. The business owner (transportation or housing) cannot charge fees for ESA. In fact, the landlords canât even charge the $10 or $25 per month that non-ESA incur, and they canât charge extra damage deposits. They can charge for damage but only if they charge other tenants for that damage. If a building has a no-pets policy, and thus no set deposits for pets, damage, etc., it canât charge the ESA tenants.
There was a Q&A about whether the landlords can even make the tenants clean up after their pets (or evict them) and it seemed as if they canât.
You canât tell for sure from the photo but it does look very much like a pit bull mix. As soon as I read it was a lab mix my antennae went up because Iâve been told that âlab mixâ is shelter code for âpit bull mixâ. BTW, the photo of the dog in sunglasses comes from the ownerâs Facebook page, so this is the dog in question.
I have nothing against pit bulls per se. My dog and I played with a perfectly lovely full pit yesterday. That said, many of these pit mixes come from shelters and have a history of neglect. Our neighbor had such a dog. It was a wonderful, loyal, and affectionate pet to the family, but a danger to other people. It once pinned me, growling, on the ownerâs doorstep when I tried to alert the family it had gotten out, and it bit my dog and refused to let go when mine stepped over the driveway line to say hello. The dog eventually had to be put down after it attacked someone working at a neighborâs house. It didnât just bite once, it went on full-out attack, sending the man to the hospital.
there are companies on the internet that will provide you with all the required ESA documents for $50. On the other hand, if you follow the rules and fly with your small pet crated and under the seat in front of you, the airline charges between $100 and $150 each way. I think if the airline dropped this fee, there would be less incentive to scam the system (ever notice how many more people bring carry on bags now that there is a $25 fee to put them below?).
I do feel sorry for the airlines in some part though. Some people who have ADA animals have successfully sued restaurants and other service providers for âhasslingâ them for paperwork to support their need for their service animal and it can be deemed an invasion of privacy to demand particulars. Because of these precedents, many service providers are hesitant to question people who state they have a service or ESA animals.
Additionally, why canât the airline require that ESA dogs be muzzled (Iâm not saying that for ADA dogs because of their training requirements).?
Statistically, yes, pit bulls are more dangerous than many other breeds of dogs. Generations of breeding for temperament and certain characteristics does make for breed differences even away from circumstances of upbringing.
Post 133âdoesnât matter to Delta. Their policy is pit bulls and âsnub nosedâ dogs are a restricted breed in their policy.
You can own them all you want and love them all you want. In the confines of your home.
You actually made my main point.
Who really cares WHAT the breed is? I wouldnât want âthe sweet lab who never bit anyone beforeâ next to me any more than a pit bull.
You might have the sweetest dog on earth. I really donât care. I donât know you nor your dog. Your problem. Not mine.
Maybe if I got to know your dog Iâd love 'em too.
I donât want to sit next to a dog of ANY size on an airplane. Even the ones I know personally and love. Period. Stuff it underneath the seat confined as required and Iâll be fine. Thatâs the way the regulations actually exist except for true service dogs who are highly trained.
Just donât bring them on a plane unless in a crate and properly contained.
I paid for my over-priced ticket just like everyone else. It did not include worrying about animals biting me. Someone with more carry on luggage than permitted bugs me to no endâbut at least it isnât sitting in someoneâs lap waiting to lash out.
Sorry. Dogs are just as much of a weapon as my nail scissors or a pocket knife.
How can a dog get a pass when I suffer through security for naught?
Do âemotional supportâ animals go through security and x-ray machines? (anybody know?)
âThe idea that all âsnub nosedâ dogs are dangerous is ludicrous.â
Letâs put the facts straight. The reason these dogs are not allowed for transportation is not the danger they present - it is that they themselves can be in danger from traveling:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/10/bulldogs-banned-airlines-health-risks_n_1003495.html
And that is only applicable to cargo travel. Under 20 lb - can go into the cabin with a fee. Over 20 lb - fly a private jet. Therefore, the easiest and cheapest solution for anyone wanting their Fido to fly for free is⊠to take them into the cabin as ESAs.