Everyone's seen service dogs that help disabled people go about their daily lives. But incidents of people claiming that their everyday pet is a legit service animal seem to be on the rise.
Everyone's seen service dogs that help disabled people go about their daily lives. But incidents of people claiming that their everyday pet is a legit service animal seem to be on the rise.
Service animals, particularly dogs, can be trained to help people. This has been a thing for a long time. But in recent years, it seems like things have gotten out of hand.
If you had to take a flight with your pet, would you rather put them in the cold, scary baggage hold, or have them in the seat next to you? Lots of people would probably opt for the latter.
At one time, attitudes were more lax, and an airline rep would probably just shrug if you asked to bring your emotional support badger onto a plane.
The epidemic of dubious support animals at airports and inside airplanes became so widespread that some travelers took to Twitter to document what they saw as people abusing the system.
Airlines don't want emotional support cats using up seats, but it's also hard to quibble with someone who has a semi-plausible explanation, or a doctor's note. But the tide is starting to turn.
Senator Russell Ruderman introduced Bill 2461 in the Hawaii state senate after continually being frustrated by what he saw as fake service animals on his frequent flights between Hawaii and the mainland.
Crucially, it will allow airlines to exercise more power when it comes to passengers with support animals. Of course, legitimate support animals will still be allowed. But the bill cracks down on those with less legitimate reasons.
It isn't particularly high as far as airline-related punishments go, but it's a start. The bill was overwhelmingly passed in Hawaii, and was widely supported by groups that advocate for people with disabilities.
Because the kinds of questions that could determine whether a support animal is legitimate are also the kinds of questions that could infringe on a person's right to privacy, it could be a sticky wicket.
Ruderman's bill is a promising start, but in the rest of the country, fake service animals are rampant. It's hard to keep tabs on because there's literally no official registry of support animals.
Illegitimate support animals aren't just an annoyance for other travelers, but they also cause legit support animals to be viewed with suspicion. It's unfortunate that so many people appear to be gaming the system.
Have you ever flown next to someone with an emotional support gecko, or have you been the one trying to sneak your cat onto the plane? Let us know in the comments!